But then, her gaze shifted back to Liam.
Appearing cold and unreadable, Liam spoke calmly. "Miss Burns is highly capable. From now on, she’ll be the primary media liaison for our company."
Linda’s head snapped toward me.

Her eyes were filled with barely concealed fear and resentment.
Later, when no one was around, she cornered me, her expression tense with both suspicion and disgust.
"Chloe Burns, you really are insatiable. You took the money back then, so why are you here now?"
I met her gaze calmly. "I graduated. I came back to work."
It was a simple statement.
"Work? Do you think I’m stupid?"

Suddenly, she snapped, swinging her handbag at me in a fit of rage.
"Get lost! Go tell him you’re stepping down from this job, or I swear, you won’t have a single peaceful day ahead!"
Her Hermès bag hit the floor with a heavy thud, the chain snapping open and spilling its contents everywhere.
I didn’t react.

I just turned and walked away.
Linda kept her word.
Suddenly, roadblocks appeared everywhere.
Several assignments that should have been mine were reassigned at the last minute.
Then, one evening before I left work, my supervisor called me into his office.
"There’s a major annual conference next month. You’ll be hosting it."
I hesitated for a moment before he added, "Mr. Hughes specifically requested you."
After work, I stepped outside—and there, parked across the street, was a very familiar Rolls-Royce.
The car window rolled down, revealing Liam’s indifferent expression.
"If you’re so curious about my past, Miss Burns, why not ask me directly?"
I lowered my head. "I wasn’t prying into your private life, Mr. Hughes. It was just part of my job."
"Even if it was for work, I gave you my personal card. You could have contacted me instead."
I pressed my lips together. "There was no need for that."
Because at that moment, it struck me—three years had already passed.
He was no longer the reckless, sharp-tongued boy who lashed out, only to turn around and cling to me for comfort, demanding kisses as compensation.
Now, he was the CEO of Hughes Group, the man who held all the power.
The Dawsons were no longer what they used to be.
Without Liam’s silent approval, Linda would never have dared to target me so openly.
Maybe, to him, that part of the past was nothing but an embarrassment, something best left buried.
I turned to leave.
But Liam's voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Hold on."
The car door swung open, and with one long stride, he blocked my path.
"Miss Burns, why don’t we talk?"
I tightened my grip on my bag and asked, my voice slightly hoarse, "What exactly does Mr. Hughes want to discuss?"
Liam's lips curved slightly.
His gaze held a trace of something else now—resignation.
"Can we talk about work?"
…
Over the next couple of weeks, Liam sought me out twice more.
Each time, it was to go over key decisions that would be announced at the upcoming conference.
During our last meeting, as if just remembering something, he handed me a document.
"This major tourism project hasn’t been publicly disclosed yet. It’s a direct collaboration with the state. You can announce it at the conference—as an exclusive scoop you uncovered."
I hesitated for a moment before taking the file.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
When Wade heard about it, he was quick to nudge me.
"Seems like Mr. Hughes thinks highly of you. Maybe you should subtly bring up how Linda’s been making things difficult for you?"
I adjusted my speech notes and smiled.
"There’s no need. Do you really think he’d go against his own fiancée for the sake of a reporter he barely knows?"
…
On the day of the conference, the venue was packed.
The center seat, where Liam was supposed to be, was empty.
Under the glare of countless flashing lights, I stood on stage, announcing Hughes Group’s upcoming major collaborations.
Then, suddenly, a voice cut through the room.
A stranger, a reporter I didn’t recognize, stood up and pointed at me.
"This classified information—where did you steal it from?"