She Demoted Me Now She Begs

By the time Victoria realized I was slowly fading out of her life, she had already demoted me to the janitorial crew to appease her young assistant, Adrian.

She thought she was just teaching me a lesson, but soon, the cracks began to show.

When she had to attend high-stakes business dinners, there was no one there to drink for her, forcing her to curse under her breath as she fumbled through her purse for hangover pills and antacids. When she stayed up until the early hours of the morning reviewing contracts, there was no one to gently force her to rest or quietly finish the paperwork for her.

I even caught her coming out of a cheap, hourly-rate motel on the edge of town with Adrian, but I didn't say a word. I didn't demand answers. I simply turned and walked away.

Eventually, Victoria swallowed her pride and came looking for me. She found me on my knees on the cold marble floor, scraping away at a piece of hardened chewing gum.

"You don't have to humiliate yourself just to get back at me," she said, her voice carrying a mix of irritation and sigh. "Making you do janitorial work was just for show. Once Adrian cools off, I'll put you back in the Vice President's office."

I stood up, my aching legs protesting the sudden movement, and picked up my dirty mop bucket in silence.

Today was the thousandth day I had spent chasing after Victoria Westwood. It was also the last.

Another firm had already offered me a executive role with a competitive salary, and my plane ticket was already booked.

Seeing my silence, Victorias lips pressed into a tight, thin line.

She was treating me like a sulking child, slapping me first and then offering a piece of candy, fully expecting that all of our history could be easily swept under the rug.

"Don't be mad on your birthday, birthday boy," she said, trying to soften her tone. "I have a surprise waiting for you tonight."

Seven years together, and Victoria had never remembered my birthday once. Every time I bought a cake and set it on our dining table, she would look surprised and ask what special occasion we were celebrating.

Yet Adrian had only been with the firm for two weeks, and she knew his birthday and his exact number of days on the payroll by heart.

Now that I had stopped loving her, she suddenly cared.

She reached her hand out, intending to ruffle my hair, but froze when a soft cough echoed from the corridor.

Adrian stepped into the lobby, pulling a bottle of hand sanitizer from his designer bag. Without warning, he pointed it at my face and sprayed.

"Jude, you're a janitor now. You're absolutely filthy," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "Ms. Westwood is delicate. Please sanitize yourself before you get too close to her."

He was too fast, and I couldn't duck in time. The harsh chemical mist sprayed directly into my eyes, causing a stinging burn that made me instinctively reach up to rub them.

My foot caught the edge of the heavy mop bucket. It clattered to the floor, sending gray, soapy water splashing across the pristine tiles. Adrian let out a dramatic, high-pitched shriek.

"Call security to disinfect this area! The dirty water got on Ms. Westwoods trousers! What if she catches some horrible bacteria and falls ill?"

Victoria let out an indulgent laugh, nudging him playfully. "I'm not as fragile as you are, Adrian."

Adrian pouted, stepping forward to cup her face in his hands. "Who says I'm fragile? Last time you got acute gastritis from those extra-spicy diner fries, I was the one who practically carried you into the ER."

They flirted openly, completely ignoring me as I sat in the cold, dirty puddle, the sting in my eyes bringing back the memories of the slap that had ruined everything.

It had been the night we finally closed a massive international deal. Victorias stomach had been tearing her apart from the stress and alcohol. I had run to the nearest pharmacy to buy her medicine, panting as I raced back to the restaurant, only to find her gone.

The local news had been warning about a violent fugitive active in that very neighborhood.

I had panicked, called the police, and searched every dark alleyway, sobbing her name. I couldn't find her.

Until the hospital called.

I flew to her room, thinking that if she was gone, I would go with her. But when I pushed the door open, I saw Victoria holding Adrian, comforting him. Adrian was crying, blaming himself for taking her to that greasy diner for spicy fries.

Out of sheer panic and exhaustion, my mind had snapped, and I slapped Adrian across the face.

Victorias expression turned ice-cold. Right then and there, she called HR and demoted me to the cleaning staff.

I remember screaming at her like a madman, asking if she had stopped loving me. She was too busy soothing Adrian to answer.

But I had my answer.

Now, the security guards arrived with heavy-duty chemical backpacks. Under Adrian's orders, they pointed the spray nozzles directly at me.

Victoria frowned slightly, grabbing Adrian's hand. "Jude is highly allergic to industrial disinfectants. Just have them clean the floor."

Adrian winks playfully. "Don't worry, Victoria. I made sure they used the organic, non-irritating stuff. Even if Jude gets a little on him, he'll be fine."

He pressed the trigger. A harsh, chemical mist drenched my collar.

"See? He's perfectly fine."

