Our Love Blew up Like Fireworks

It turned out she had known I was angry before, but she had never cared. Every time, it was just her scolding me, calling me petty, and saying my heart saw filth in everything.

Just as I was about to tell her I was moving out, Lindsey's phone rang. Gerald was shouting on the other end, claiming someone had bullied him.

Lindsey shot me a sharp glare and let out a cold, mocking laugh. "So you were waiting here for me, Julian. Clever little stunt."

Before I could even process what she meant, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me into her car.

Inside, the scent of a man's cologne filled the air. It was the same one Gerald wore. A plush dog dangled from the rearview mirror, matching Gerald's WhatsApp avatar.

Ever since I started working at Lindsey's company, I had avoided riding in her car. She said it was to prevent gossip and keep our relationship under wraps. The space I could no longer enter had long since been taken by someone else.

The familiar ache of bitterness in my chest had vanished, replaced by a cold, resigned clarity.

As soon as we arrived at the company, Lindsey yanked me out of the car with force. I twisted my ankle and fell to the ground.

She ignored me completely and sneered. "What are you playing at?"

She signaled her bodyguard, who grabbed me by the collar and dragged me inside like I was nothing.

They hauled me straight to my old workstation. My wrists and knees were scraped and bleeding, and I kneeled there like a beaten dog.

Lindsey held Gerald protectively in her arms and warned, "I don't care who instructed you to bully an intern. This company isn't Julian's to run. If you want to remain here, you'd better show some courage."

Joshua Miller's face drained of color as he froze in place. He had already sent me a message on the way here.

After I left, Gerald had been under his supervision.

What could a lazy, manipulative intern like him actually achieve?

He even botched a client's order, and when Joshua reprimanded him, Gerald ran straight to Lindsey to complain.

Gerald rested his head on Lindsey's shoulder, and the two of them seemed completely oblivious to everyone around them.

"Ms. Corwell, I really don't know what I did wrong. I just saw the client was overweight and ordered a diet meal, and Joshua yelled at me…"

Lindsey bent slightly to rub his head, assuring him she would make things right.

Her cold gaze swept over the group. "I know Julian got along well with all of you. You might feel the urge to vent your anger on someone now that he's gone, but this was entirely his own mistake. Gerald has nothing to do with it, and he should not be punished."

She leveled them with another icy stare. "I'll make it clear again. If you want to stay, show some courage. If not, leave now."

Everyone went pale, fully grasping the weight of her words.

Derrick Brown, whom I had personally recruited, stepped forward. He shut his eyes tightly, whispered an apology, and struck me across the face.

Lindsey remained unmoved. "What about the rest of you?"

The rest of them—friends, allies, anyone I had crossed paths with—piled on, slapping me without pause.

Blood ran down the corners of my lips. My head swirled, my ears buzzed, and my thoughts were starting to blur.

Gerald let out a short, mocking laugh. "Ms. Corwell, just look at him. How pathetic. He looks like a fat pig."

Lindsey's eyes were cold as ice, and her words were merciless. "A manipulative schemer like him doesn't belong in this company."