The meeting room erupted into whispers and uneasy glances. No one had expected things to turn out this way. The executives didn't want Elena gone; her talent was too valuable. Their discontent was clear, and their looks told Selena that if not for her, Elena would still be in that seat. The blame in their eyes was sharp, and even Reed sat unusually silent, as though second-guessing his choice.
Selena's stomach churned with anger, but she forced a calm mask and rose gracefully.
"I'll speak to her," she said quickly, before following Elena to her office.
Inside, Elena was already gathering her belongings into a box. Selena closed the door behind her, her voice carrying a hint of mockery.
"How does it feel, losing everything you've worked for?"
Elena didn't flinch. She slipped another folder into the box and said evenly, "Nothing new. And it shouldn't be a thrill for you either. You've always been good at taking what was mine and making it your own."
Selena smirked, her tone dripping with spite. "True. But this time is sweeter. Not just your man, your years of hard work will bear my name now."
Elena paused, then calmly pulled out a stack of files from her cabinet and placed them on the floor. "If you want what I leave behind, take it. These are all my formulas and every perfume I've worked on. Even the ones I rejected."
"Good for you that you're giving them to me quietly," Selena smirked, her gaze triumphant.
Elena ignored her and pulled out an expensive wine bottle, a gift from a client she had never dared drink due to its high cost. She treasured it as a showpiece in her office. Opening the cap, she poured all the wine onto the files, soaking them thoroughly. The smell of alcohol filled the air.
"Are you nuts?" Selena exclaimed, trying to stop her, but Elena pushed her aside. She pulled out a lighter, and in one quick motion, set all the files on fire. Flames quickly engulfed the papers, the fire reflected in Elena's determined eyes.
Seeing the commotion outside Elena's office, Reed dashed towards it, ignoring all the employees that were already gathered there, making a commotion..
The moment he entered the room, Selena immediately clung to his arm.
"Reed! Look! She's setting us on fire!" Selena cried out, her voice terrified. Reed's mouth fell open as he caught sight of the fire on Elena's desk, growing steadily stronger with every passing second. Smoke began to fill the air.
They couldn't see the sadness in Elena's eyes as she watched years of hard work burn to ashes, knowing she was the one who had done it. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, calming her emotions. It was heartbreaking to lose her life's work like this, but she would rather destroy it than to let it fall into Selena's dirty hands.
Besides, she was also confident in her own abilities. Unlike Selena, Elena did not need help when it came to her perfume ideas. If she had achieved greatness once, she could do it again.
"What the hell did you do?" Reed demanded, glaring at Elena, who stood closer to the burning files, her expression solemn.
Elena lifted her gaze from the flames to meet Reed's angry stare. Her cold gaze was so intimidating that Reed instinctively took a step back.
"Giving your fiancée an opportunity to work hard instead of relying on someone else's efforts." She turned to Selena, her lips curling into a mocking smile. "All the best, dear sister. I hope you will use this chance to show everyone how capable you truly are."
Selena looked at her angrily, realizing that all of Elena's work was gone, and now she had nothing left to claim as her own. She knew how valuable Elena's work was for her own rise, but now everything had turned to ashes, a scenario she had not anticipated. She needed to find a way out of this mess.
Elena walked past the two to leave the office, but Reed grabbed her hand.
"Let go," Elena demanded, her expression cold.
Reed tightened his grip, his gaze furious. "Do you really have to do this? You don't care about the company and even resort to risking everyone's lives by setting a fire in the office. What if..."
"What if what, Reed?" Elena interrupted, her voice icy. "What if your precious fiancée had to start from scratch, just like I did? What if everyone saw what she's truly capable of without my work to prop her up? You're right—I don't care about this company anymore. You made sure of that. This place can burn to ashes with you inside it. Now, let go of my hand."
Elena withdrew her hand, stepping back to maintain distance from Reed. Her face was filled with indifference and mockery. "That is my work, and I have the right to do whatever I want with it," she said, glancing up at the ceiling. "The fire safety in your office is not just for show, right?" Just as she finished speaking, the fire alarm rang and the sprinklers activated, drenching everyone in the office.
Elena scoffed lightly and turned to leave, walking with her back straight and her head held high. Meanwhile, screams and shrieks of surprise filled the air, as everyone tried to protect themselves from getting wet, with limited success.
Reed watched her leave, suddenly feeling nervous. Elena's confident stride was terrifying, and he wondered briefly, if he was making a mistake by letting her go. Elena had contributed a lot to his company, and there was no guarantee that Brienna could live up to her accomplishments.
But then again, it wasn't his fault. It was Elena who lied to him, who made him look like a fool during his wedding. Just the very thought made his blood boil.
Meanwhile, Selena let go of Reed and knelt on the floor in front of the burnt files, frantically searching for anything salvageable. But there was nothing left. 'Damn it. Damn it!'
Reed looked at her, "What are you doing?"
Hesitant, she turned to look back at him, her lower lip wobbling with despair as tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. With her hair and clothes soaked from the sprinklers, she looked less like an heiress and more like a sad drowned rat.
"Reed, she burned the work that belongs to the company," tears rolled down her eyes. "It... It all happened because of me. I couldn't stop her in time. I... I shouldn't have even come to the company. It only caused you trouble."
She expected Reed to come to her and console her, but...
"That's her work and was not patented under company name," he informed, not having any will to blame Elena for it and nor did he plan to console Selena. To him, this wasn't important. "We have you, a famous perfumer Aroma. You can create new ones, don't you? I wouldn't hire you otherwise.
Selena was taken aback by his indifference towards her tears and emotions, which made it clear to her that Reed felt nothing for her. He was just using her to hurt Elena. Her fists clenched tightly, turning her delicate knuckles red, the determination to make this man hers entirely flashed in her eyes.