Victoria glanced at me. Seeing no immediate rash on my neck, she affectionately pinches Adrian's cheek. "You little troublemaker."

I staggered to my feet, digging my nails into my palms to resist the desperate urge to scratch my burning skin.

Out of Victoria's line of sight, Adrian smirks and made a face at me.

He knew I won't ask Victoria for help. Or rather, he knew that even if I did, she would side with him.

Just like last week, when Adrian accidentally fed a month's worth of crucial project data into the paper shredder. He had thrown himself into Victoria's arms, crying, claiming I had ordered him to do it.

The entire team glared at me, their hard work destroyed. I begged Victoria to check the security cameras to prove my innocence, but she simply covered Adrian's ears and called me an incompetent fool who couldn't even manage basic files.

The chemical fumes sting my throat, making it hard to breathe. I press a hand to my stomach, praying my chronic ulcer won't flare up from the stress.

Victoria doesn't notice my distress. But when Adrian coughs from the fumes, she quickly takes his hand and leads him away.

A female security guard watches them walk off, then turns to look at my damp, clinging shirt with a sneer.

"Thought sleeping with the boss made you untouchable, huh? Look at you now, thrown out like trash."

"Mr. Adrian said you have a certain scent on you. Said we need to scrub you clean with the good stuff."

Seeing the malicious glint in their eyes, I step back. "What are you doing?"

They grab my arms, dragging me toward the stairwell, tearing at my shirt.

Terrified, I sink my teeth into the closest guard's ear, fighting like an animal.

"Ah! You little bastard, let go!"

A hard blow lands on my face, and a heavy boot kicks me squarely in the ribs, sending me crashing down.

Ignoring the pain, I scramble backward, clawing at the concrete.

"Help! Someone help me!"

My screams echo through the concrete stairwell. Realizing things are getting out of hand, the guards swear, kick me one last time, and bolt.

I huddle on the floor, gasping through the agonizing pain in my back, slowly dragging myself up.

Before I can catch my breath, a hand grips my wrist with bruising force.

Thinking the guards are back, I lash out blindly. "Get off me!"

A cold sneer sounds from above.

I look up and meet Victoria's freezing gaze.

"Jude, I didn't think you could be this malicious."

Before I can comprehend her words, she drags me toward the elevator.

Muffled sobs echo from the executive office.

Victoria shoves me against the wall, pointing at the espresso machine. Inside the glass water reservoir floats a bloody, mangled dead rat.

"Are you going to pretend you didn't do this?" she roars. "Apologize to Adrian. Now."

The rat's lifeless, bulging eyes stare back at me.

The sight of the dark blood makes my vision spin.

When my parents died in a car fire, I was sent to a state orphanage. A boy there wanted the pocket watch my father had left memy only keepsake. I refused.

He brought older kids from the street who threatened to cut me open. I held the watch to my chest, refusing to let go, and they plunged a knife into me. Victoria, who lived in the neighborhood, ran out and took the second blow for me.

Her warm blood soaked my clothes, looking exactly like the blood my parents spat out in their final moments. I had screamed until my throat bled before passing out.

Ever since, I have suffered from severe, paralyzing hemophobia.

I slide down the wall, my knees giving out as the memories of my parents lying in a pool of blood crash over me.

"It's my fault... I shouldn't have asked to go to the carnival..."

Victoria notices my trembling, her eyes widening in sudden panic. She takes a step toward me, but Adrian lets out a sharp whimper.

Instantly, she pivots, pulling Adrian into her arms and stroking his back.

"Victoria, I'm so scared..." Adrian weeps, clutching her collar. "Why does Jude hate me so much? Is it because I took his job? I'll give it back... I'll leave..."

Victoria wipes his tears, her gaze turning venomous as she looks back at me.

"Jude! Apologize to him!"

Curled in the corner, I let out a hollow, broken laugh.

She doesn't believe me. She never will. Her heart belongs entirely to Adrian now.

My fingernails bite deep into my palms. I close my eyes, despising my own weakness. I promised myself I wouldn't care, that I wouldn't shed another tear for this woman. Yet the tears keep spilling over.

Losing her patience, Victoria grabs my wrist, her grip so tight I feel my bones grind. She drags me to Adrian's feet, then reaches into her drawer and hurls a leather-bound document at my face.

It is the deed to my parents' house.

"I bought back your family's estate. I was going to give it to you tonight for your birthday," she says coldly. "But since you refuse to apologize, I guess you don't want it."

She steps forward, grinding her heel directly onto the deed.

Seeing the dirty footprint mar the pristine cover, my chest tightens. I throw myself forward, desperately clutching the document.

"I'll buy it from you! At market value! You promised me, Victoriayou promised that once we made it, you'd help me get my parents' house back. I want you to honor that promise. Now!"

