Chapter 9

Later, I heard from a mutual friend that the wedding had been canceled.

Neither the bride nor the groom had shown up.

Callum had eventually been forced to apologize to the guests and explain why the ceremony wasn't happening.

Apparently, the whole thing had become a disaster.

His relatives and friends had plenty to say about it, and he quickly became the punchline of their conversations.

As for me, I wasn't affected.

I'd already told my own friends about the breakup, so none of them had attended the wedding.

The only people left embarrassed were Callum and the people he'd invited.

After that day, Callum seemed to develop a personal grudge against me.

My phone was flooded with calls and messages.

Callum: Maren, look at the mess you've made!

Callum: Do you have any idea how much my relatives have been laughing at me?

Callum: There's a limit to how long you can keep throwing tantrums. If you keep acting like this, don't blame me when I stop being nice.

I read the messages without replying.

What he called making things right was what he'd always expected from me.

Whenever we'd argued in the past, I'd find some way to make it up to him.

Sometimes, I'd bring the company a multimillion-dollar contract to put him in a better mood.

Other times, I'd prepare a surprise for him, swallow my pride, and apologize even when I hadn't done anything wrong.

I'd done everything I could to keep him happy.

And Callum had grown so accustomed to it that he now expected the same thing.

He genuinely thought I'd come running back with another big contract and a heartfelt apology.

Looking back, I couldn't believe how foolish I'd been.

I'd given him everything, and he'd treated it as though I owed him.

I put my phone aside.

But Callum wasn't finished.

More messages kept coming.

Callum: Why aren't you answering?

Callum: I know you've read my messages. Stop pretending you haven't seen them!

Callum: Maren, answer me!

I stared at the screen.

For years, he'd been the one who ignored my calls and left my messages unanswered.

Whenever I complained, he'd accuse me of being unreasonable and making a fuss over nothing.

But now that I was treating him the same way, he couldn't stand it.

Apparently, it only hurt when he was on the receiving end.

I finally got tired of the constant notifications.

I blocked his number and deleted his contact.

I thought that would be the end of it.

Instead, Callum used his influence in the industry to blacklist me.

He wanted to ruin my career and make sure no company would hire me.

Unfortunately for him, I already had a job.

His threats meant nothing to me.

I thought that after everything, we'd never have to cross paths again.

But a few days later, when I arrived at work and clocked in, I spotted two familiar figures approaching from the other end of the building.

Callum and Briar.

They were walking together, chatting and laughing as if they had nothing to worry about.

"That's right, Briar. Make sure you give this project your best effort. Once you secure the deal, I'll arrange another promotion for you."

Briar smiled sweetly.

"Callum, you're always so good to me."

Just then, Callum noticed me.

His expression immediately changed.

"Maren? What are you doing here?"

Briar followed his gaze.

A knowing smile spread across her face.

"Callum, do you really have to ask? Maren probably couldn't bring herself to come to your company and beg for her old job, so she decided to wait for you here instead."

Callum seemed to accept her explanation.

His expression softened slightly, though his tone remained condescending.

"What? Couldn't find another job? Hit a few dead ends and finally realized you made a mistake?"

He gave a cold laugh.

"That's why you followed me here, isn't it? You want your old position back."

I looked at him without answering.

He still thought I had nowhere else to go.

In his mind, I was a woman who had spent six years relying on him. He couldn't imagine that I'd managed to find another opportunity without his help.

Callum lifted his chin.

"Well, if you really want to come back, I suppose I can consider it."

He paused deliberately.

"But you'll have to start as an intern. And before anything else, you'll apologize to Briar."

His expression was full of smug certainty.

"Otherwise, there's nothing more to discuss."