Chapter 4

“Dean?” Victoria spoke, her voice clear and pleasant.

“Why Victoria Corp.?”

I steadied myself and answered her questions with composure.

The interview concluded. She closed my resume and said indifferently, “Come in tomorrow to complete your onboarding.”

A wave of joy swelled in my heart. Just as I was about to thank her, the office door was roughly shoved open from the outside.

“Dean!”

Cassandra stormed in, looking much more haggard, her eyes bloodshot.

She grabbed me, her eyes red, and demanded, “Why are you avoiding me? Not answering calls, not replying to messages, what exactly do you want?”

She had found me here.

I frowned, trying to shake off her hand. “Cassandra, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Please let go.”

“Nothing to do with each other?” She laughed, a self-deprecating sound, as if she’d heard the biggest joke.

“Dean, you were with me for four years. Now you’re saying we have nothing to do with each other?”

“Did you find someone else? Is that why you were so eager to dump me?”

Her words grew increasingly nasty, and my face hardened.

Just then, a cool voice came from beside us.

“Miss, please release my employee.”

Victoria had risen at some point. She walked to my side, her gaze calmly fixed on Cassandra.

Her tone was level, but carried an undeniable authority.

Cassandra froze, subconsciously releasing her grip.

Victoria naturally shielded me protectively behind her. “If I recall correctly, at the graduation party, you were the one who was rejected.”

“And now you’re back, relentlessly harassing him? This persistent harassment isn’t exactly classy, is it?”

Victoria’s words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Cassandra’s raging anger.

She stood there, looking utterly disheveled, watching Victoria shield me, a flicker of jealousy and resentment in her eyes.

“Just you wait!”

She threw out that empty threat, then turned and fled in a panic.

Silence returned to the office.

I looked at Victoria, feeling a bit awkward, wondering how she knew about the graduation party incident.

But I still bowed respectfully and apologized. “Victoria, I’m sorry. I caused you trouble.”

“It’s nothing.” She returned to her desk, her gaze falling on my wrist, which Cassandra had gripped red. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

“After you start, I don’t want to see similar incidents happen again.”

“Understood.” I nodded.

She was warning me to keep my personal life separate from my professional responsibilities.

That was fine.

In this life, I only wanted to focus on my career. I wanted nothing more to do with emotions.

After joining the company, I immersed myself fully in my work. Leveraging my experience from my past life and a sharp business acumen far beyond my peers, I quickly rose to prominence within the department.

And Cassandra, just like in my past life, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey.

She believed that if she succeeded again, I would return to her side, just as I had before.

Occasionally, she would send messages from new numbers, mostly empty promises like, “Dean, once I succeed, I’ll marry you in style.”

I never replied.

She seemed to be holding her breath, not coming to find me again.

Until a month later, when I received an unknown call.

It was Cassandra’s business partner. He anxiously asked,

“Dean, you need to come and see! Cassandra drank so much to secure an investment, she’s in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer!”