"I’m sorry, Mr Carson," the receptionist apologised, her cheeks flushed red, stray hair poking out of her neatly tied bun. "I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen," she explained frantically while my father stood there, his face stiff with fury.

His cold gaze swept over me like a blade before eventually landing on our intertwined hands. For a split second, something ugly twisted across his face—disbelief, followed by outrage. And before I knew it, he was already marching towards me, closing the gap between us in a few long strides.

But he wasn’t alone. Beside him, my stepmother had her arm interlinked with his, and Jessica followed closely behind, their designer heels clicking against the polished marble floor.

"Father, what are you—" the words had barely left the tip of my tongue when a hard slap came raining down on my cheek.

Slap!

Pain shot through my body as shock crashed down on me. I looked up at him with wide eyes, but before I could say another word, Rhys was already standing in front of me, shielding me with his body.

"You do not assault my girlfriend in my office," Rhys said through gritted teeth. I could tell he was holding back, his knuckles already bleached beside him. Even though my family showed up at my workplace without warning, barging in like barbarians, Rhys Carson was still the CEO of TechHub, and he couldn’t simply act recklessly in front of everyone here.

My father lifted a brow slightly. "Oh? Girlfriend," he snarled. "So you are openly admitting to everyone here that you and my daughter are a thing now?"

"I already did. And I wouldn’t tolerate my girlfriend getting humiliated by her own family. Apologize to Evelyn now."

Murmurs began to rise from the crowd again as they continued to speculate what was going to happen next. Their curious eyes darted between all of us, waiting for someone to make the next move.

"I’m not apologizing," my father’s deep voice reached my ears. I caught a glimpse of the stubborn set of his jaw and the way his eyes were set ablaze with fury. "She needs to be the one apologizing, she was the one who embarrassed the Hart Group after the little stunt she pulled."

Of course, he only cared about Hart Group’s reputation. I had seen this coming from more than a mile away.

My father’s words echoed across the office, each one dripping with accusation. For a moment, the entire office fell into stunned silence.

"Mr Hart—"

I held Rhys back, this was my own battle to fight. I needed to be the one standing up for myself this time. I shook my head, and he quickly understood what I needed.

But before I got the chance to say something, Jessica’s timid voice pierced through the tension crackling in the air. With one hand gently patting my father on his arm, her brows knitted together in feigned concern, playing the role of the victim in front of everyone.

"Dad, don’t get too worked up over this. This is not good for your health, the doctors already said that you cannot get overly agitated," she advised before turning to face me.

"Evelyn," she started, her gaze landed on mine. "Dad’s right. Is not that he wanted to criticize you in front of everyone here, but this is really getting out of hand. I don’t wish for this matter to further escalate and harm our dad’s health over this."

"Exactly, are you trying to kill your father?" My stepmother chimed in this time.

I stared at her, then I laughed.

It was soft at first, almost disbelieving, but it quickly grew louder, sharp enough to slice through the heavy tension hanging in the room. The sound made everyone freeze—including my father.

His brows furrowed. "What is so funny?"

I slowly lowered my hand from my burning cheek and lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his furious stare. The sting of the slap still pulsed against my skin, but it was nothing compared to the fury boiling inside me.

"Their fake concern disgusts me," I spat the words out of my mouth, my tone hardening into steel. "I bet they are the ones who couldn’t wait for you to die so they could inherit all your assets."

Beside him, my stepmother removed her arm from my father’s, glaring at me as she straightened her posture. "You! How dare you accuse me of such—"

"Whether or not I am accusing you, you should know it best." I turned my attention back to my father once again. "And you should know that I will not be apologizing for anything I did. What I do is none of your business."

My father scoffed. "None of my business?"

He squared his shoulders, his expression darkening. "You humiliated this family with your disgraceful behaviour. Running around with another man before your divorce is made official? Making a spectacle of yourself in front of the media? What do you think the press will say when they find out my own daughter has joined our rival company—and is dating the CEO? Have you no shame?"

Beside him, my stepmother’s lips curled into a smug smile, clearly enjoying every second of this. Jessica, meanwhile, stood slightly behind them, her hands clasped neatly in front of her, but I caught the glint of triumph in her eyes.

"Do you think I had a choice? What can I do when my father gave away the position to my stepsister instead? If you want me to leave TechHub, I would." I paused for a dramatic effect, and my voice rang out across the room. "On the condition that you fire Jessica and hire me instead."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. I watched with satisfaction as Jessica visibly stiffened at the mention of her name. A slight smile played on my lips, I took a slow breath and looked my father dead in the eye.

"So, what do you say, father?"