Fene’s POV


    “Is this how you treat me? You said you would protect me.”


    I barged into n’s office first thing in the morning. My steps thudded, and I nearly mmed his desk if I hadn’t restrained myself. Jessy stood behind me, trembling with fear.


    “Good morning, Fene. Tea?” n asked with a smile, raising his teacup.


    “Cut the act.” I scowled and red at him.


    “I’m just acting normal, as usual. It’s you who’ve been out of controltely,” he shrugged and sipped his tea casually.


    “Why did you have to mess up my life and career?”


    “No, Fene. You’ve messed up your own life and career. I’m actually trying to save you from ruin,” he said, setting his teacup back on the desk.


    “Oh, right, you’ve cornered me into a dirty project I can’t avoid. Thanks for trapping me,” I hissed, leaning over the desk and propping my hands on it.


    “Hey, you’re the one who signed the contract, not me. No one forced you to sign it, did they? Did I kidnap you and threaten to cut off your pinky if you didn’t sign?”


    “What about Jessy? Did you force Fene?” He asked, ncing at Jessy.


    “No, of course not. I-” he squeaked in fear.


    “See? No one trapped you into a dirty project. In fact, there’s nothing dirty about Mallory’s social campaign. It’s all for the good of the world.”


    Hearing n talk like that, my mouth fell open, and I sighed in frustration. The good of the world? Maybe I’m the crazy one, but his reasoning didn’t align with his actions.


    “I wouldn’t have signed it if I knew the project was like this.” My fists clenched, and I spoke slowly.


    “Didn’t you read the contract that was offered to you? Not even one?”


    “How could I read it when you shoved a stack of documents with dozens of pages in front of me?” My voice rose.


    “That’s what Jessy did, not me. I didn’t give it to you.” n raised his hands in the air and shook his head.


    “Don’t me Jessy. I know it’s all your fault.”


    “Ask Jessy yourself why he handed you a stack of documents without letting you read everything first. Did Jessy even read it himself?” n pointed at Jessy, who flinched in panic.


    n knew he was right. Jessy had indeed admitted that he hadn’t had the chance to properly read all the contracts. His mind has been a messtely, he said. Even so, I still didn’t want to me him.


    “Anyway, you’re the one who slipped that contract onto me.”


    I still insisted on using him, though now my strength was waning and my courage was fading. n seemed to notice and stood up from his chair.


    “I already told you, didn’t I? If youplete all the contracts well, I won’t demand a penalty. In fact, if you continue working with Gene, I could make you the most sessful supermodel in the world.”


    “If I have toply and do things your way, I don’t want to.” I clenched my jaw.


    There was still some courage left in me to defy him. n bit his lower lip. He seemed to be growing impatient with me. His eyes narrowed.


    “Listen, Fene. I’ve done my duty as the agency owner. I’ve found and given you projects, opened connections for you, and even agreed to fund acting sses for you because that’s what you asked of me before. Don’t you remember?”


    He walked with long strides, circling the desk until he stood right in front of me. His tall frame loomed over me as he leaned in, allowing me to clearly see his dark eyes.


    “You’re the one failing to fulfill your duties. First, you wanted to leave Gene before the contract ended, and now you say you don’t want to work on the project you signed up for yourself.” He snorted and gave a crooked smile.


    “Grow up and be a responsible woman like an adult should be.”


    He whispered in front of my face. His breath was warm with the strong scent of mint tea, contrasting with his voice, which sounded cold and piercing. I trembled because I knew I had lost as well. n smiled and straightened himself.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    “Now, if you’vee to your senses, you should act professionally and finish what you’ve started. I have an online meeting.”


    n put his hands in his pants pockets and returned to his usual rxed demeanor. I bit the inside of my mouth, holding myself back from humiliating myself any further.


    “What’s your rtionship with Amy Schmidt?” My voice was sharp, and my eyes were squinting to scrutinize any expression that might give me a clue.


    He fell silent, and his smile momentarily vanished from his face. Then he shrugged. “We have the same surname. Does that matter?”


    “Are you siblings?” I pressed further.


    “Who knows? That name has nothing to do with all this,” he sneered. n’s phone on the desk rang, signaling an iing call. “I really need to go to this online meeting now.”


    “Ugh, I can’t believe this,” I groaned, shaking my head as I walked out of his office.


    I knew n had a family connection with Amy. Theirst names were the same, and now he was bullying me in the same way. No sexual harassment, no physical violence, no outward insults-he was destroying my spirit in his own way.


    My eyes felt hot, but I restrained myself from crying in front of everyone. The Gene office was quite crowded today, and I didn’t want to make a bigger scandal about myself. I ran down the stairs and into the rtively quieter ground-floor restroom.


    “Fene, wait!” Jessy chased after me, but I mmed the restroom door shut.


    My body weakened. I leaned against the door and crouched on the floor. My hands covered my mouth, and I could no longer hold back my tears. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and my chest felt tight.


    “Fene, I’m so sorry.” Jessy’s voice sounded faint.


    ***


    After crying for a while, I finally left the restroom. When I came out, Jessy was still sitting in the lobby chair, his elbows resting on the table and his hands holding his head.


    “Let’s go,” I suggested.


    “What should we do?” he asked.


    I reached out and squeezed Jessy’s hand. We held hands, our eyes both red and swollen. John, n’s personal assistant, came down to the lobby and looked at us with a puzzled expression.


    “Would you like me to make some coffee? I’ll make some for the guests too,” he asked as he walked over to the coffee machine.


    “No, we’re fine,” I said quietly. All of a sudden, my phone rang from a message notification. I read it and quickly pulled Jessy’s hand.


    “Come on, Jessy, let’s get out of here. We need to catch Mallory.”


    “What do you mean? Catching Mallory West?”


    “Yes, Jessy. We’re going to persuade her to cancel this contract.” I puffed out my chest and took a deep breath.