Chapter 4

It wasn't until I was moved to a general ward the next day that Alfred finally showed up.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored designer suit, his hair styled flawlessly. He still smelled faintly of the sweet, cloying perfume Vivian always wore.

He stood by my bed, looking down at me.

His brow was furrowed. There wasn't an ounce of guilt in his eyes—only annoyance.

"Stop acting so weak now that you're awake," he said. His first words were like poison.

"The doctor said you're out of danger. You made such a scene, Valerie. It’s embarrassing."

I looked at the face I used to adore, and a wave of intense nausea hit me.

"A scene?" I asked quietly.

"I was pinned under a steel shelf in a burning building. I spent three days in the ICU. And you call that a scene?"

Alfred tugged at his tie impatiently. "Can you stop being so dramatic?"

"The fire was huge, and Vivian sprained her ankle. Of course I had to save the weaker person first."

"Aren't you always boasting about how tough you are? Why couldn't you just climb out yourself?"

"You had to stay inside and play dead. Are you trying to guilt-trip me into proposing to you?"

He actually thought I stayed in the fire to force a proposal out of him.

"Alfred," I said, looking him dead in the eye. My voice was as quiet as a whisper.

"When you kicked that fire extinguisher away, were you thinking the same thing?"

Alfred’s face instantly froze.

His pupils dilated, and he quickly raised his voice to cover his guilt.

"What fire extinguisher? I didn't see anything!"

"The smoke was so thick! How could I see what was on the ground?"

"Valerie, don't you dare try to pin this on me!"

"Really?" I picked up my phone and opened a video file.

"The security cameras in the archives sync directly to the cloud in real-time."

"The camera eventually burned, but the high-definition footage from the first five minutes of the fire was saved perfectly."

Alfred’s face went dead white. He took a sharp step back.

"You... you watched the footage?" His voice started to tremble.

"I didn't just watch it. I backed it up," I said coldly.

"I saw everything. I saw you look at me while I was pinned under the shelf. I saw you kick away the fire extinguisher I was trying to reach. And I saw you carry Vivian away without a single backward glance."

"The audio is very clear too, Alfred. Especially when you called me 'useless trash'."

Alfred completely panicked.

He rushed to the bedside, trying to grab my hand.

"Valerie... it wasn't like that... I was terrified."

"I didn't realize you were trapped! I thought the canister was empty..."

"Don't touch me. You disgust me." I slapped his hand away.

I sat up, staring at the pathetic, hypocritical man before me.

"Alfred, we're done. We are over."

I thought saying those words would break my heart, but in this moment, I felt nothing but pure, intoxicating relief.

Alfred stunned.

A few seconds later, the panic on his face vanished, replaced by a arrogant, mocking sneer.

"Over? Valerie, did the smoke damage your brain?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets, returning to his usual condescending self.

"You're breaking up with me? You're an orphan who had to take out massive student loans just to get through school. Without me, do you think you can even survive in LA?"

"The only reason you have this job is because I fought the partners to get you onto the project team. You think you got here on merit?"

He truly believed he was my savior.

"And another thing," Alfred leaned down, his eyes gleaming with greed and ambition.

"Asterion Group’s 'Sky City' bidding process is about to wrap up. My design has already been selected as the number one finalist."

"Vivian’s father is a massive venture capitalist. He’s already agreed to invest ten million dollars in my startup."

"Once I land this multi-billion-dollar project, I'll be made a senior partner immediately."

He pointed a finger at my face.

"When that happens, even if you beg me on your knees, I won't give you a second glance."

Sky City? I repeated the name in my mind, a dark smile playing at the corners of my lips.

That design was mine. I had spent six months, pulled countless all-nighters, and rebuilt the model over a hundred times to perfect it.

I had planned to give it to him on his birthday as a gift to help him get his foot in the door of the elite world.

But while I was fighting for my life in the ICU, he had hacked my encrypted laptop, stolen my life's work, and put his own name on it.

"Great," I said, looking at him like he was already dead. "I can't wait to see you land 'Sky City'."

Alfred sneered. "Crazy bitch."

He turned and strode out of the room, his posture radiating the confidence of a man who thought he was about to conquer the world.

Once the door shut, I pulled out my phone. I dialed a number at the very bottom of my contact list—a number I had blocked for three years.

It rang only once before a trembling, highly respectful voice answered.

"Miss Padilla."

"Arthur," I said, looking out at the glittering Los Angeles skyline. My voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Send a car to pick me up. Also, notify the board of Asterion Group. My leave of absence is over. I am taking full control of the company tomorrow."

"Yes, Miss Padilla! But... how is your health?"

"I'm not dead yet," I replied, closing my eyes. "Have the legal department prepare a lawsuit against Alfred Miller for intellectual property theft and corporate espionage."

"And one more thing. I will personally chair the final bidding meeting for 'Sky City'."