Chapter 4

Zoe froze, stunned by Connor's audacity to question her.

Sensing her moment of weakness, Connor said, "If anything, you should be ashamed of your behavior right now! You and Rosie are in charge of overseeing Jasmine's work, and yet you've allowed such a heinous crime to occur right underneath your noses. This screams a lack of professionalism, and if I were you, I'd resign immediately!

"Not only that, but as close as you are with Rosie, I'm still her boyfriend. You should be ashamed of yourself for allowing her to flirt with other men during work. Moreover, her indecency has caused the company great misfortune. Worse, Jasmine got hurt due to your neglect. Shame on you!"

I could hear Zoe take a deep breath from the other end of the line as if steadying herself. I cocked my head, trying to listen.

'There's no way you can argue against him, Zoe! He's too far gone! There's no persuading him anymore!'

Zoe's tone was icy when her reply came. "Do you know what happened to Rosie?"

Connor said, eerily calm, "Now listen here, Zoe. Consider this a last warning to you—and Rosie. Cut all the crap. Rosie has to get her shit together and take care of this mess.

"If you've learned from your mistakes, I will gladly help you smooth everything over, and you two will still be able to keep your jobs. If you do not turn over a new leaf, however, and cause even more harm to Jasmine, I will have no choice but to resort to harsher measures!"

Zoe let out a derisive snort. "Wow! How courageous of you, Mr. Sanders! You swooped in and rescued the damsel in distress. We must all applaud your generosity! You won't be smiling for long, I can guarantee that!"

Then, she hung up so abruptly that Connor and I were left gawking at the phone.

A wave of sorrow washed over me once I snapped out of shock.

'Zoe, oh, Zoe! Only you and my parents would weep for me!'

Connor furrowed his brow and said, as if trying to convince himself, "Rosie has always been smart and independent, and she's in perfect health, so there's nothing wrong with how I handled this. What did she mean by that?"

Jasmine stared at him and said warily, "Rosie has told me before that she wanted to break up with you. Perhaps she's going to use this as leverage over you?"

That seemed to set Connor off, and he shouted, "She's an idiot if she thinks I'll be scared of that!"

His sudden anger made Jasmine jump. She softly replied as though trying to tame a lion, "Rosie told me you don't contribute much to the relationship. She's young and smart and certain that she will have plenty of suitors at her heels!"

A vein throbbed in Connor's forehead, but he said nothing. It looked like he was trying his very best to remain calm. I watched in indifference as he breathed hard to get a grip on himself.

If I had seen him in that state while I was alive, I would have panicked and tried to do everything I could to cheer him up again. However, in death, I realized how naive I had been. I had trapped myself in a toxic, suffocating, one-sided relationship. That was not love!

The love I thought existed between Connor and me had all been in my head!

Suddenly, Connor's phone rang once more. He picked up the phone, barking his greeting impatiently, but his tone perked up when he realized who it was. His tone was steady as he said, "Hello, Mrs. Clark."

It was my mother!

My mother sounded heartbroken, even over the phone. "Where are you, Connor?"

Connor picked up on the pain in her voice and replied warily, "Mrs. Clark, Jasmine isn't feeling too well. I sent her to the hospital and pulled some strings to get her admitted into a VIP suite. She's doing fine now."

My mother wailed, "Why…why weren't you with Rosie?"

I fell to my knees, clutching my head as my body racked with noiseless sobs. My mother's pain was so contagious that I felt her sorrow blossom through my body as though she was right next to me.

Connor glanced at Jasmine, who blinked at him innocently, and said to my mother, sounding annoyed, "Mrs. Clark, although Rosie is my girlfriend, and I respect you very much, I still feel obliged to speak up about this.

"Your treatment of Jasmine is very unfair! I know she's adopted, but even then, you should've paid more attention to her, especially since she's in poor health!"

My mother froze, momentarily stunned, then continued sobbing. "This is all my fault! Rosie, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have allowed her to step foot into our house! I should've just left her for dead! I wish I could change everything… Rosie, oh, my darling Rosie!"

My eyes pricked with tears again, but none fell.

I was dead. My parents cherished me like the apple of their eye, giving me the absolute best of everything, and tried their best to protect me from harm. What did I repay them with?

I neglected myself. I gave myself away to win a scrap of other people's affection, but at what cost?

Connor pursed his lips and said calmly, "Please calm down, Mrs. Clark. Rosie and Jasmine aren't the same. Jasmine is young, naive, and fragile because she has a heart condition. Rosie, on the other hand, is strong, healthy, and independent. In all the years I've known her, she hasn't so much as caught a cold. She can fend for herself."

That seemed to snap some sense into my mother, whose tone sharpened as she replied, "You'll regret this!"

"Mom! I'm sorry! I made a terrible mistake!" I tried to scream, but it was too late. She had already hung up.

I shot Connor a vengeful glare.

He was still clutching his phone, looking puzzled and a little amused. "What did Rosie tell them? Why did they sound like something terrible had happened to Rosie?"

Jasmine whimpered, "She must've told my mother about this! Rosie always spreads lies about me to everyone, including Zoe and my family. She's been trying to get me expelled from the family and the company for years. She's jealous of me and can't stand having me steal her spotlight. She's shameless—"

Connor turned and shot her a look so sharp that Jasmine clamped her mouth shut. She let out an innocent giggle as though the words that hung in the air were from the mouth of another.

Connor stood there, looking a little perturbed. After a moment, he strode toward the door, his footsteps bearing a hint of fear.

I could hear him mutter, "Rosie, you'll be fine! You're the strongest woman I know!"