“Cry for me.” His grip on her shoulders was rougher than usual, fingers digging in deep enough to leave marks. Athena Newton was spread out on the messy bed, letting out a broken sob. Same position as always, five years of this routine. He never let her move, always had to look at her face like he was searching for someone stuck in his head. “Freya…” he growled in her ear, voice all raspy with want. Athena’s heart stopped for a second. She turned her head and caught sight of their only photo together on the nightstand. Her face in it looked just like Freya Bates’. He told her that once, she looked most like Freya when she cried, with flushed cheeks. So that’s all I am? Just some replacement he could swap out at any time? Then why did he send me that diamond ring yesterday? That sparkle almost had her fooled. Almost made her think she had finally gotten into his heart as herself, not as Freya. What a joke. She pushed against his chest, trying to get him off. But Byron didn’t move an inch. “Mr. Crawford…” Athena kept it proper like always, but the intimacy and warmth were all gone. “Let’s stop here. I’m tired.” “Tired?” Byron stopped cold, thrown off by her tone. Leaning down, he whispered against her ear with irritation, “Athena, you getting too big for your shoes? You have no right to complain about what’s between us.” Between us? His cold tone hit her like a slap. She was stuck there while he kept biting at her neck, thrusting into her like everything was normal. They were doing what lovers do, but they weren’t even close to being lovers. Even after five years, Athena still caught herself dreaming that someday she’d be his real girlfriend. But facts were facts. She was just his mistress, and that’s all she was ever gonna be. Five years ago, debt collectors were on her case. Her grandma was dying, and Athena needed money badly. She was desperate when someone brought her to Byron and laid it out—she was gonna be a copy, a shadow, a doll to fill some hole. “You do look like Freya. A lot,” Byron had said, checking her out like some product. “Those eyes especially.” Freya Bates was his everything. But she left to marry some big shot in Gaston while he was in a coma after an accident. Byron must’ve been crazy in love. Even being abandoned didn’t fix him. He just went looking for a knockoff to make it hurt less. And Athena became that knockoff. That night, Byron cleared her debts and hooked her grandma up with the best medical care. The deal? Athena played his secretary in the streets, bedroom partner in the sheets. Real talk—she was just a mistress. What right did a sugar baby have to say no? Athena shut her eyes and let go, feeling the pain spread from her body to her soul. Byron finally backed off after what felt like forever. “Check’s on the table. Twenty million dollars,” he dropped casually. “Plus that ring from yesterday and the villa by Lakin. All yours now.” Athena was taken aback, and then it hit her. She looked up and asked, “Is this a breakup fee?” Byron always splashed cash, but never this hard. Twenty million dollars and a diamond ring would’ve been plenty. But that Lakin villa? That place was worth nine figures easy. She’d seen this before—Byron’s exit strategy. Fat check, clean split, bye bye. A sharp pang twisted in her chest. But strangely… she felt some relief. “Call it a bonus,” Byron said, voice rough. Athena caught that cold disdain in his eyes. Then he grabbed her chin, thumb running over her busted lip, voice smooth but cruel, “Keep playing nice, and there’s more where that came from.” Keep playing nice? How many times had she let herself get caught up in this same game, just to wake up to the same old mess? Honestly, she was just tired of it all. Just then, her phone buzzed on the floor. Athena finally snapped back to reality. Byron was gone, in the shower now. She struggled to sit up, body aching, and reached for her phone. It was a financial news alert. [Breaking: Imbe Group’s CEO to marry the Ross heiress. Two old-money empires joining forces; market’s about to go wild.] Her grip went deathly white on the phone. Imbe Group’s CEO? That’s Byron. Everything made sense now. Those crazy expensive gifts? Hush money. Byron wanted to keep her on the side while playing happy husband. Athena’s chest tightened, the air thick like drowning. She couldn’t do this anymore. Maybe, it’s time to end everything… I’m done being someone’s backup plan. Before long, a pill box dropped in front of her face. Byron stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, still dripping wet. “Take the pill,” he said, leaving no room for argument. Athena eyeballed the box. He never cared about this sort of thing. But now… Was it because of the engagement? Thinking of this, Athena couldn’t help but sneer. “What’s wrong, Mr. Crawford? Scared I’ll get pregnant right before your wedding?” “You know?” Byron’s surprise flickered, then died. “This marriage matters to the company. I can’t risk any drama.” Drama? So that’s what he calls our baby… She’d actually loved this guy. How unbelievable. And he’d only ever seen her as a problem to manage. But Athena knew she deserved better. “Well, don’t sweat it, Mr. Crawford. I’ll pack my stuff and disappear. Won’t mess up your perfect life anymore,” she said, voice like winter. Byron’s face twisted at her new backbone. “What’s with this? Money not enough or something? “Just name your price, then,” he sneered. “That’s how it works with girls like you, right? Wave enough cash and you’ll do whatever.” Athena’s face went pale. Something cracked in her chest. Right. She’d sold herself from day one. To him, she was just merchandise. Pay enough, and he would get whatever he wanted. Athena fell silent for a while. She looked up, finally seeing him for what he was. Her gaze turned icy, as if he were just a piece of garbage. “Sorry, Mr. Crawford,” she said softly. “I’m not for sale anymore.” Fighting the ache, she dressed up quickly, then pulled open her vanity drawer. Inside was a stack of resignation letters, and she grabbed one from the pile. She’d written them on endless nights when disappointment kept her awake. Now, it was finally time to hand one over. She walked up to Byron and held it out, her voice firm. “Mr. Crawford, I quit. I’ll wrap up my projects and be gone.”
