Chapter 5

"This is the surprise you mentioned.”

The picture attached showed a delicate hand adorned with a ring, a glimpse of Carter's black suit, and a bouquet of roses.

The post had gotten more than 99 likes from Carter and Hazel's mutual friends, with Nasr's comment below.

"Congratulations to Carter and Hazel for finally becoming a couple, free from the interference of the vixen."

The word “vixen” amused me. When Hazel was abroad, Carter and I were together. It was debatable who was the vixen.

I turned off my phone, not wanting to deal with any nonsense as I was in a good mood.

I drifted into a sweet dream, clutching a handwritten letter from Carson.

The alarm clock broke the silence, reminding me that today was my last day at work!

After work, as I was preparing to leave, carrying a box of my belongings, I saw Carter leaning against his car door. What was he doing here?

Carter noticed me too, surprised by my appearance as if ready to resign. He approached to take the box from my hands.

I pulled the box closer to me. "What's it to you?"

"I am your ex-boyfriend, after all. I can still help," he replied, his usual arrogance replaced by a calmer demeanor.

Indeed, Carter had always been coddled. With an impressive family background, he rarely faced hardships.

In university, he was both the heartthrob and the top student, and I helped him to become the CEO of a major company's branch.

His life was a series of successes, always in the limelight, which fostered his pretentious attitude.

Suffice to say, I should take credit for his success.

I glanced at him and walked past, knowing he wasn't here for me today, but for Hazel.

As expected, behind me came Hazel's joyful shout. "Carter! You're here to pick me up!"

Hearing her pretentious voice, I recalled the morning meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is our new executive, Hazel Weston. Miss Weston will be in charge of our department. Let’s welcome her!"

The general manager introduced the new executive as I was wrapping up my tasks, so I didn't look up to see the newcomer.

It was only when the office fell eerily silent that I realized someone was standing in front of me. I looked up from my work.

There stood Hazel. Watching this familiar face evoked no feeling but disgust.

Though I hadn't loved Carter deeply, having someone snatch away something of mine still made me feel unpleasant.

I leaned back in my chair, my demeanor relaxed and dismissive of the new leader.

Catching a glimpse of Hazel's darkening expression, I scoffed, both internally and aloud.

The general manager, witnessing our tense interaction, rushed over to block our view of each other.

"Mira, what are you doing?" he chastised me, his back to Hazel, yet he kept signaling me with his eyes.

I pretended not to notice his warning eyes, knowing my family , the Allen family, far outweighed that of the Weston family.

Given my close relationship with the general manager, I knew he was trying to protect me, but since I was ready to confront Carter and Hazel, there was no need to pretend to be weak or intimidated.

I stood up, gently pushing the general manager aside.