Chapter 2

The book I transmigrated into was titled “Arrest My Sweetheart, The Cold CEO Demands Light Affection.”

It was a classic CEO romance novel, starring the icy CEO and his adorable, but utterly incompetent, assistant-slash-future-trophy-wife.

In the story, Blair and I were both assistants who helped CEO Julian with his life and work. But in reality, Blair was the ornamental piece; I was the one keeping the wheels on and cleaning up her messes.

From their very first meeting, Julian fell in love with Blair’s flustered, deer-in-headlights look when she spilled coffee. He’d watch Blair mess things up, scold her until she looked panicked, and then pull her into his office to “discipline” her fiercely.

Afterward, he’d open the door and coldly order, “Assistant Reid, clean this up.”

I was Assistant Reid, the one who did two people’s jobs, cleaned up the female lead’s messes, and even had to play matchmaker, only to be cannon fodder.

I was so diligent, yet in the end, I was just fired and exiled to some godforsaken mining camp simply because I accidentally upset Blair.

I protected their love, but all they wanted was for me to dig.

So, let someone else be the sacrificial lamb, I’m out.

Meeting Julian’s cool gaze, I cut straight to the chase:

“Mr. Julian, I’m here to resign.”

Julian visibly paused, but quickly asked,

“Why?”

On the surface, his face was stone-cold, but my ears picked up his internal chattering.

【No way, my silly Cassidy is actually trying to resign? After working with me for over a year, she wants to quit on New Year’s Eve? Does she not care about me anymore? Or did she find a better, less demanding boss? She doesn’t think I’m paying enough, does she?】

【Damn it, how am I supposed to survive without her? Maybe I should offer her a raise? How much is appropriate?】

【Ugh, I guess I’ll just ask her!】

“You…”

I was about to see how much of a raise he’d offer me when the office door was pushed open.

“Mr. Julian, I personally brewed you a cup of coffee…”

It was Blair, the original female lead, on her first day. Seeing both Julian and me looking at her, she belatedly put on a timid expression.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Assistant Reid was here. Did I interrupt something?”

She quickly backed away as she spoke, then tripped on the rug, spilling the scalding coffee she held. The red marks left by the hot liquid instantly filled her eyes with tears, but she stubbornly looked up, refusing to let them fall.

“I’m so sorry! I… I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry!”

Seeing this scene, I immediately got excited.

Here it comes! The first meeting between the male and female leads in the original story, where Blair spills coffee, and Julian falls in love with her flustered, yet stubborn, look right then and there.

I secretly turned to look at Julian.

According to the original plot, he should have immediately stood up, taken Blair out to treat her burns, and then told me to clean up the mess.

Sure enough, Julian instantly stood up and walked toward Blair.

I counted to four silently. Julian stopped in front of Blair.

I widened my eyes, waiting for Julian to say that classic line: *You little troublemaker, always getting into scrapes.*

But instead, he turned to me:

“What are you waiting for, Cassidy? This place is a mess. We’ll discuss your raise in the conference room.”

Then he looked at Blair:

“You made this mess. If it’s not cleaned up in twenty minutes, you don’t need to come back to work.”

Blair’s tear-filled eyes widened in shock, looking at Julian in disbelief.

“Mr. Julian…”

Julian just snorted coldly, turned, and walked away.

And again, I heard Julian’s thoughts.

【What’s with that look? She barges in without knocking, and then starts crying? Is she trying to play the victim with me? Ugh! So annoying!】

【She ruined my best chance to keep Cassidy. My brand-new rug is curled up now, and I wasted coffee beans. I lost so much money, and *I’m* not crying. Why is *she* crying?】

【Holy crap! This manipulative little miss won’t actually think this will attract me, will she? Help, my eyes are burning out! Hasn’t she noticed she’s prematurely balding? Losing her hair before she’s even made a dent, I wonder what she’ll look like in the future? Like scattered dandelions?】

【Tsk, tsk, tsk… So pathetic… Compared to her, Cassidy is much better looking, even if she's a little bald too, at least she's competent...】

Me: …Seriously, Julian, was that really necessary?

I watched Julian’s retreating back, annoyed and amused.

Then I looked back at Blair, the original female lead, who was gazing at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall.

This…

It’s not quite like the original plot either.

But regardless of whether the plot was the same or not, I was still determined to resign.

Thinking this, I stepped out of the office.

But just as I exited, a crisp metallic sound rang in my ears.