Byron snatched the letter and tore it to pieces, his face going dark. “What do you mean?” “We had a deal when I got with you,” Athena replied calmly. “No the other woman status. You get married, I leave.” Byron stared her down. His eyes flashed with something like fear and confusion, but he didn’t even catch it himself. Yeah, he remembered that deal. But he never thought she’d actually leave just because he put a ring on someone else. She’d always played by his rules. No matter how messed up or brutal, she’d never said no. Now she’s growing a backbone? The nerve! “Athena, haven’t I taken good care of you? What’s your game here?” He stepped forward, pressing close to her, his presence suffocating. All the color drained from Athena’s face. Her gut screamed to back away. But Byron locked his arm around her waist, trapping her right there. “Mr. Crawford, you’re getting hitched. I’m out. That’s what we agreed to from the beginning,” Athena sighed. Byron laughed, ugly and mean. “So what? You’re saying twenty million dollars and that villa aren’t enough?” Athena froze. Her mind drifted back to earlier. He’d said, “Wave enough cash, and you’ll do whatever.” Her stomach turned. She dug her nails into her palm, trying to keep it together, fighting to break free from this guy who kept treating her like dirt. “Byron, get off me!” she yelled. “I’m running out of patience, Athena. Cut the crap. Just tell me, what’s your price?” Byron growled, holding her tighter. Athena stopped dead. Even now, he thought this was about money… All the strength drained out of her body. She was just… tired. Feeling her go limp in his arms, Byron cooled off. His voice went honey-sweet, lips brushing her earlobe. “Come on, don’t be like that. How much do you want, forty million? Eighty? Just say the number.” Classic her—acting all tough at first. But what went down? Flash some cash and boom, she’s in my sheets, letting me have my way. Money’s all that matters. I just gotta up the price. No way she’s really trying to walk away from me! His lips curled into that same shark smile he used in business deals. But Athena didn’t give him what he wanted. Her brows drew together, and her gaze turned even icier. “Byron,” she whispered, “I told you, I’m not for sale anymore.” Her voice was quiet but dead tired, like every word cost her. Byron’s smile dropped, and his eyes turned sharp. “Enough of this. Just give me a number. Stop being so extra.” He finally let go of her, looking down at her like trash. Byron was heated now. And Athena felt every bit of it. But she was done caring. Done watching his moods and playing nice. “You wanna talk price?” she let out a cold laugh. “Cool. Then bring my mom back. “A side piece pushed my mom to her death. So, I’m never gonna be one.” The room went dead quiet. Nothing but their breathing was left. Even if Byron couldn’t read her mind, he knew damn well Athena was about to walk away for good. His fist balled up, and his temper snapped. He yanked Athena by the wrist. His fingers squeezed so tight they could’ve crushed her bones. “You were just Freya’s stand-in. I’ve been using you for five years and have gotten comfortable. You really thought I couldn’t live without you?” Yeah, just comfortable. Other replacements existed, but Byron was too lazy to break in someone new. “I know what I am, Mr. Crawford. I wouldn’t dare,” Athena shot back, her tone hard and cold. “Good!” Byron nodded, threw her wrist away. “You weren’t the best Freya look-alike, but you’ve always been the most obedient. That was your only strength.” Looking down at her, his rage cooling to that usual whatever. “Now, you’ve lost that too. Since you’ve made up your mind, have it your way.” “Thanks, Mr. Crawford,” Athena said, trying to keep it cool even though she was messed up inside. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna finish everything right. Won’t cause you any problems.” “You don’t need to hand stuff over. I’ve got a new secretary coming in. Just make sure she’s trained before you leave.” Then Byron just walked out, didn’t even look back, cold as ever. Athena watched him for just a second before looking away. He was born with a silver spoon, ego through the roof. That little hesitation earlier? Not love. She’d just played Freya’s shadow too well, stayed sweet too long. Now she wasn’t playing by his rules, and he had no patience left. He wouldn’t bother with her again. Athena checked her red wrist. It was time to wake up from the dream. Guys like Byron? Never meant for girls like her. She wiped her tears, opened her laptop, typed up her resignation email, and sent it to HR.
