"He said just touching you made his skin crawl."

I filled a cup with cold water.

Turned around and threw it straight into Queenie's perfectly made-up face.

"Ahhh—!"

She shrieked, clutching her face as she crumpled to the floor.

The door burst open.

Barret rushed in and pulled Queenie behind him in one motion.

He yanked out tissues and dabbed at her face, his expression twisted with concern.

He whirled on me with a snarl. "Maggie! You have no class!"

I pulled out my phone and hit play.

Every word Queenie had said in the break room—every taunt, every insult—rang out crystal clear.

Barret's expression froze.

Queenie immediately latched onto his waist, sobbing.

"Barret, she called me a homewrecker first! I only snapped back because she provoked me!"

"You're my ex-boyfriend, but there was never anything improper between us while you two were together."

"How could she slander us like that? How am I supposed to show my face around here?"

Barret believed her instantly.

"Maggie, stop making a scene."

"And do you really have to be this vicious? How is Queenie supposed to hold her head up in this company after what you said?"

I didn't even bother looking at them again.

I walked around them and headed straight to my office to pack my things.

I put everything I needed into a cardboard box.

I had just picked it up when Barret walked in and gripped the edge.

"Alright, enough. Stop this. Once things settle down, I promise I'll make it up to you."

I peeled his fingers off one by one.

"Barret, I don't need you anymore."

I carried the box toward the front door.

Barret shouted after me, furious.

"Maggie! If you walk out that door today, don't ever think about coming back!"

I went back to Marcella's place.

When she found out I'd quit, she was so angry she hurled the glass in her hand against the wall.

"Maggie, have you lost your mind?!"

"You ate ramen with him! You slept on basement floors with him! You built that empire for him, and you're just going to hand it over to that snake on a silver platter?"

"I'm going over there right now and ending both of them!"

I grabbed Marcella before she could storm out.

She pulled me into a tight hug, her voice cracking.

"Don't worry. I'm going to find you the highest-paying job in the industry. We'll make that scumbag choke on his regret."

I thought she was just trying to make me feel better.

One day later.

I received an invitation from venture capital titan Bernard Delgado.