Chapter 4

I froze.

I was about to backtrack when Chloe spotted me. She yelped and scrambled upright.

"Alice! What are you doing here?"

Ryan's face tightened. He straightened his jacket like he'd been caught doing something wrong, then snapped, "Who let you up here? I told you not to come to the executive floor unannounced!"

Funny—I remembered when that rule was first made: "Nobody comes upstairs without permission... except Alice." I used to think it was my special privilege. Now? It was just his way of keeping me out while he played house with Chloe.

But I didn't care anymore.

Too exhausted for drama, I just stated the facts. "HR said you asked for me."

Ryan snorted coldly and strode up to the desk, pressing the intercom. Within less than two minutes, the HR manager hurried upstairs.

"Did you tell Alice I wanted to see her?" Ryan's voice was icy.

The manager sized up the room—Ryan's scowl, Chloe's innocent act—and visibly panicked. "I... I don't recall, sir."

"Typical." Ryan's smirk was triumphant as he turned on me. "Real mature, Alice. Sneaking up here like some stalker. If you're that desperate for attention, I can install cameras in my office for you."

There was no winning this argument.

"Ryan, don't be so harsh." Chloe laid a hand on his arm, batting her lashes at me. "Alice was just worried about you. I had a migraine earlier, and Ryan was letting me rest my head. We're both just focused on the company."

I saw right through her fake concern. HR would never contradict the boss's new favorite—not when Chloe was calling the shots now. Even if she did, Ryan wouldn't believe her.

I stayed quiet, but Ryan was just getting started. "Save it. Personal relationships stay out of the office! Alice violated protocol—cut her pay by half and revoke this month's bonus."

The HR manager tried to interject. "Mr. Ryan, Alice already—"

Ryan cut her off with a glare. "Save the excuses. Just do it."

The manager scurried out, clearly relieved to escape.

I turned to leave too, but Ryan stopped me.

His tone softened, taking on that patronizing tone he used when he thought he was being reasonable. "Look, I'm not picking on you. Rules are rules. If I let this slide, everyone will think they can break protocol."

Chloe chimed in, sweet as poison. "Exactly, Alice. Next time you're unsure about something, just ask Ryan... or me."

Ryan nodded approvingly. "Chloe gets it—she's all about the company. You should take notes. Instead of overanalyzing everything, why can't you be more like her?"

Like her? Like how she steals credit and plays the victim? I bit back the retort.

My silence must have looked like submission. Ryan stepped closer, adjusting my collar like I was a child. "I get it, you're upset. But you've been better lately. Be good, and we'll go pick out wedding venues next week. Not that marriage changes anything—"

"I know why you're making such a fuss. But you've been much more cooperative since you came back. As a reward, we'll go take wedding photos tomorrow and settle the marriage. But don't get ahead of yourself; marriage is just…"

"Wedding?" I laughed, stepping back from his touch. I pulled the resignation letter from my bag and held it out. "We broke up, remember?"

"And I quit. Effective immediately."

"From now on, we're strangers."