The next morning, the Imbe Group executive floor was in total chaos. Everyone knew Byron was a nightmare to work with, and Athena was the only one who could handle his mess. But Athena? MIA. Byron’s face went dark, eyes fixed coldly on Liam, his assistant. His voice could’ve frozen the air. “Where’s Athena?” “Ms. Newton… has submitted her resignation,” Liam squeaked out, like someone had a gun to his back. He was stiff as a board. BANG! Byron smashed his coffee cup down. Liam flinched hard. He caught Byron’s face looking dark as hell from the side. Like he was about to turn that cup into powder. “Call Athena. I don’t care if she quits. She needs to wrap up her work right.” Byron yanked his tie loose, teeth grinding. Warning bells went off in Liam’s head. He immediately pulled out his phone. Byron glanced over, looking even more pissed. When the call hit, Athena was at the hospital. She’d been throwing up like crazy since she woke up. And her whole body was weak, everything spinning. She had to call 911 and get herself to the ER in the end. She looked at the doctor, worry written all over her face. “Doctor, what’s wrong with me?” “Congratulations. You’re eight weeks pregnant,” the doctor said. Athena just stared at her flat stomach, brain frozen. Pregnant? Right when she finally grew a spine to leave Byron, and she was pregnant? Athena was lost. If it had been yesterday, she would’ve immediately run to tell him. Now? She knew better. Even with his kid, she’d never be his wife. ***** When Athena got back to the office, it was already 2 PM. She had no clue that in just one morning, the entire executive department had been in meltdown. “Ms. Newton, why are you quitting? What are we supposed to do without you?!” “Exactly! Mr. Crawford’s been scary as hell today. I was afraid to even breathe too loud!” “Please, Ms. Newton, don’t go! Without you keeping Mr. Crawford chill, we’re all toast!” The second her coworkers spotted her, they came running, acting like the world was ending, hanging onto her like she was their last hope. Athena gave a small smile. “Relax, I’m not leaving tomorrow. Takes like a month to complete the process.” She tried to calm them down, but they still looked like they were heading to their own funeral. Everyone knew Byron was impossible to handle. Without their human shield, they could see the nightmare coming. Just then, the CEO’s private elevator dinged. In an instant, everyone straightened up and lined up perfectly. A moment later, those elevator doors opened. Byron walked out in a clean black suit, with a mystery woman right behind him. “Mr. Crawford,” everybody said together, including Athena, standing in the back with her eyes glued to the floor. Byron frowned. Athena had never slacked off like this. For five whole years, she’d always been the first to meet him, taking his jacket and stuff, staying one step behind him like clockwork. Now? Nobody was treating him that way. And Athena was keeping her distance. “Athena,” he said her name through his teeth, feeling some weird anger coming up. Athena looked up, staring right back at his cold eyes. “This is Ruby Holland, my new secretary,” Byron said, voice flat. “Train her properly.” Athena checked out Ruby. She looked just like Freya, way more than Athena ever did. “Got it, Mr. Crawford,” Athena said with a nod. “Nice to meet you, Athena! I’ll work super hard to learn everything!” Ruby chirped sweetly. “That’s great,” Athena said back, all professional. Byron couldn’t spot even a tiny bit of jealousy or attitude on her face. Only a woman who doesn’t care about you never gets jealous… That sentence hit him out of nowhere, making him even more mad. “Coffee,” he snapped, then stormed into his office. A moment later, in the break room. “Ms. Holland, Mr. Crawford’s quite picky about his coffee, so…” “Athena, you need to stop showing your face around Byron,” Ruby cut in, arms crossed, acting all high and mighty. “He gets all worked up when he sees you. He’s my man now. When he’s upset, it hurts me too.” She was already acting like she owned Byron or something. “If you want me gone that bad, Ms. Holland,” Athena kept her cool while grinding coffee beans, “maybe talk less and learn faster.” Ruby was trying to get under her skin, hoping Athena would snap and go off. Then Byron would hate her and throw her out. But Athena didn’t even flinch. Acting like Byron didn’t matter at all. How’s that possible? Byron is every girl’s dream guy. Everyone wants a piece of that. No way Athena doesn’t care! Unless…She didn’t even see me as competition! Ruby’s teeth clenched. The truth was, she’d been sent to Byron months ago. But somehow, Athena had him on lock. Even though Ruby looked more like Freya, Byron kept blowing her off for Athena. To this day, Byron hadn’t even touched her hand. He just looked at her face sometimes with dead eyes, and treated her straight up cold. Ruby shot Athena a death glare. “You’re just Byron’s leftovers. What’s there to be cocky about?” Her face was full of scorn, and her words were humiliating. Athena sighed, looking through her like glass. “Don’t treat me like a threat, Ms. Holland. I’m not after Byron like you think. “This is just work for me. Once I hand everything over, I’m out. I’ve got two notebooks about this position. I’ll give them to you later.” Those notebooks had everything—what Byron likes, what he eats, his health stuff, even how to play Freya. Not a single detail was missed. She’d played the role of stand-in mistress like a pro. