Chapter 2

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed.

Julian had already prepared breakfast: sandwiches, fried eggs, and milk. A standard Western breakfast, meticulously arranged.

I sat down, took a bite of the sandwich, and then, right in front of him, spit it out.

“Too dry.”

I took a sip of milk.

“Too hot.”

I pushed the plate away and stood up. “Do it again.”

He stood by the dining table, wearing the cheap apron I’d provided, his eyes downcast, his expression unreadable.

“Yes.” He uttered a single word, then turned and walked back into the kitchen.

I wasn’t interested in watching his pitiful performance of silent suffering. I grabbed my car keys, ready to head to the office.

“Wait.” He called out.

I turned to see him emerge from the kitchen, untying his apron.

“According to the contract, I’m supposed to start working at your company today.”

“Oh, right.” I’d almost forgotten. “Let’s go then.”

We didn’t exchange a single word throughout the drive.

When we arrived at the Hayes Tech building, I told him to go up by himself and report directly to HR.

I, meanwhile, leisurely parked my car, timing my entrance to the company lobby perfectly.

As soon as I walked in, I saw a crowd gathered around the front desk, whispering and pointing in a certain direction.

I followed their gaze. Mr. Davies, the HR Director, was leading Julian Thorne through the lobby.

“Oh my God, isn’t that Mr. Thorne from Thorne Innovations? What’s he doing at our company?”

“Didn’t you see what he’s wearing? Looks like thrift store finds. I heard he went bankrupt and is drowning in debt.”

“No way? What’s he doing here? The HR Director is personally escorting him. Is he some department head?”

“Are you crazy? Val would never let a disgraced, bankrupt man like him be a director.”

Amidst the whispers, a delicate figure pushed her way through the crowd and blocked Julian’s path.

It was Izzy Dubois, Julian’s former secretary, now a team lead in my company’s marketing department.

“Julian!” Izzy’s eyes welled up, her face etched with heartache as she looked at him. “How… how are you here? They said you went bankrupt, but I didn’t believe them! How can you work for Valerie? She’s a monster; she’ll torment you to death!”

She looked like a helpless woman whose man had been stolen by a villain, radiating a mixture of fragility and indignation.

Julian looked at her, his expression utterly devoid of emotion. “I’m here to work.”

“Work?” Izzy’s tears began to fall. “What kind of work? What position did Valerie give you? Julian, don’t be afraid. I’ll talk to Val; she can’t treat you like this!”

With that, she turned and ran towards me. She froze when she saw me, then quickly put on a show of righteous indignation.

“Valerie! How could you do this to Julian? He used to be such a proud man! Crushing his company wasn’t enough for you? Why do you have to bring him here to humiliate him further?”

I looked at her and smiled.

“Ms. Dubois, are you questioning me?”

“I… I’m not.” Izzy visibly flinched under my stare, but still pushed on, “I just feel so terrible for Julian. Valerie, please, let him go. You can make him do anything, just don’t make him come to the office to be stared at by everyone.”

Her words, seemingly pleading for Julian, were actually a carefully crafted jab, reminding everyone how pathetic Julian was now, and how cruel I was.

Such a classic white lotus.

I couldn’t be bothered with her theatrics and addressed the HR Director directly. “Mr. Davies, why are you just standing there? Take him to his new post.”

Mr. Davies wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Yes, yes.”

Izzy grew anxious. “Valerie, what position is it?”

I lifted my chin, my voice not loud, but clear enough for everyone in the lobby to hear.

“Oh, I forgot to inform everyone. This, Mr. Julian Thorne, is our new janitor, starting today. His main responsibility… the men’s restrooms from the 13th to 15th floor.”

The entire lobby fell into a dead silence.

Everyone stared at Julian with incredulous eyes.

The golden boy, the tech mogul in the making, now going to clean toilets?

Izzy’s face instantly went completely white. Her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

I reveled in everyone’s reactions. Finally, my gaze fell on Julian.

He kept his head bowed; I couldn’t see his expression.

But I could imagine how twisted that handsome face must be right now.

I wanted everyone to see that Julian Thorne was nothing more than a dog at Val Hayes’s feet.

I strode in my high heels towards my private elevator, my mood soaring.

Just before the elevator doors closed, I saw Julian finally lift his head.

His gaze cut through the crowd, landing precisely on me.

In his eyes, there was no longer the hatred or humiliation from last night, only a profound, icy stillness that went impossibly deep.