When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

When Clyde made such a scene, everyone just went from speculating about him and Rachel to being almost certain that Rachel was indeed his old flame.

"Rachel isn't as pretty as Melanie, how could Mr. Patterson fall for her?"

"It's not just about looks with an old flame, sometimes it's the vibe, the connection."

"I did some snooping, and it turns out Rachel has been by Mr. Patterson's side through thick and thin, working part-time jobs together, spending every day together. They must be childhood sweethearts."

"Coming from similar backgrounds, experiencing life in the same ways, no wonder they clicked."

"This time, the boss lady has met her match. A high degree plus an emotional connection, I'd say Melanie, game over."

Gossip spread like wildfire across the office, and it seemed everyone had forgotten Clyde got injured because of me.

Even Lina came to probe, wondering if Clyde had reignited an old romance.

Given Kayla Osborne's precedent, Lina warned me to stay cautious.

But what was there for me to be cautious about?

Clyde had replaced me with Rachel, the girlfriend from his college days, while I became the vile woman trying to seduce him to climb the social ladder.

He avoided me like the plague, making Patterson Mansion his new abode, seemingly forgetting he had another home.

Clyde seemed to be reliving his dating days, showering Rachel with all sorts of treats.

Custard buns, croissants, molten lava cakes, egg tarts...

Every time, Rachel frowned upon seeing these sweets.

Back in her freshman year, she was a bit on the heavier side, even wearing men's clothing during military training because of it, which led to quite a bit of teasing.

Determined, she later went on a diet, swearing off these high-caloric foods.

And Clyde had forgotten, those were my favorites, not hers.

Even if Rachel didn't indulge, Clyde made excuses, thinking her taste changed while she was abroad, which explained her slimmer figure. Clyde's discontent with me grew more intense.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

Every time we had to work late, and Clyde came to pick up Rachel, he'd give me a piece of his mind.

"Can't you stop dumping work on others? You're the only workaholic here! Design needs inspiration, not overtime. Don't waste Rachel's brain cells. Melanie, don't think this will get you more face time with me At best, you're just my wife in name."

He didn't hold back, even in front of other colleagues, sometimes even sounding resentful.

opped asking Rachel

to stay late and started ushering

è door as soon as workhet

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over.

At first, Rachel refused Clyde's rides, but gradually, she accepted them.

The day we were wrapping up a project with Aspire World, Rachel insisted on working late.

As expected, I ended up getting an earful from Clyde.

Rachel finally snapped, slamming the table as she stood up.

"Clyde, can you stop being so unreasonable? You're only affecting my work!"

"I returned home with the intent of building a career, this is my chance!"

Having barely participated in any

projects since joining the company,

Rachel naturally felt frustrated.

Having degrees and academic awards wasn't enough for her to secure her position at the Patterson Group.

Clyde looked at her, somewhat wronged, "I just don't want you to overwork yourself."

"Besides, with your talent, this kind of work should be easy for you, right?"

"Remember in sophomore year, you won the national design competition, you were..." "Enough! Clyde!"

Rachel suddenly seemed to crumble, grabbing her bag in a huff.

"Let's just go home, stop talking."

Watching her dejected departure, I too felt a wave of irritation.

The one who won that award in sophomore year was me, he didn't even remember.