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ruby eyed her with suspicion. She didn’t buy it so easily. She would never believe Athena could be that generous. “What else would it mean?” Athena smiled gently. “It’s just part of the handover.” To Ruby, that smile looked straight poisonous. She’s definitely plotting something. Ruby stuck her nose up. “It’s just some secretary job. I don’t need your handover to crush it.” Just a secretary? Athena had to laugh. Did she really think being Byron’s chief secretary was just playing coffee girl? This job is way deeper than that. As the chief secretary, she needed to deal with the VPs and take their reports. Also, she had to learn about every detail to make sure she was in control of all projects. Byron could hit her with questions about any of it. She had spent five years leveling up from bottom assistant to where she was now. Way more than just some regular secretary work. “Well, since you’re such a pro, I’ll skip the training.” Athena pushed the fresh coffee across with a smile. “Get this to Mr. Crawford.” With that, she walked out. Ruby watched her leave, getting weird vibes for some reason. A sudden sense of unease crept in, like trouble was coming… Back in her office, Athena opened the system and put in for leave. Then, she approved it with one click. All the CEO office’s time off had to go through her, even her own. But she wasn’t trying to tell Byron about it. She wanted to dodge him as much as possible, keep her head straight. After putting in the request, Athena grabbed her bag and stepped out. She turned to her colleagues and said calmly, “Everyone, I’m taking three days off.” “Three? Three whole days?!” Several people stood up in panic. “Chill,” Athena smiled. “I’ll be on my phone. If you need anything, just hit me up.” She added, “And I’ll still be back to complete the rest of the handover.” Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief and tell her to get some rest. Some even tried to get her to stay for good. Athena just smiled, kept quiet. But deep down, she knew better than anyone—there was nothing worth staying for. The second she got back to the villa, she started throwing her stuff in boxes. Five years of memories in this place. Her touch was everywhere, and now she had to erase it all. She packed like a robot, not even checking the time. When the last suitcase finally snapped shut, she called some movers to ship everything out. After that, she booked a one-way ticket to Greeli City for that night, grabbed one small suitcase with the basics, and walked out of the place she called home for five whole years. And she didn’t look back once. ***** Byron only found out Athena had left after grinding through meetings all day. “I just asked her what kind of coffee beans you like,” Ruby was in his office crying, holding up her red hand. “And she just threw hot water on me.” Byron barely looked at her, face blank. “Then go to the hospital and get it treated.” He didn’t believe a word of it. With Athena’s personality, even if she were mad, she wouldn’t pull something that messy. But leaving work early… That was a first. Maybe she was… jealous? Byron’s lips curved up a little. Ruby, seeing him smiling instead of being angry, felt a chill inside. She pouted and whined in a sweet voice, “Byron, she was mean to me. Aren’t you gonna stick up for me?” Byron finally looked up at her, eyes going cold. “Deal with it yourself.” Ruby paused for a while, then dropped her head all sad. “Fine.” After she left, Byron grabbed his phone and called Athena. He was ready to come at her about leaving without saying anything. The phone rang through his big office, sounding extremely loud. He loosened his tie and leaned back, already thinking about how Athena would sound all stubborn but hurt, then give in like always. But she went too far this time. He wasn’t letting it slide. He smiled and tapped his desk, waiting. “Sorry, the number you dialed is not available…” Byron’s face went dark. He hung up and tried again, but the result was the same. Then it clicked—Athena had blocked him. “Huh.” Byron let out a cold laugh and threw his phone down. Athena had never ignored his calls. Not in the middle of the night, not even when she was sick. She was deliberately making a fuss this time. Anger surged through his chest. He took a deep breath and called Liam right away. As soon as Liam picked up, he snapped, “Where’s Athena?” Liam went quiet for a second. Then, he started typing fast to track her down. Moments later, he came back respectfully, “Mr. Crawford, cameras show her leaving the villa with a suitcase, catching a cab to the airport.” Byron’s voice went sharp as a knife. “And?” “She got a ticket to Greeli City… And she’s gone already.”
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