I Cleaned His Fridge For Three Years For Nothing Chapter 03

I Cleaned His Fridge For Three Years For Nothing Chapter 03

I walked into the office the next morning, and a coworker edged nervously over to my desk.

“Mr. Halewell’s furious right now.”

“He’s saying the sample binders don’t match the physical materials, and the budget’s massively overrun…”

My brows knit tight with confusion.

“That can’t be right. I triple-checked every sample set before submitting them.”

Despite the heavy weight of our fight still hanging over my head, my feet carried me automatically toward the conference room.

The client slammed the sample binder flat onto the table the second I stepped inside.

“We wanted a quiet, natural aesthetic, not cheap viral social media decor.”

“Who was in charge of drafting this design?”

I flipped open the binder, and my gaze snagged on the replacement layout pages.

That garish, over-the-top color palette was swapped in by Elara the night before.

She’d told me the client’s spouse loved trendy decor, so we’d slide the pages in for feedback only.

Now she sat beside Kai, fingers twisting her pen, silent and unmoving.

Kai skimmed the documents, his eyes flicking over me before settling back on the clients.

“Sage signed off on the final sample binder.”

“We’ll conduct an internal review to resolve this, and present a revised plan to you today.”

Every set of eyes in the conference room locked onto me instantly.

Kai crossed the room to stand beside me, his voice lowered so only I could hear.

“Take responsibility for this mistake now, and all you’ll get is a written reprimand.”

“Elara just landed a partner position at the firm—this project can’t tank her reputation.”

He hesitated a beat.

“You’re only an assistant. One minor error won’t ruin your career.”

So that’s how it was.

I was just disposable staff.

My professional portfolio, my reputation, all my late nights of labor—none of it mattered compared to protecting Elara.

Thick silence filled the room.

Tears burned the backs of my eyes, spilling over before I could hold them back.

I stepped backward a few paces.

“I’m sorry. I overlooked inconsistencies during my final check.”

After the meeting wrapped, the firm suspended me from work for three days without pay.

Mr. Halewell pulled the whole design team into a quick huddle to address the project failure, and singled me out with sharp, critical remarks for everyone to hear afterward.

“I trusted you with final sample checks, and you let the whole team down on a high-stakes client job.”

“Personal relationships with senior staff don’t excuse careless, costly oversights on your part.”

I returned to my desk, my computer screen still open to a webpage I’d pulled up earlier.

[Marnie’s Rest Retreat: Hiring Full-Time Vintage Styling Resident Assistant, Willowspire]

I stared at the screen for a long time.

This had been the dream I’d held onto for years.

Not juggling inflated client budgets, not trailing behind Kai waiting for crumbs of praise.

I loved old buildings.

Loved weathered timber, soft linen fabrics, sunlight slanting through aged window frames.

Loved taking forgotten, broken spaces and rebuilding them into warm, livable homes.

Kai had brushed it off once I’d mentioned it. “That line of work’s unstable. Stick close to me, don’t waste your time chasing silly fantasies.”

Turns out the unstable variable wasn’t the career path—it was him.

My phone vibrated again, a photo from Elara popping up on my screen.

It was the warm almond milk she’d left on my desk that morning.

[I picked this up for you. Don’t neglect your health over this.]

Immediately after, a text from Kai loaded.

[Elara’s been crying nonstop. Send her a quick message to ease her guilt.]

Kai walked over to my workstation, a flicker of panic crossing his face for half a second.

“Being suspended’s probably for the best. Your personal drama’s clouding your work judgment.”

Ice seeped through every inch of my body.

“Designer Voss, we already broke up. You don’t get to lecture me about my choices anymore.”

Kai let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh.

“Sage, when are you gonna drop this petty act?”

Even Elara shot me a disapproving look from across the office.

“Sage, don’t let pride make you stubborn.”

Staring at the two of them side by side, a cold wave of unfamiliarity washed over me.

Truthfully, they were far more alike than they’d ever admit.

Neither of them could ever see my words, my hurt, or me as a whole person.

I pulled a sharp, mocking smile across my face and spun on my heel to leave.

The elevator doors were sliding shut when Kai sprinted down the hall after me.

“My mom’s 60th Retirement Gala’s tomorrow night—don’t forget it. She hasn’t seen you in ages.”

He spoke like he had zero doubt I’d show up without question.

“Leave all this messy relationship stuff out of the conversation while you’re there.”