"Elena, could you come to my office? My boss doesn't believe you're my girlfriend." I tried to convey my request to Elena Carter with a calm and understated tone, But in my heart I was praying that she wouldn't be so stupid as to sell me out.

"Darling, I'll be there right away," Elena Carter replied, leaping to her feet with a voice brimming with sweetness and anticipation.

In the office, I felt like a prisoner under her relentless gaze. Her eyes were cold pincers, gripping my heart with icy precision. I glanced around, searching for an escape, but finding none, I resigned myself to the sofa, avoiding her gaze and awaiting the inevitable.

Time ticked by, each second stretching unbearably. My heartbeat grew louder and faster, each thump a small agony. She remained standing, as still and frigid as a marble statue, her gaze laced with disdain and indifference. The air felt thick and stifling, broken only by the sound of my labored breathing and pounding heart—an unspoken trial in the silence.

"Darling, I'm outside your office. Come fetch me," Elena Carter's cheerful voice shattered the oppressive stillness. Her tone was light and sweet, like a ray of sunlight piercing through this icy cage.

"All right, wait there. I'll be right down," I answered hastily, clinging to her words like a drowning man to a lifeline.

"No need. I'll have security bring her up," Sophie Summers interjected coldly, placing a call with icy decisiveness, her tone a proclamation of her unyielding control.

In less than ten minutes, the security guard ushered Elena Carter into the room. She immediately clung to my arm like a warm and affectionate kitten, nestling close."Ryan, who wants to see me?" she asked coyly, her voice tinged with playful mischief.

I tried to pull away from her grasp, but she held me tightly. Leaning close to my ear, she murmured in a soft yet threatening tone,"If you don't want to blow your cover, you'd better behave." Then, without warning, she turned my face toward hers and left a damp kiss on my cheek, the imprint as unmistakable as her audacity.

Suppressing the urge to throw her out, I turned to Sophie Summers and said,"You've seen her now. Shouldn't you sign it?"

Sophie Summers let out a cold chuckle, her eyes gleaming with mockery."A fine performance. But no, I won't sign."

"Sign what?" Elena Carter asked curiously.

"My resignation," I replied helplessly, a wave of frustration washing over me.

Elena Carter pouted dismissively."You should've quit this lousy job ages ago. I told you to join my father's company, but you wouldn't listen. You're the definition of a rebel child." Her tone carried a mix of reproach and exasperation, as though I had committed an unforgivable sin.

"All right, enough," I sighed, turning back to Sophie Summers."Why won't you sign it? You've seen her."

Her gaze grew colder, as if she intended to freeze me solid."Because you haven't paid back what you owe me," she said bluntly, her tone edged with anger and bitterness.

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"What do you mean I haven't paid it back? I've already lost more than enough," I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible.

"And what exactly is your relationship?" Elena Carter suddenly interjected, her eyes darting between us suspiciously.

"Nothing at all," we answered in unison, the rehearsed harmony almost comical.

Elena Carter chuckled knowingly, skepticism dancing in her eyes."No relationship? I don't buy it. Ryan, is she the reason you won't fully accept me?"

I stared at Elena Carter, incredulous, torn between exasperation and disbelief."What are you even saying? We're practically engaged!"

"Exactly! Let's just leave. If you don't want this job, it's not a big deal. My dad can give you a managerial position," Elena Carter declared blithely, blissfully unaware that her reckless words had just ignited a powder keg in the office.

"Elena, you should head back first. I'll come find you later." I tried to defuse the storm brewing in the room.

Elena Carter left reluctantly, casting me a hesitant glance before shutting the door behind her. Once she was gone, I took a deep breath and turned to Sophie Summers."Will you sign it or not?"

Sophie Summers, who had been watching the entire spectacle with the air of a theatergoer enjoying the show, smirked coldly. Her lips curved slightly, revealing a faint sneer."Your taste has truly hit rock bottom. Even a woman like that, meets your standards?"

"Sophie Summers, don't you think your words are a bit too vicious?" I retorted, helplessness seeping into my voice.

"Vicious? Oh, haven't you realized? That's who I've always been. I'd peel off your skin, tear out your tendons, and drink your blood if I could," she said, her voice icy and venomous, her words sharp enough to slice through flesh.

"That's a bit extreme.I didn't do anything to you." I tried to explain, though the guilty tremor in my voice betrayed me.

"You ruined my four years in college, making them four years of humiliation. Tell me, don't you owe me for that?" Her eyes burned with fury, the kind of rage that could incinerate everything in its path.

"That was your choice," I muttered under my breath, silently praying she wouldn't erupt further.

"Smack!" A folder flew from her hand, hurtling toward me. Luckily, my reflexes, honed since childhood, saved me as I sidestepped just in time. Seeing me dodge, she grabbed whatever she could from the desk—folders, a calculator, a penholder—and launched them all at me. Within moments, the office looked as if it had been ransacked.

Dodging her barrage with increasing difficulty, I inwardly cursed my predicament. This woman was a force of chaos, completely irrational and terrifyingly violent. Just as I was bracing myself for the next onslaught, the door suddenly creaked open. Elena Carter peeked her head in, her mouth agape as she took in the chaotic scene.

"What's going on here?" she asked, her voice filled with bewilderment.

"Nothing. I was just helping Sophie Summers tidy up her office," I replied hastily, brushing off the mess."Sophie, I'm taking my girlfriend out for now." Without waiting for a response, I grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her out of the office.

Once we reached the car, Elena Carter leaned against the door, her eyes narrowing suspiciously."What's the deal with that woman and you?"

"Nothing," I replied evenly.

She raised an eyebrow, her skepticism plain."You really think I'll believe that?"

"There's absolutely nothing between us," I repeated, my patience wearing thin."Why are you so fixated on this?"

"Are you seriously yelling at me?" she whimpered, putting on a façade of wounded innocence.

"Elena, if you're going to fake it, at least make it convincing. Come on, squeeze out a tear or two," I teased, unable to resist.

Elena Carter truly made an effort, squeezing her face in frustration, but her attempt was far from the typical womanly pout. With a scowl, she muttered,"You bastard, I just helped you out, and this is how you repay me?"

"Yes, yes, you're my savior. Now, please, go home," I said, trying to placate her.

"You're seriously going back to work?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"I'm not sure," I replied, feeling reluctant to give up an entire month's hard-earned salary. After all, it was no small sum.

"Well, I'll leave for now. I'll call you tonight, and you'd better come keep me company, understand? No avoiding it," Elena Carter said, pinching my cheek playfully.

I pried her hand off and nodded."All right, all right. I'll come find you tonight."