Chapter 2

Chloe’s patience ran out, and she gave my shoulder a hard shove.

"What are you standing there spacing out for? Apologize already!"

I let her momentum push me two steps back. Taking my hand out of my pocket, releasing the ring box, I lightly brushed off the spot where her hand had just touched my jacket.

"Apologize? He doesn't deserve it."

Chloe's expression hardened when she saw my dismissive gesture.

"What did you just say? Ethan Vance, do you really think that just because you made..."

She caught herself, quickly scanning the reporters nearby, and swallowed the rest of her sentence.

"Fine. You've been dead weight at the studio anyway—no real talent, useless at closing deals. Maybe I should just give the Creative Director position to Lucas!"

I nodded calmly.

"Sure. Give it to him. I wish him every success."

Seeing how easily I agreed, Chloe actually hesitated.

Deep down, she knew what I was capable of.

"It’s just an award," she softened her tone slightly, trying to throw me a bone. "You need to fix your temper."

In the past, whenever she showed even a hint of softness, I would readily take the out and apologize.

Not today. I was done bending over backward.

I shook my head, unclipped my keycard badge from my chest, and handed it to her.

"While you're at it, consider this my resignation."

Fury ignited in Chloe's eyes. Stunned that I hadn't backed down, her voice sharpened into a shriek.

"Fine! Resignation accepted!"

"Ethan, do you really think this company can't run without you? Don't flatter yourself!"

"Lucas is twice the talent you are! When you come crawling back on your knees begging for your job, don't expect me to take you back!"

Her words only made me want to laugh.

I built that studio from the ground up. I handpicked and trained every single member of the dev team.

Without me, that company wouldn't just stall—it would collapse!

Seeing that I didn't care in the slightest, Chloe’s face turned stormy.

"Lucas, ignore him. Pick up the trophy. We still have an exclusive interview to do."

"Let's see how many days he lasts out in the cold!"

She genuinely believed that, just like before, I would come crawling back within forty-eight hours to make amends.

This time, she was dead wrong.

When I drove back to the studio, several team members were still burning the midnight oil.

Without disturbing anyone, I quietly packed my belongings at my desk.

Even though I was the Creative Director, my desk sat in the open floor plan with everyone else; I had never had a private office.

I didn't even have a decent spot by the window. My desk was wedged into a cramped corner next to supply boxes.

When Chloe assigned it to me, she had sounded so righteous:

"Everyone knows you're with me. I have to be stricter with you so the others don't cry favoritism!"

So, I did the heaviest lifting in the company without a single perk or executive privilege.

Meanwhile, Lucas...

I glanced toward the dark private office down the hall.

Though officially my assistant, he spent all his time shadowing Chloe.

Within a month of his arrival, Chloe had him moved directly into her personal executive suite.

"Lucas needs quiet to think. The bullpen is too loud for him."

Back when I was pulling seventy-hour crunch weeks to hit release deadlines, my nerves were completely frayed, and even a dropped pen shattered my focus.

Do you know what Chloe told me back then?

"You’re a grown man, why are you being so dramatic? Instead of whining about special treatment, focus on your work!"

Some people truly never deserved your loyalty.