Lily shoved the document into Sarah's arms and , without missing a beat , snapped two photos with her phone . " Consider it handed off to Ms. Sarah . If anything goes wrong , it has nothing to do with me ." Her voice was flat , drained . She had no fight left in her , no energy to compete - not with someone like Sarah . Not when she already knew where she stood in Jared's heart : insignificant . The temperature inside the company was perfectly regulated , yet a chill spread through her body , cold and suffocating . She took the elevator down and stepped out into the sunlight , but the cold in her chest refused to fade . She stood at the curb as traffic rushed past , the corners of her lips curving up in a bitter , self - mocking smile . Maybe the hotel was the exception . Maybe their real routine was sleeping together in the company's lounge . She'd already known Jared had slept with Sarah . She'd seen the signs , had heard the rumors . So why was it that seeing proof still made it hurt this much ? Why did it still feel like she was being torn apart ? Her phone rang , snapping her out of the storm in her chest . " Hello ? " she answered weakly . " Lily , come home now , " her father Wayne commanded without room for negotiation . She had nothing else to do - no interviews , no plans for the day . She could either sit around and let this misery consume her , or go deal with whatever her father wanted . " ... Okay ," she agreed . Even if she didn't want to see her family right now . Back at Cloud Corp , Jared hadn't delayed the meeting after all . He'd moved it up . The more he thought about it , the more he felt that making Lily wait would better teach her a 51 10:51 Thu , Sep 11 When it finally ended around noon , Jared removed his glasses , rubbed his temples , and walked leisurely back toward his office . " Mr. Jared , here's a document that needs your signature ! " the finance manager caught up to him . Timothy stepped in . " Nice try . You're using the meeting as an excuse to catch him in passing ? Mr. Jared is still busy . Bring it back this afternoon . " The manager looked annoyed . But Jared surprised them both by stopping . " No rush . " He took the document and signed it , his expression unusually calm . Then he continued walking toward his office . In his mind , he imagined Lily still waiting there - pitiful , maybe on the verge of tears . He hated it when women cried , but there was a fine line he could manage . Letting her stew for a bit would make the confrontation sweeter . Victory in hand , he opened the door . And froze . The couch was empty . No one at the window . The office was dead silent . Lily wasn't there . The sound of movement came from the lounge . His brows furrowed . What was Lily doing in there ? He'd been drinking in the lounge the past few nights - restless , unable to sleep , worn out by work and annoyed by Lily's behavior . If she saw the leftover bottles or the unmade bed , she might assume he- " Jared ? " Sarah stepped out of the lounge and locked eyes with him . His gaze was sharp , almost angry . She looked confused . " What's wrong ? " His hand , still on the doorknob , dropped . Her chest was right at eye level - her shirt Sarah smiled , her voice honey - sweet . " I came to help you look good , of course . You've got a press conference this afternoon , remember ? I sent your clothes to the cleaners and had someone tidy up your lounge . Jared , you need to take care of yourself . The company - and I- are counting on you . " He narrowed his eyes . " When did you get here ? Was there anyone in the office ? " He glanced at his desk and saw the file - placed perfectly at the edge . His gaze His jaw clenched . Lips pressed tight . darkened . " Nope . Empty when I came in . Timothy said someone dropped off a file , though . I checked- it's for the press conference later ." Sarah moved beside him . " Your mom must've had one of the Bolt family's servants bring it over . So careless - just dropped it and left . What if something had gone wrong ? " So Lily had come ... just to deliver a document ? She hadn't taken the bait . Hadn't tried to make up . He'd imagined it all - the confrontation , the apology , the tears . Instead ... she'd walked away . His fingers curled into a fist . " Careless , " he muttered . He'd married Lily because she was quiet , obedient . But ever since that night , she'd pushed his limits again and again . She didn't even know how to be a proper wife anymore . Sarah placed the open file in front of him . " I'll attend the press conference with always , if things get tricky , pass them to me . I'll handle them . " you . Like She leaned in slightly , voice softer now . " Let's have dinner tonight , just the two of us ." Jared pushed away thoughts of Lily . His eyes narrowed , expression softening . " Sure . You pick the place ." Even if today was a misunderstanding , he was still certain of one thing - Lily would come crawling back . 3/5 10:52 Thu , Sep 11 " Timothy , book that place Jared dined at with Mr. Mike the other day . I'm taking him there tonight . " Timothy quickly made the call . " Thanks . You've been working hard these past few days ," Sarah said sweetly . " Clock out early today . Jared and I will handle dinner . " .... Mr. Jared said that ? " Sarah shook her head . " Nope . That's my call . He's a workaholic . If you stay , he'll drag you into working overtime again . Go home . I've got this ." Timothy hesitated , but she wasn't wrong . He'd barely slept five hours a day all week . " ... Thanks . Ms. Sarah . " Timothy worked directly under Jared , but everyone knew Jared and Sarah weren't just colleagues . If she said she'd handle it - he'd take the break . The Ginger family used to live in a villa in the East District . After falling on hard times , they moved into a smaller three - floor duplex apartment . Still worth millions , but nothing like their old home . Lily returned , but her heart wasn't in it . She moved around the house like a ghost . " Lily , " her mother Azure had been speaking to her , but got no response . " Did you two fight again ? " Lily blinked , snapped back to reality . " No. " Azure frowned . " Then something's clearly bothering you ." " You wouldn't understand ," Lily muttered , pulling out her phone to avoid more questions . Azure grabbed the phone and tossed it aside . " I don't need to understand , but you need to fix your face . Jared comes home after a long day of work - he doesn't need to see that sour expression . Especially if it's not even his fault . You can't upset him . Don't piss him off ." 4/5 ( 10:52 Thu , Sep 11 Chapter 8 Don't Upset Him Her voice was stern . Like always , blaming Lily for anything that might bother Jared . ร Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!