Part 3Rotten Old Love

It wasn't until we got into separate luxury cars, driving off in completely opposite directions, that reality truly hit me.

If I didn't actively force a conversation, Kevin and I had absolutely nothing to say to each other.

I used to be so painfully dense. I never even noticed.

I used to act like an absolute idiot, following him around, calling him sweet pet names, racking my brain for anything to talk about just to fill the quiet.

I stared blankly out the window, letting out a heavy sigh.

After checking in at my new office, I barely had time to read the onboarding manual before I was dragged into a departmental strategy meeting.

A gorgeous, radiant girl with her hair pulled into a high ponytail was standing at the front of the conference room, confidently presenting a marketing proposal.

I sat in the back row, stifling a yawn while taking lazy notes.

A coworker next to me whispered. "I heard she is just a college intern. Isn't she amazing?"

"Right? She knows her stuff, and she is so fiercely opinionated."

Hearing those specific adjectives made me pause, but I didn't dwell on it.

Until she reached the climax of her brilliant presentation.

The heavy glass doors of the conference room swung open.

The department director practically bowed as he walked in. "Mr. Hopkins, right this way, please."

My head snapped up.

The same man I had coldly parted ways with this morning was casually strolling into my office.

He was impossibly tall, radiating an aristocratic, freezing aura.

The floating comments instantly exploded in my field of vision.

[OMG! Mom and Dad are finally meeting!]

[The butterfly effect is real! If the side character hadn't randomly decided to get a job, the main couple wouldn't have met this early.]

[We actually have to thank the side character for giving us this sweet romance so soon.]

[The poor side character is still throwing a tantrum today, completely unaware that she is just speeding up her own divorce.]

[Yeah, if she had just stayed the obedient little wife, the male lead might have actually felt a little pity for her.]

I was completely out of energy.

Being the discarded side character in someone else's love story was absolutely exhausting.

My eyes lingered on the second comment.

So, Kevin wasn't here by coincidence. He came here specifically for me?

I rubbed my chin in thought, right as my gaze collided with his pitch-black eyes.

The seat directly across from me happened to be empty. Kevin pulled out the chair and sat down. His dark stare rested on my face for exactly one second before he looked away.

The director nervously hovered nearby. "These slides outline our newest strategic approach, which perfectly aligns with the Hopkins Group's core philosophy."

Kevin looked at the screen with an impassive face.

I looked at him, then looked at the bright, confident intern presenting the slides.

I couldn't help but think it to myself.

They really did look like the perfect novel couple. The cold billionaire and the bright, talented girl. A match made in heaven.

As I thought about it, my grip on my pen tightened.

I wanted to take this stupid ballpoint pen and stab a hole right through Kevin's expensive suit.

By the time I snapped out of my murderous daydream, the room was dead quiet.

I looked up in confusion, only to find Kevin staring right at me again.

The director immediately snapped at me. "This is not the time to be daydreaming! Pay attention!"

Kevin slowly raised a long finger, silencing the man. "It is fine."

He paused, his voice dropping into a cool, flat tone. "However, if you find the corporate pace too difficult to adapt to, you are always welcome to stay home."

The director nodded profusely. "Of course, of course, Mr. Hopkins."

I dropped my pen on the table, grinding my teeth.

When the presentation finally ended, everyone filed out. I stayed glued to my chair, refusing to leave.

Kevin didn't leave either. He sent his assistant away to handle the actual contract negotiations.

Soon, it was just the two of us left in the empty boardroom.

"What was that supposed to mean?" I glared at him. "Were you trying to publicly humiliate me?"

Kevin raised a brow. "No."

I bit my lip, deciding to change the subject. "I never heard anything about the Hopkins Group collaborating with Nova Innovations. Why the sudden partnership? And why would the CEO show up in person? Is it because of..."

Because of me?

Before I could finish the sentence, he cut me off, his tone entirely dismissive.

"You have never taken an interest in my corporate affairs. It is only natural you wouldn't know."

I froze, completely struck dumb by the cold rejection.

Right at that moment, the door opened.

The bright intern who had presented the slides walked in.

The actual heroine of the story. Stella.

She froze when she saw Kevin and me alone in the room.

"Oh, you two are..."

Kevin casually took a step back, putting a very clear, professional distance between us.

Stella smiled warmly, completely unfazed. "I am so sorry to interrupt your conversation. I just forgot my flash drive on the podium."

Kevin gave her a polite nod. "It is no problem."

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words died in my throat. I just gave a quiet, awkward nod.

It seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fight the plot.

Before I could sink into a depression, someone called my name.

It was Sarah, the senior employee assigned to train me.

She patiently clicked through a shared drive on my computer. "This folder has all the standard templates for our corporate agreements. Look through them so you know where everything is. Let me know if you get stuck."

With that, she walked away.

I skimmed the list of files, my eyes locking onto a specific document.

My finger clicked the mouse. I opened the template for a Divorce Settlement Agreement.

I quietly saved a copy to my personal desktop.

When I turned my chair around, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

A tall figure was standing right behind me. I had no idea how long he had been there.

His calm, dark eyes shifted slowly from my computer monitor down to my face.

My heart skipped a beat. "Kevin..."

The air felt thick like molasses. The silence was so heavy it made my chest ache with panic.

"It is... I have a friend. She is going through a messy divorce with her husband." The lie tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "I was just doing some research to help her out."

The second the words left my mouth, I wanted to slap myself.

Why did I instinctively make up an excuse?

And such a pathetic one, too.

But knowing Kevin’s personality, I figured he wouldn't care enough to ask follow-up questions.

I was just starting to mentally sigh in relief when his flat, emotionless voice cut through the air.

"Which friend? Why haven't I heard about this?"

I stared at him.

Why was he suddenly so inquisitive?

I stayed silent for a moment before giving him a taste of his own medicine. "You have never taken an interest in my social life. It is only natural you wouldn't know."

Kevin looked down at me, his thick eyelashes fluttering slightly.

After a long pause, he turned around and walked away.