Upon returning to the secretary's office, I had barely settled into my seat when my phone screen lit up. A message from Elena Carter appeared, accompanied by a photo. In the image, she was sitting in a café, holding a cup of coffee, her smile radiant. In the background, I could make out a vaguely familiar figure.

Curiosity piqued, I quickly typed, "Who are you having coffee with?"

Elena Carter replied swiftly: "Guess."

I furrowed my brow, mentally running through possible candidates, but replied, "How could I possibly guess?"

She sent a mischievous smile: "Hehe, I'm meeting with your little lover."

The words nearly caused me to drop my phone in shock. I hastily typed back, "What little lover? Where did I get one from?"

It seemed Elena Carter was thoroughly enjoying this playful teasing, as she continued, "You really don't have one?"

A sudden unease gripped me, and a name flashed across my mind. I couldn't help but curse under my breath: "Are you with Celeste?"

"Mm-hmm, I'm going to duel her," Elena Carter replied, her tone laced with mockery.

My heart tightened with worry, and I quickly typed, "Don't do anything rash."

She sent a laughing-crying emoji, her voice tinged with bitterness: "Hehe, this is what men are like. Our ten-year bond isn't even worth as much as someone she's known for just a month or so. You've truly broken my heart."

A pang of sorrow shot through me, and I quickly responded, "Elena, how did you even know about her?"

Her reply carried a hint of smugness: "You thought you hid it well? You think I wouldn't know?"

I took a deep breath, striving to maintain my composure: "What did I hide? I was just on a business trip. Otherwise, I would've had you two meet."

"No need. I've known about her for a while now. I didn't need you to introduce us," Elena Carter's voice was resolute, tinged with finality.

I felt a sense of helplessness wash over me. "You knew about her?"

"Of course. Would you like to hear what we talked about?" Her reply carried a provocation, a challenge.

"I don't want to know." A sinking feeling took root in my chest, a sense of foreboding creeping over me.

"Really not curious? Haha." Elena Carter seemed to relish the sense of control she had over the situation.

I gritted my teeth, asking, "What did you say to her?"

"I told her everything. She's agreed to step back," Elena Carter's words sent a cold shiver through me.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"That's impossible. I don't believe it," I responded, struggling to accept the thought of Celeste giving up so easily.

Elena Carter appeared to have anticipated my disbelief. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Here's the recording. Listen for yourself."

My heart raced as I clicked on the recording Elena had sent. Celeste's voice came through, tinged with fatigue: "I'm sorry, Elena. I didn't expect it to end like this. Tell Ryan... tell him we're breaking up." The recording ended abruptly, leaving me at a loss for words.

My mind was a tumultuous storm, my heart torn by conflicting emotions. Celeste's voice echoed in my ears, heavy with a sense of helplessness and finality. Unable to restrain myself, I sent a message to Elena Carter: "What exactly did you say to her?"

Elena Carter's reply arrived swiftly, laced with a hint of pity: "I simply told her how deep our bond runs, how significant you are to me. She's a perceptive woman, she understood, of course."

I chose not to reply but instead quickly dialed Celeste's number. The moment the call connected, she immediately hung up. I dialed again, but this time the message I received was, "The number you have dialed is currently in use. Please try again later." I had been blocked. When I sent another message, a red exclamation mark appeared, indicating that I had been deleted. What had Celeste and Elena discussed that led her to end things with such decisiveness?

I stared blankly at my phone, my mind adrift, as though time itself had frozen. Just as I drowned in my confusion and despair, a soft chuckle broke the stillness.

"I told you long ago, didn't I? You two could never make it. You didn't believe me, but now you do, don't you?" Sophie's voice rang out, sudden and sharp, startling me.

I turned around to find Sophie standing behind me, a smug smile playing on her lips. Her eyes held an unspoken confidence and composure, sending an unsettling chill through me.

"How could you possibly know?" I couldn't help but ask, my voice trembling slightly.

This time, she didn't attempt to conceal the truth. She sighed softly and replied, "Your relationship isn't deep enough. Breaking up now won't be too painful. But if you had stayed together longer, it would have been unbearable, for you don't meet her family's expectations."

"Why?" I persisted, a faint flicker of hope igniting in my chest. Perhaps if I understood the reason, I could salvage what remained of our bond.

Sophie smiled knowingly, her gaze tinged with both pity and mockery. "Are you willing to visit her home?"

"Now I understand." The truth dawned upon me like a cold wave, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. "But why didn't Celeste or her family ever tell me this?"

"Because your connection was still too shallow. If they had told you, you would have run away," Sophie said nonchalantly, as if recounting something ordinary. "Don't think her family is filled with kind-hearted people. In the world of business, nothing is ever as simple as it seems."

"Did you tell Elena about this?" I suddenly realized something, a flash of anger and suspicion flickering in my eyes.

"Yes, I had Elena contact Celeste." Sophie admitted without hesitation, her smile still curving unnervingly.

"This doesn't benefit you in any way. Why are you so eager?" I asked, confusion and unease rising within me.

Sophie smiled faintly, a gleam of mischief in her eyes. "I think Elena might suit you better, but she's not your perfect match either."

I looked at the woman before me, once so familiar, and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of estrangement and fear. Each word she spoke seemed to manipulate my fate, as if she held my very existence in her hands. Once again, she had made me feel powerless, and a chill ran down my spine. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead, though I remained unaware.

Sophie, seeing my reaction, shook her head lightly, reached into her bag, and pulled out a tissue, handing it to me. "Wipe your sweat. Take me to see someone."

I numbly accepted the tissue, mechanically wiping the sweat from my brow, still consumed by confusion and dread. Rising to my feet, I murmured, "Alright."

We walked out of the office, one after the other. The air was thick with an unspoken tension, heavy with unease. Sophie moved ahead, her steps light and assured, as though everything were in her control. I, on the other hand, moved like a mere shell of myself, my heart burdened with uncertainty. What was happening? As the central figure in all of this, I knew nothing at all.