"Poor Mr. Jefferson," a voice sighed dramatically. "What a nightmare. I say cut the engagement already. Who even arranges betrothals anymore? That stuff's ancient history."

Right on cue, Kiara Summers, Oliver's assistant, slipped in.

She gave me this smug little look, then looped her arm around Oliver's.

Then, Kiara leaned in close and cooed, "Sir Oliver, young people these days just can't handle a simple test. But look on the bright side, you spent $500,000 to see her true colors. Imagine if you'd actually married her. She could've wrecked everything. The whole company might've gone down, and the rest of us would be out of a job."

Honestly, I could see why he liked her.

Every word out of her mouth was dipped in poison and polished with a smile.

My grip on the pen in my hand tightened until my knuckles turned stark white.

Meanwhile, soaking up all the attention and support, Oliver didn't waste a moment pretending to be the heartbroken martyr.

He slid an arm around Kiara's shoulder, tilted his head, and locked eyes with me.

"Therese, if you needed money that badly," he said, all slow and cruel, "you could've just asked. Why sneak around behind my back and max out the card?"

He paused for effect, letting the silence crawl through the room like fog.

"Now, either you pay back every cent or we call off the engagement, and you pack your things and get the hell out of my company."

The whole office went completely still.

Not a phone buzzed. Not a single breath.

Everyone was waiting, dying to see how I'd react.

I didn't flinch. I looked straight at him and let a small smile curve my lips.

"Fine," I said. "Let's call off the engagement. But as for the money? I'm not giving you a single cent."

The moment I said that, a wave of gasps echoed around the room.

Right then, Kiara's eyes sparkled with excitement, fueling the enthusiasm.

"Oh my god! Can you believe how shameless she is? Thank God, Sir Oliver caught her now. If he'd actually married her, he'd be broke by next year!"

I didn't bother defending myself.

Instead, I calmly pulled up the group meal order on my phone and said, "I'll say it one more time. I only spent $29.90 using your card. That's it. If you're planning to squeeze me for the rest, dream on."

Then I glanced back at Oliver and added, "As for this crappy job? You can keep it."

His eyes flickered, as if he was about to speak, but I cut him off.