Chapter 4

The sharp pain above my lip jolted me awake; someone had pinched my face so hard it was swollen.

I didn't care about the pain. I grabbed my phone and called Chloe, demanding an explanation.

The moment the call connected, muffled, indecent moans came through the speaker.

I didn't need a genius to guess what they were doing.

Shameless trash.

Messing around in broad daylight right in the office.

Rage burning through my veins, I hung up.

My colleague patted my shoulder sympathetically.

"Gavin, take it easy, man. Don't ruin your health over this."

"Ever since Lucas came, she's been revolving her whole world around him. Whatever he touches, everyone else has to move out of the way. You just got the short end of the stick. When a guy is the boss's pet, you just have to swallow the loss."

Why the hell should I swallow it?

I was going to look them in the eye and ask how they had the audacity to pull this shit.

I yanked the IV needle out of my arm and marched straight toward the executive wing.

When I reached Chloe's door, the sounds inside had stopped.

Suppressing the fire in my gut, I knocked sharply.

Chloe's soft, playful voice drifted out.

"Lucas, just walk in. You never have to knock for me. You're always the exception."

She really had him on a pedestal.

The second she saw me, her expression turned colder than ice.

"What are you doing here?"

I didn't waste time on pleasantries.

"I performed that surgery. Why is Lucas's name on the release?"

"Do you have any idea how much work I put into that? How much risk I took? He didn't lift a finger. What right do you have to hand my credit to him without asking me?"

Not a trace of guilt crossed her face. Instead, she crossed her legs and leaned back, looking down at me as she spun her lies.

"Lucas is your department head. An ordinary staff surgeon like you couldn't possibly handle an operation of that caliber. Of course it was Lucas."

"As for your actual case, because of your negligence, the patient suffered severe facial complications. According to the contract, the settlement is massive. Sign this liability agreement and put an end to it."

She tossed a pre-printed document onto the desk.

I stared at her, stunned.

"Chloe, have you lost your mind? Not only did you steal my work, but you're making me the scapegoat for a malpractice claim?"

"You know damn well who did what. Why are you doing this to me? Doesn't your conscience bother you at all?"

She cut me off with an irritated smirk.

"The truth is whatever I say it is."

"Taking the blame for Lucas is a privilege. If you want to keep working here, don't push your luck."

"It's just some money. Your savings plus that condo you bought are more than enough to cover the damages."

Staring at her indifferent face, my eyes burned red.

"Chloe, I bought that condo for my parents! They worked themselves to the bone their whole lives. If I sell it, where the hell are they supposed to live? On the street?"

"Then blame yourself for being incompetent. Who told you to botch the surgery?"

I couldn't fathom how the sweet, bright woman I once loved had mutated into this.

A shameless, conniving monster.

Or maybe this was who she had been all along.

Just as I opened my mouth to shoot her down, the door swung open.