His voice was warm, teasing-unmistakably flirting.

Rita's world tilted. Kaia's words echoed in her mind: "He only got close to you because someone asked him to." Her eyes reddened further, her hands trembling as she stood in the doorway.

She prayed silently that none of Kaia's words were true.

When Rita stepped into the office, Hubert's face darkened. He mumbled something to the person on the other end of the line, then hung up.

"Rita? What are you doing here?"

A security guard who had followed her in knocked on the door. "Mr. Potter, is everything alright?"

"It's fine," Hubert said flatly, his eyes fixed on Rita.

He stood up, walked over to the desk, and pulled a card from his pocket. "Actually, good timing. Here." He placed the bank card on the table. "There's a million dollars on it. Take it-as compensation for everything that happened between us.

Rita stared at the card, heart pounding. "Are you breaking up with me?" she asked, voice trembling. "But you promised you'd marry me. You said you cared for me."

Hubert sighed, his tone soft but distant. "Let's just end this peacefully. You know how Kaia is—-ruthless. If we keep seeing each other, who knows what she might do to you next?"

Rita's chest tightened. "So you do still care?"

"Of course I care," he said gently. "I love you, so I don't want to see you get hurt."

The words sounded sweet—too sweet. They felt rehearsed, hollow.

Rita wanted to believe him.

But Kaia's words echoed in her head. "I saw Kaia outside," she said, watching him closely. "She told me you got close to me for a reason. That someone sent you. That you were just playing me. Is that true?"

For the briefest moment, something flickered in Hubert's eyes-unease.

He coughed lightly and forced a smile. "She's lying. Kaia just wants to stir the pot."

But Rita had seen it-his hesitation. She clenched her fists. Hubert was lying!

She hissed, "You're lying. Kaia was telling the truth. Someone put you up to this. Who was it? Tell me!"

Hubert's face hardened. "Rita, seriously? You're really gonna take her word over mine? She's messing with you." His voice dropped, cold and final. "Look, it's over. I don't want to get dragged into this anymore. The money's on the card. Take it and go. Don't come back to my office again."

Rita's face went pale. "A million? That's what you think I'm worth?" Her voice shook. "You destroyed my future. My life. And you think this makes up for it?"

Hubert scoffed, expression turning cruel. "Tell me, how much do you think you're worth? Come on, you're nothing special. If someone hadn't asked me to, I wouldn't have picked you."

There it was. The truth.

Her stomach dropped. She felt cold all over. "Who asked you to do that? Tell me! Who was it?"