Chapter 3: The CEO Who Saw My Tears

The unbelievable “encounter” almost immediately pushed the pain of being betrayed by my boyfriend and best friend out of my mind.

At that moment, I did not even have the energy to feel hurt. What could be more humiliating than having my own boss see me at my lowest? For someone like me, who believed that dignity mattered above everything else, nothing was more important than maintaining my pride.

Right then, I almost decided to hand in my resignation. But my wits finally won over my embarrassment, and I managed to calm myself down.

Since Lucas and I had already made eye contact, there was no way I could pretend I had not seen him. Besides, his jacket was still in my arms.

With that thought, I pulled myself together, took a deep breath, and slowly walked toward Lucas.

Before I could reach him, someone blocked my path.

I looked up and met Blake’s guilty eyes.

“Wynn...”

He called me by my nickname in a low voice. His voice was filled with desperation.

I looked at him without any expression and did my best to stay calm.

“Blake, you’re Nicole’s fiancé now. I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to call me that.”

“Wynn!” He stepped closer. “I know you won’t forgive me no matter what I say. I’m the one who hurt you. This isn’t the right place to talk. Let’s find somewhere quiet and talk properly, okay?”

After everything that had happened, what else was there to talk about?

No matter how much we talked, what was done could not be undone.

His proposal to Nicole had been real. His choice to deny my existence had been real. The pain he caused me had been real.

Everything was already beyond saving.

With that thought, I frowned and took a step back.

“I have nothing to say to you. Go find your fiancée. Don’t bother me.”

With that, I walked past him.

I did not expect Blake to suddenly grab my arm.

“Wynn, you have to come with me today. I have something to tell you.”

Before I could say anything, someone suddenly rushed over. While Blake still had a grip on my arm, that person took the opportunity to step forward and slap me hard across the face.

The force of it left me dizzy. I almost lost my balance and fell.

Nicole’s sharp voice rang out beside me like a thunderclap.

“Winnie, I can’t believe you! I treated you as my best friend, and I never thought you could be this disgusting!

“You just saw Blake propose to me with your own eyes. As my best friend, you could have at least congratulated us. But instead, you’re standing here, clinging to my fiancé right in front of me! How could you do something so shameless? How could you face me after this?”

Blake immediately grabbed her hand and snapped at her in a low voice.

“Enough, Nicole. Don’t you think you’ve already embarrassed yourself enough?

“Have you lost your mind? How could you hit Wynn?

“Stop talking.”

I covered my face and forced myself to stay standing.

The entire scene felt ridiculous.

I never imagined that one day I would hear those words from Nicole.

Nicole and I had known each other since childhood. Her family was not well off, and she was never an exceptional student. Growing up, I did everything I could to look after her. Even after I became a department manager at the company, I helped her get a job there.

She used to stay close to me all the time. She would hold onto my arm and act pampered.

“Wynn, you’re so good to me. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.

“Wynn, thank you for helping me find a job. You’re the only person who ever thinks of me.

“Wynn, I’m so jealous of you. You have such a wonderful boyfriend. I hope I can find someone like Blake someday, too.”

Somehow, we ended up with her standing in front of everyone, calling me disgusting and shameless.

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. When I looked at Nicole again, there was no trace of warmth left in my eyes.

“Nicole, leave some room for yourself. You know exactly what you did. Don’t force me to tell the truth.”

A flicker of panic crossed Nicole’s eyes, but she still refused to back down.

“Winnie, I know you’re in a higher position than me, but don’t think you can intimidate me!

“Blake and I have been together for so many years. You can’t destroy our relationship! You’re nothing but an unrequited admirer. Now that you see Blake and me finally getting married, you couldn’t accept it, so you’re purposely hanging onto him here!

“You’re absolutely shameless!”

Nicole’s voice was sharp and loud. Her public accusation quickly attracted the attention of the people around us.

Just moments ago, everyone had been watching Blake’s proposal. When his “fiancée” had supposedly caught me trying to get close to him right in front of her, naturally, my coworkers immediately sided with the person they thought was being wronged.

“I always thought Winnie and Blake had something going on. I never expected her to be this kind of person.”

“Ms. Cooper wouldn’t do something like that, would she? She’s beautiful, and she’s good at her job. Why would she need to steal someone else’s boyfriend?”

“Some people are just shameless by nature. They enjoy stealing their best friend’s boyfriend.”

“Oh my God, that’s disgusting.”

The noise of their whispers surrounded me.

I stood there with a pale face and looked at Nicole, who kept attacking me. At that moment, I almost wanted to reveal everything. If we had to end up hurting each other, then so be it.

Right before my emotions completely took over, a warm hand suddenly rested on my shoulder.

I turned around. Lucas’ cold, intimidating face appeared before me.

Everyone, myself included, gasped.

“What in the world... What’s going on?”

“Why did the CEO suddenly come over? Why is he holding Winnie?”

“What kind of shocking news is this?”

The moment Lucas spoke, all the whispers around us stopped.

“It took me six months to finally win Winnie over. Do you really think she would leave me and fall for your boyfriend?”

Nicole froze completely. She stood there with her mouth open, unable to say a word.

“Ah… Mr. Parker, I didn’t… I mean…”

Blake’s face had turned dark. He stared at me as if he had just discovered a secret he had never imagined existed.

I was just as stunned as everyone else.

Six months? Lucas Parker had never even spoken to me for more than a few minutes at a time. How could he possibly claim that he had spent six months winning me over?

Then I felt his hand gently leave my shoulder. He took a step forward, placing himself between Nicole and me.

“Ms. Quinton,” he said coolly, “you publicly accused an employee of inappropriate behavior without knowing the facts. You also struck her in front of the entire team-building event. Do you understand how serious that is?”

Nicole's face turned pale.

“Mr. Parker, I was only protecting my relationship. I thought she was trying to steal Blake from me.”

“Then you should have confirmed the facts before making accusations.” Lucas glanced at Blake. “And Mr. Carter, if you have a private matter to settle, do it without turning this event into a public spectacle.”

Blake clenched his jaw. “Mr. Parker, with all due respect, this is a personal matter.”

“It became a company matter when you allowed an employee to be publicly humiliated at a company event.”

No one dared to speak.

I looked at Lucas, still struggling to understand why he had intervened. He had no reason to defend me, and he certainly had no reason to invent a story about pursuing me for six months.

When the crowd finally began to disperse, Lucas turned toward me.

“Ms. Cooper, come to my office tomorrow morning.”

My heart sank. “Am I in trouble, Mr. Parker?”

“No.” His gaze briefly fell to the hand I had placed over my abdomen, then returned to my face. “We need to discuss something important.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he walked away.

I remained standing in the middle of the hall, surrounded by people who had just witnessed the CEO publicly defend me.

Blake tried to approach me again, but I stepped away before he could touch me.

“Don't,” I said quietly.

For the first time that night, he looked genuinely afraid.

“Winnie, please. You don't understand what happened.”

I met his eyes.

“Then explain it to Nicole. She's your fiancée now.”

I walked out before he could answer.

Outside, the night air cooled my burning cheek. I pressed my fingers against it and thought about the child I was carrying.

I had spent ten years believing that Blake was my future. Now, in a single evening, that future had collapsed.

But Lucas Parker had stepped into the middle of my humiliation and offered me something I hadn't expected from anyone: protection without demanding an explanation.

I didn't know why he had done it, and I wasn't ready to trust him.

Still, as I made my way home, one question kept returning to my mind.

What exactly did Lucas Parker know about me—and why had he chosen that moment to pretend he was in love with me?