Chapter 16

When Jasper arrived at the office, it was peak morning. Mia looked completely devastated. After a sleepless night forced to kneel in the same position, she was barely conscious. But worse than the physical pain was the humiliation. Just yesterday, she’d strutted through those halls; now, she was utterly degraded. She never wanted to hurt someone so badly in her life.

She snapped, screaming, “Freya Kingsley, you manipulative whore! This is all your damn fault! Jasper would never…”

“Why don’t you just disappear? Everyone would be better off! You seduced him, you pathetic…”

Her shrieking echoed through the office. Everyone heard her meltdown, but now that she’d fallen from grace, her tantrum only invited disgust.

Several employees who’d worked alongside Freya spoke up.

“How can you talk about Freya like that? She killed herself for this company for four years without a single complaint. You waltzed in and immediately started torturing her.”

“Exactly! Freya never did anything wrong. You’ve been vicious to her from day one, Miss Carter. She’s already gone—why can’t you let it go?”

“You’re the one who made her life hell the second you arrived. Now you’re playing victim? Please.”

The whispers spread like wildfire. People were pointing at her as if she belonged in a psych ward. Mia was losing it. She wanted to smack every single face, but pinned down by security, all she could do was kneel there, raging.

“You’re all just jealous bitches! What did Freya do to buy your loyalty? Did she sleep with all of you too?”

She ranted like someone off her medication, spewing toxic garbage, making everyone cringe.

Just then, Jasper arrived and caught the end of her tirade. His expression went from cold to arctic. He’d wanted her night of humiliation to give her perspective. Instead, she was doubling down.

He strode forward. The crowd parted, and security released their hold. Suddenly free, Mia scrambled to Jasper’s feet, clinging to his leg while forcing out tears.

“Jasper, thank God! Look at these people—they’re all brainwashed by Freya! They’re attacking me! Fire every last one of them, Jasper! Right now!”

She twisted around, stabbing her finger at everyone who’d dared to speak against her.

“Her! Him! That bitch too! They all need to go!”

The targeted employees lowered their heads anxiously, but instead of backing Mia as expected, Jasper kicked her away like something disgusting.

“I gave you a night to reflect, and this is what you do? You’re nothing here, Mia, yet you’re still attacking my employees. I never realized what a vicious person you really are.”

“I heard what they said, and they’re spot on. Freya did nothing wrong. You drove her away with your petty jealousy.”

Mia sprawled on the floor, mascara streaming down her face.

“I’m the one you love! Jasper, you love ME!”

Jasper towered over her, his eyes dead.

“I love Freya Kingsley.”

His declaration hit the office like a bomb. People gasped and exchanged looks of total shock, but Jasper felt like he could breathe for the first time in days. He’d buried those words for four years—finally saying them felt like redemption.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he ignored Mia’s shattered expression and doubled down:

“I love Freya.”

“As for you, whatever I felt died a long time ago. These past weeks were a mistake. I’m going to find Freya and make this right. Mia, get the hell out of my life.”

Her pupils dilated with disbelief. Facing this brutal reality, she laughed through her tears.

“You’re kicking ME out? Let me drop some truth, Jasper—Freya didn’t leave because of me. She left because of YOU!”

“You think I don’t know what you two had going on? You screwed her for four years without ever acknowledging her publicly. The minute I showed up, you dumped her like yesterday’s trash. YOU’RE the one who broke her!”

Their secret relationship had been the company’s best-kept secret. With those words, the entire office froze in collective shock. Jasper’s briefly softened expression hardened like concrete.