Chapter 3

Tiffany blushed, tapping his shoulder playfully. "Oh, stop it, babe! You're making me shy!"

"What's there to be shy about? I like spoiling my woman."

Watching them act all lovey-dovey, I mindfully drank my water.

Once the food arrived, the brown-nosing began.

"Dustin, you're so young and successful! And Tiffany is gorgeous. You two are literally a power couple!"

"I know, right? Tiffany, you hit the jackpot. He is so handsome!"

Tiffany was glowing with pride.

"Babe, my three friends here are still single. Maybe you could introduce them to some of your executive friends? Anyone like you would be amazing!"

But Dustin’s eyes drifted to me. "What about Chloe?"

Tiffany chimed in quickly, "Oh, she’s been married for ages. She actually just got promoted too. She’s our little independent career woman!"

I smiled modestly. "Oh, it's just a small company. Nothing compared to Dustin’s position."

Dustin soaked up the compliment, puffing his chest out. "True. Personally, I only have one requirement for my woman: just look pretty. If a married man still expects his wife to work, it just proves he’s incompetent."

Feeling randomly attacked, I remained silent, took a sip of my drink, and kept eating.

But Tiffany seized the opportunity to throw shade at me. "Don't take it personally, Chloe. My boyfriend is just a bit old-fashioned and masculine like that."

I shrugged. "No offense taken. But I actually love my job. I enjoy the hustle."

Dustin sneered. "What hustle? Men are the real driving force in the corporate world. Women are just office decoration at best."

I set my fork down, looked straight into Dustin’s arrogant eyes, and wiped my mouth. "So, is Tiffany just 'office decoration' to you?"

Tiffany’s face froze. Dustin, without hesitation, pinched her cheek. "Of course not. She’s my precious baby!"

The display was so cringe-worthy I lost my appetite. I took out my phone and texted Marcus to come pick me up.

Then, I stood up. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

After freshening up, I turned around to leave the restroom hallway, only to almost bump into Dustin, who was suddenly standing right behind me. I immediately backed up, startled.

"Dustin?"

"Chloe, don't be so formal. Call me Dustin."

His slimy, predatory eyes made my skin crawl.

"We aren't close. Please step back."

I tried to push past him, but he blocked my path. "What's the rush? I heard your husband is an executive at Apex Solutions?"

"I actually worked at Apex before I joined Summit Group. How come I never heard of an executive named Marcus?"

I stared at him. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. You lied to your best friends, didn't you? If Tiffany finds out you’ve been faking it, she’ll ruin you."

This was his big threat?

I found it hilarious. Shrugging, I said, "Go ahead and tell her then."

I moved to walk away, but he grabbed my arm tightly, pulling me against his chest.

"Why play hard to get? You’re clearly materialistic. Why don't you just sleep with me?"

"I love married women. They're so much more fun."

He leaned in, his foul-smelling breath aiming for my lips. Without a second thought, I swung my arm and slapped him hard across the face!

"SLAP!"

His face turned red with rage. "You bitch! You dared to slap me?"

Just then, a sharp scream echoed from the end of the hallway.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

It was Tiffany. Before I could even open my mouth to explain, Dustin violently pushed me away!

"You cheap whore! How dare you try to seduce me!"

Tiffany ran over, her eyes wide with shock. She screamed at me, "Chloe! How could you do this?!"

Dustin quickly took her side. "Baby, I'm fine. Your 'bestie' is absolutely shameless. She kept saying I was way better than her husband, and then she tried to kiss me!"

"A disgusting, desperate woman like her doesn't deserve to be your friend!"

"And her husband isn't even a real executive! I worked at Apex, and he doesn't exist!"

Hearing the commotion, the other girls ran over and gasped in shock.

Tiffany looked at me with pure disgust. "Chloe, you are disgusting. We are done!"

I walked up to Dustin and kicked him as hard as I could right between his legs!

"You got one thing right," I cold-eyed Tiffany. "You definitely don't deserve to be my friend."