(Chelsea's POV)

"Dad!"

My eyes widened.

That voice. I recognized it. It was Adrian.

Just as I'd guessed right, I was immediately released from Leonard's grip and able to land my eyes on that arrogant face of his. His smile so wide it was as if he was the happiest man in the world. Not like someone who had recently cheated on his so-called prettiest girlfriend in the world with her bestfriend.

To say the least, he wasn't alone. Clinging to his arm, like she'd been born there, was Sophia.

Her blonde curls gleamed under the lights, her red lips curled in a smile too sweet to be real. She wore a designer dress that screamed money and expenive jewelries she never had before I caught her in bed with my boyfriend.

My heart twisted. The sight of them together made me feel like a knife was being driven into my chest. I also felt nauseous, like bile was rising in my throat.

However, I kept my head down. Adrian didn't seem to notice me yet as he quickened his pace to give his father a big hug.

"Adrian," Leonard said, smoothly. "You didn't tell me you were coming."

"Thought I'd surprise you," Adrian replied, his tone high and over joyous.

Leonard's eyes slid to Sophia. "And this must be your... "

"Girlfriend." Adrian wrapped his hands around Sophia's waist.

The pain in my chest heightened as I watched his hands linger at her curve like it was a normal thing for him. Like I'd never been in the picture and Sophia was the one whom he had dated for two years.

The curve of Sophia's lips lifted higher, then bright teeth showed. "Sophia Jones. A pleasure to meet you, sir." She said, offering her hand.

Leonard didn't take it. He just looked at her, unreadable, until she dropped her arm.

She straightened under the weight of his attention at once, her smile faltering just slightly. I noticed how Adrian's shoulders stiffened as well, how his easy arrogance faltered under his father's gaze.

I knew what it meant. It was my cue to leave. There was no way Adrian's ego could be crushed that way and he wouldn't be angry that someone had been there to witness it.

"I should get going, Mr Grey." I dropped my head even lower and began throwing my legs as fast as I could towards the doors without waiting for a go ahead.

"Chelsea?"

I froze at the sound of Adrian calling my name. Slowly, painfully, I turned.

"Chelsea Laurent," Adrian drawled, stepping closer. His blue eyes flicked over me with cruel amusement. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Sophia's eyes widened as her gaze rested on me too. They really didn't notice me until now.

"You two... know each other?" Leonard asked, his eyebrows raising along with his question. His gaze shifted from Adrian to me, then Adrian again.

"Yes," Adrian nodded. "She's my—" Sophia's nails dug into his arm before the words I expected to hear could come out of his mouth. He cleared his throat, shifting in his stance. "Friend. She's my friend."

My stomach churned. I wanted to slap him. To scream into his face while I bursted into tears again. To tell his father the truth. About everything. How his son had cheated, how his son had casually torn me to shreds. But I bit my lip.

Leonard's gaze flicked between us, as if reading the room. Something dark crossed his eyes, but he said nothing. Instead, he gestured his hand towards the doors. "You can excuse us."

I nodded my head and stepped out without looking back. The moment the doors closed behind me with a heavy thud, I stood frozen, my chest heaving, shame and fury twisting inside me.

They were here. Together. And what if Leonard saw through the lie? That I wasn't just Adrian's friend.

What if he thought I was pathetic? Using this job to crawl back into Adrian's life?

The thought made me sick.

I tried to busy myself with work, but my mind was elsewhere. I could hear the low rumble of voices through the door, the sharp edge of Adrian's laugh, Sophia's giggles. Every sound was a dagger.

When the meeting finally ended, Adrian emerged first, an unexpected frown on his face. He leaned close as he came standing in front of me. "Who the fuck gave you this job?"

I blinked, confused. I looked towards the doors as if Leonard would be there to answer for me but the doors were closed. I returned my attention on Adrian. "I don't understand. I was hired."

Sophia's gaze lingered too. She looked even more angry. "I bet she gave herself just to get this job."

I watched in disbelief as the one I used to call my bestfriend talked about me like I was nothing but trash in her eyes. Did she always think of me that way? Was our friendship all pretense? Had I been the one imagining our closeness all along?

"Impossible. There's no way my father would settle for a low life like her." Adrian sneered. His smirk returned. "Besides, she's a virgin. Someone like her couldn't pull off such position with her innocence."

Sophia chuckled. "I know right? I can't believe I almost forgot that."

Adrian leaned down as if I couldn't hear him loud and clear enough. "Careful, Chelsea. Don't get too comfortable here and think you'll be holding this job for long. My father chews girls like you up and spits them out."

I flinched, my nails biting into my palms.

"And I'll be back to make sure Sophia is the one sitting in that chair. Not you." He added.

Sophia's face turned crimson red. She leaned in, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Let's go now baby or they might start to think we're bullying her. The job is already mine whether she likes it or not."

With one last frosty look thrown my way, they walked away hand in hand.

When they were gone, I sagged against the desk, a tight knot in my stomach. No matter how many times I repeated it in my head that everything was going to be okay, I still found it hard to believe it. Every fiber of me screamed to quit, to run, but then I saw my mother's pale face in the hospital bed and the bills stacked on our kitchen counter. Running wasn't an option.

I needed to secure this position whether I had the balls to or not.

I forced myself not to think of Adrian's threats or the hatred in Sophia's eyes. No matter what they, or anyone thought of me, I was going to do whatever it took not to let them win.