Chapter 2

Ever since we were kids, everyone liked Jerry more than me. He was handsome and had a sunny disposition, while I hid in the shadows due to the scar on my face.

From that day on, I never mentioned the fire again, nor did I try to clarify the truth. I became Simone's secret partner in bed. Since she couldn't get Jerry, she vented all of her lust and desire on me.

But every single time, she would press her palm or a pillow over my face. She was only willing to look at my eyes. She said they were very similar to Jerry's.

I became his substitute.

Yet after every time we were intimate, she would hold me in silence for a long time, as if she felt some attachment to me. The occasional scraps of warmth from her gave me the illusion that perhaps one day, she would truly be mine.

But that illusion ended that day, when I heard Simone call me a plaything. That finally snapped me out of my fantasy.

I had to laugh at how deluded I was.

…

The next day, just as I sat down at my desk, Jerry walked toward me. He stopped in front of me and placed a document on my desk.

"I'll be taking over the Mooncradle project from now on, Isaac. Here's the handover. Just sign your name to it."

I whipped my head up and stared at him. "What did you say?"

The Mooncradle project was my baby. For the past three years, I'd handled all kinds of matters for Simone at the company, including providing technical support and system maintenance. However, I had never given up on my true profession.

Programming was my one passion—the only light I had in my dark life. Once I immersed myself in code, I could temporarily forget the contempt and ridicule I received.

If the Mooncradle project turned out to be a success, it would be the core product that guaranteed the company's competitiveness in the industry for the next ten years.

And I was the principal architect for the project.

Simone had once said in front of everyone, "Isaac is the only one who can handle this project."

At that time, the approval in her eyes was my only consolation. But now, even that was being taken away from me.

Smiling faintly, Jerry said, "I know you have a hard time accepting this, but it's the company's decision. You've always been too quiet and reserved anyway. You don't have the right personality to lead such an important project."

After a pause, he reached out to adjust my collar. It looked like a friendly, thoughtful gesture, but his words were as sharp as ever.

"The project will do even better in my hands. Don't worry. I'll lead everyone to great success."

He turned to the surrounding colleagues and smiled confidently. "From now on, if anyone has any questions about the project, you can come directly to me."

His display nauseated me.

Jerry turned around once more to whisper into my ear, "Ever since we were kids, Isaac, you've always been too disgraceful to be seen in public. Why haven't you learned your lesson yet? You'll forever be trash that deserves to stay in the gutter."

My chest tightened painfully.

At that moment, there was a slight commotion at the entrance to the office. Simone had arrived.

I looked at her for help. "Simone…"

My eyes were pleading, filled with expectation. She seemed to pause when she met my gaze, with a flicker of mixed emotions flashing in her eyes. But she soon suppressed all of that, and her expression became impassive once more.

Frowning, she said, "I'm the one who decided to give the project to Jerry instead."

Her words cut like knives.

"Jerry's right. You need more training," she added.

"Don't you already know what I'm capable of?" I asked, my voice hoarse and tinged with the unwillingness to accept this outcome.

Simone knew better than anyone just how many technical difficulties I'd resolved and how many chunks of crucial source code I'd written for the company in the last three years.

But my question seemed to anger her. Her tone grew impatient. "Why must you keep trying to compare yourself to Jerry with everything, Isaac?

"Fine. I'll make it clear to you now, then—you're not as capable as he is, and you're not as likable either!"

She leaned close to my ear and warned, "Just because you're sleeping with me, it doesn't mean you can forget your place!"

Despite having already known this would happen, I still couldn't stop my heart from clenching painfully.

I lowered my gaze, refusing to look at her. Picking up the pen, I signed the handover document and walked out of the office.