Chapter 2

Trent's gossiping showed no sign of stopping. The others in the room kept urging him on, making the room unbearably noisy. Mila could no longer hear what Matteo said. All she felt was the fierce twisting pain in her stomach. But even that was nothing compared to the stabbing ache in her chest. October 10th. That was the day she had suffered alcohol poisoning and a miscarriage. While she was fighting alone at death's door, he had been rekindling old flames with his first love. "Ms. Wright, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?" A passing server was startled to find Mila crouched on the floor, her face deathly pale. Mila asked the server to call her an ambulance. Matteo's call only came through as she lay in the ambulance, drenched in cold sweat. In the past, she would have answered his call immediately, no matter how tired or sleepy she was. But today, the pain was too much. It was so overwhelming that she wanted and cared for nothing, not even Matteo. … Mila spent five days in the hospital with severe gastritis, a result of not resting properly after the alcohol poisoning and miscarriage. In those five days, Matteo never once contacted her. He didn't even send her a single text message. Perhaps, from the very beginning, she had always been expendable to Matteo. She had simply failed to see it until now. On Monday, when Mila returned to the office, her assistant, Mindy Saunders, approached her with a mysterious air. She looked eager to share some gossip. "Mila, have you heard? There's going to be a parachute hire at Royal Investment! It's a woman!" "A parachute hire?" Mila frowned, skeptical of the term. Matteo had always been strict about hiring. Even Mila had started from the bottom as an intern. The company had never made exceptions before. But Mindy sounded certain. "It's true! I saw the appointment letter signed by Mr. Hall himself! It's for the position of Head of Investment!" Mila's heart skipped a beat. That was the position Matteo had once promised her. Over the years, Mila had worked herself to the bone for Royal Investment. Everyone in the company had seen it. According to the company's promotion guidelines, she had long been qualified to take on a director's role and lead projects independently. But Matteo had said he was used to having her as his secretary and couldn't find anyone to replace her, so she had stayed in the secretarial department. He had also said the Head of Investment position would always be reserved for her. Once Royal Investment went public, he would personally issue the appointment letter and promote her. "Really?" she asked quietly, an uneasy flutter in her eyelids. "What's her name?" "I think it was Penelope or something." Mindy only had a quick glance at the letter and didn't remember clearly. Mila's fingers trembled. The cup slipped from her hand and rolled across the floor, sending hot water splashing everywhere. Mindy jumped in alarm. "Mila, did you burn yourself?" "No." The water wasn't scalding, but it felt more painful than if it had been. "Penelope Lewis," Mila said quietly. Mindy looked confused. "What?" Mila took a deep breath. "Her name is Penelope Lewis. The new Head of Investment." "Oh, right! That's the name! Do you know her, Mila?" "No." Mila picked up her cup and went to refill it. News of the parachute hire spread quickly through the company, and many came to Mila for confirmation. Exhausted and her patience worn thin, Mila finally snapped. "If you're so curious, why don't you ask Mr. Hall yourself?" As her words hung in the air, the entire executive office fell silent for a few seconds. Then a soft, gentle voice broke the stillness. "Matt, your employees seem to have quite a temper." Mila looked toward the source of the voice and felt her eyes sting at the sight of a perfect couple standing side by side. After days apart, Matteo shot Mila a cool and detached look before introducing the woman beside him. "Everyone, this is the new Head of Investment, Ms. Lewis. From now on, she will oversee all investment projects." Everyone greeted Penelope warmly. Penelope had a friendly personality, smiling kindly at everyone. "I look forward to working with you all." She had even brought gifts for everyone, which Matteo was carrying for her. A self-condescending smile tugged on Mila's lips. In the past, whenever she was with Matteo, she had always been the one juggling bags while he never lifted a finger. Now that it came to his first love, he was suddenly carrying the bags. Indeed, there was a clear difference between being loved and not being loved. Penelope also gave Mila a small gift. It was a capybara mouse wrist rest pad. "Oh, what a coincidence!" Penelope exclaimed, noticing the mouse pad already on Mila's desk. Then, she turned to Matteo. "Matt, I can't believe you have the same taste." After that, she smiled apologetically at Mila. "Matt went shopping with me and helped me pick out these gifts for all of you. I didn't expect you to have one already. If you mind, I can get you another one later." "No need to trouble yourself. I don't mind," Mila said, accepting the wrist pad. Matteo then told her, "Ms. Wright, please show Ms. Lewis around and help her get familiar with the environment." Mila had no reason to refuse. One of Royal Investment's secretarial rules was to prioritize all orders issued by the president. Penelope's personality was indeed pleasant. She was polite, gentle, and soft-spoken with everyone. Her looks were flawless, with a perfectly beautiful face. After all, she was Matteo's first love. She couldn't be anything less than exceptional. After showing her around, Penelope asked to see her new office. That office had been renovated just two weeks earlier. Mila herself had overseen the renovation. Every detail, from the decor to the layout, had been designed according to her preferences. No one had looked forward to sitting in that office more than Mila had, just as no one had longed more to marry Matteo. But now, it seemed that she had achieved neither love nor career. "I love the style of this office. It feels warmer than I imagined, and it's close to Matt," Penelope said, looking pleased. Eager to share her joy with Matteo, she left Mila behind and hurried to the office next door. Left alone in the office, Mila felt like a clown. She looked around the space she had so carefully designed, her heart twisting into a tight, suffocating knot. … The weekly meeting at noon was Royal Investment's most important regular assembly, and the entire company treated it with the utmost seriousness. No one dared to be late, not even Mila. Penelope was the only exception. Even as a newcomer, she wasn't afraid to break the rules Matteo himself had set. Mila expected Matteo to be angry, or at least to reprimand Penelope. But he said nothing. Not a single harsh word. He only calmly instructed Mila to distribute the meeting materials. For a moment, Mila felt dazed. She couldn't help but recall her own days as an intern when she had been late to a meeting due to a flu-induced fever—a flu she had caught while taking care of Matteo. He had publicly criticized her in front of the entire company, forgetting completely that she had caught the flu while taking care of him. Afterward, she felt hurt and complained. But Matteo simply explained that the company was just starting out, and he needed to set an example—to make a statement. She had become the tool he used to establish his authority. Mila had comforted herself back then, thinking Matteo was just strict about separating personal and professional matters, and it wasn't personal. Witnessing this scene years later felt like a sharp, resounding slap across her face. It turned out he could bend the rules—just not for her. Some people were simply different, just as love and its absence were worlds apart.