Chapter 7: Jealousy

There was this one person in the secretarial department who had some clout—Debra. She’d been around forever but never got promoted, and she hated Angela’s guts.

Every time someone was talking behind Angela’s back, you could bet Debra was right there.

“Guess what? She probably messed around, seduced some men, and got slapped around by their girlfriend or wife.”

“She’s not still messing with Mr. Alexander?” someone whispered.

“You guys haven’t seen the news? Mr. Alexander’s out on a date with his future wife. Looks like he’s getting married. As for Angela? She’s probably been dumped. She is gold digger, and now she’s scrambling to find someone else rich.”

Angela shot up from her seat and locked eyes with Debra. The chill in her gaze was enough to freeze anyone in place.

Debra flinched. “Fuck! What did I say that’s wrong?”

Angela didn’t skip a beat. “No wonder you’ve been with X Group for almost ten years and still haven’t gotten anywhere. The people who started after you are all getting promotions. Maybe it’s time you stopped complaining and looked at yourself for once?”

“You—”

“Day in, day out, all you do is talk behind people’s backs. What’s it to you who I’m sleeping with? You’re just jealous, aren’t you? Because you don’t have the looks, the charm, or the guts to pull it off!”

Angela felt a rush of satisfaction. After all, she was about to quit anyway. No point in dealing with these people anymore.

“Is she—has she lost it?” Debra stared, seeing that Angela wasn’t playing around anymore.

The afternoon rolled in, and by the time work ended, the office was buzzing again.

“Did you see the chat group? A man’s downstairs holding roses. Looks like he’s for Angela.”

“Angela? The one in our department? I told you, she’s out there hooking up with guys. You can tell by that face—total seductress.”

“Not sure. The guy doesn’t look like much, but he definitely looks like he’s got money.”

Angela pulled up the group chat and saw the photo. The guy holding the roses? None other than Juan Albert from yesterday.

Wait—didn’t he storm off earlier? What the hell was he doing here again?

Debra chimed in. “Angela, aren’t you going to take care of this? Is it some kind of show? You want everyone to think you’re so special, that they should all envy you?”

Angela knew this wasn’t a good look for the company. She went downstairs to meet Juan.

“Mr. Albert, what’s going on here? I thought I made myself clear last night.”

She was dressed in a sleek business suit, her figure and legs impossible to ignore. Juan was definitely taken in.

Juan smiled, his tone casual. “I thought it over last night. Honestly, someone like you isn’t really wife material for me. But hey, we can have some fun. Don’t worry—I’ll pay top dollar, buy you clothes, bags, whatever you want. As long as you’re with me, when I get married, you can be my mistress.”

Angela was stunned. How could he even say that out loud? And of course, a few people passing by heard the words “married,” “mistress,” and the rumors spread again.

Later, on the airport highway, a luxury car sped down the road. Inside, the air was thick with tension.

Kyle had seen the messages. His face was colder than ever.

Angela—what a piece of slut. Acting all high and mighty in front of him, and then turning around, jumping into bed with some other guy. She couldn’t even wait.

He stared at the photo. If his looks could kill, that guy would’ve been dead a hundred times over.

“That guy?” Kyle’s voice was low, full of fury. “Does he really think he can compete with me?”

His secretary Mark wiped sweat off his brow, too afraid to say anything.