Victoria hesitates for a fraction of a second, but Adrian snatches the document from my hands.

Rip.

The sound is clean and sharp. The deed is torn into pieces, and Adrian throws the shreds out the open window, watching them scatter into the wind like snow.

The final string in my mind snaps. I stare blankly at the falling white pieces.

Victoria rubs her temples, turning to scold Adrian, but he looks up at her with wide, watery eyes. Her anger dissolves. She turns to me, her voice indifferent.

"You put a dead rat in his coffee to terrify him. He tore up your paper. Consider it even."

The tears feel cold on my face. I let out a quiet laugh.

She thinks Adrian only tore up a piece of paper.

No. He tore up her promise. He tore up the last thread of love I had left for her.

A metallic taste rises in my throat. In a whisper, I say, "Victoria, I don't love you anymore."

She steps closer, leaning down. "What did you say? Speak up."

Seeing her attention drift back to me, Adrian clutches his chest, groaning. "Victoria, my head is spinning. How am I supposed to help you welcome the VIP guest like this?"

A cruel smirk plays on his lips.

The office door knocks. "Ms. Westwood, Mr. Jeff has arrived in the lounge."

A chill runs down my spine.

Jeff is the only son of our largest investor, and an obsessive, violent stalker of Victoria. Every time he visits, he brings his trained Doberman, Kaiser, to sniff her clothes, searching for the scent of any man who has dared to get close to her.

Once, Kaiser tore open the leg of a junior analyst who had simply shared an elevator with Victoria. Because Victoria needed his mother's backing, she had to swallow her anger and sweep it under the rug.

To keep me safe, Victoria used to give me the day off whenever Jeff came to the office.

The heavy thud of boots echoes in the hallway, accompanied by the low, guttural growl of a dog.

The private office closet is only large enough for one person. Victoria looks between me and Adrian, torn.

Adrian gasps dramatically, collapsing into her arms. "Go ahead, Victoria. Let me handle the guest. I'm just your assistant. Even if I get mauled, it's my duty."

A sharp pain shoots through my stomach. I lean against the desk for support, accidentally knocking my phone to the floor.

The screen lights up, displaying a photo of Victoria and me laughing, holding Casper, our late Samoyed.

Victoria's eyes light up. She grabs my shoulders. "Jude! You used to raise Casper. Dogs always loved you. Maybe Jeff's dog will like you too."

My heart freezes. I look at her, unable to comprehend her words.

Kaiser is a trained attack dog. Years ago, Casper was killed by a stray mastiff while trying to protect me. The trauma left me with severe, recurring nightmares.

Without waiting for my reply, Victoria gently ushers Adrian into the private closet. There is a small gap leftenough for me to squeeze in.

But when I try to follow, Victoria blocks the door, her face hardening.

"He needs air to breathe, Jude. If you crowd him, he'll have a panic attack."

The knocking at the main door grows louder. Weak and trembling, I look around for anywhere else to hide.

Suddenly, the door is kicked open. Jeff stands there, holding a thick leather leash connected to a massive, snarling Doberman.

I instinctively shrink behind Victoria.

Jeff's eyes flash with murderous rage. He pats the dog's head. "Kaiser, tear this parasite apart."

The Doberman lunges, teeth bared.

I run, but the dog corners me, its claws slicing deep gashes into my calves.

Victoria watches in horror, but when I try to crawl toward the closet, she grabs a heavy glass mug from her desk and smashes it right in front of me, cutting off my path.

Through the crack in the closet door, Adrian smiles.

Trapped in the corner, I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for the worst.

Just as the dog lunges for my throat, Jeff's phone rings. He barks a command, pulling the dog back.

"You got lucky today," Jeff snarls, pointing a finger at me. "If I see you hovering around Victoria again, I'll let him finish the job."

As Jeff's footsteps fade down the corridor, the crushing tension in my chest finally eases.

Victoria walks right past me, her boots stepping through my blood, and throws open the closet door.

Seeing that Adrian is completely unharmed, she finally deigns to look down at me.

"Go get patched up. I'll come home tonight and we'll celebrate your birthday."

I limp out of the office, heading straight to the hospital.

The doctor cleans the deep lacerations, administers a tetanus shot, and warns me to rest.

I go back to the apartment, pack my single suitcase, and head straight to the airport.

As the office hours draw to a close, Victoria calls HR. "Reinstating Jude to the VP position tomorrow morning."

The HR manager hesitates. "Ms. Westwood... Jude submitted his formal resignation and signed his exit papers last week."

Victoria's heart skips a beat. She drops her keys, sprinting to her car and driving like a madwoman back to our apartment.

But when she throws open the door, the rooms are dark and empty.

Only a cheap, dull diamond ring sits on the bedside table.