Chapter 10 Unveiling the Truth

"Also, I'll send my resignation letter to your e-mail later. This is my last day here. Thank you for your guidance these days." With that, Robin gave Howen a calm nod and left the office. Howen was left frozen behind his desk. Robin? Married to someone else? And now she's resigning? This had to be a joke. How was he supposed to explain this to Nolan? Robin's decision to quit wasn't made in haste. It felt like a fog had lifted, revealing the right path for her. Staying in this environment would only lead to constant suppression and no real future. It was better to walk away. After all, her illustration commissions had been lucrative lately. With this job, she was more open to options. She caught snippets of conversations filtering through the door as she approached the general office area. "Did you hear Robin sent Mr. Badman to the police station? Is she insane?" "Climbing from a humble background into a wealthy family isn't easy. No matter how 'above it all' she pretends to be, she uses this to force a proposal, right?" "It's a good thing they broke up. Now, we don't have to go out of our way to freeze her out, forcing her to quit and become some rich man's pampered wife. Do you know how exhausting it was to keep that act up?" The words hit Robin like a bolt of lightning. The cold shoulders, the workplace schemes, the endless hostility from her colleagues—it had all been orchestrated by Norris behind the scenes? He had used his family's power to pressure her colleagues into making her life unbearable, to force her out of her job and into dependency on him? She had underestimated just how low he could stoop! Robin bit her lip, holding back her anger, and walked straight into the office. The chatter stopped immediately. Her colleagues stared at her uneasily as she packed her belongings, her expression stony. Some of them wanted to approach and ask what was going on, but given Robin's distant attitude with them in the past, they knew better than to try now. At that moment, Howen came over and saw Robin was serious about leaving. He tried to reason with her. "Robin, if you quit now, we won't have anyone to take over your tasks for a while. "At least wait until we find someone before you leave, okay?" Robin wanted nothing more than to walk out immediately, but after a moment's thought, she realized he had a point. If she left like this, it would make things complicated for the team. "Fine," she agreed with a nod. "I'll stay until the end of the month at the latest." That gave them eight or nine days, tops. Howen nodded, satisfied, and walked down the corridor with his phone. Robin ignored her coworkers' strange looks and returned to her work. Interestingly, now that everyone knew she was leaving, the usual culprits who loved bossing her around suddenly went quiet. For once, she could work in peace. After finishing her designs, her mind drifted to something else—what food would help Edward recover? After work, she stopped by the market to pick up some meat, then swung by the pharmacy to grab some herbal ingredients. Only then did she head back to the apartment. But as soon as she reached the building, she spotted her mom standing outside with a stormy expression. Robin's stomach dropped. Her first instinct was to avoid her, but it was too late. "Robin!" Her mother stormed over, her face twisted with anger. "Have you completely lost it? How could you send Norris to the police? "Do you even realize your brother only got into high school because of the Badmans's connections? Your dad's job is at the Badman's Group! And here you are, biting the hand that feeds us like an ungrateful traitor! "You're coming with me to the station to clear this up! And you'd better apologize to Norris properly!" Her mother was furious, grabbing Robin's arm and pulling her toward the street. "Mom!" Robin winced as her arm was yanked painfully. She frowned and said, "Norris put cameras in my house to spy on me and even tried to get violent. How is this my fault?" "And so what?!" Her mother's voice was sharp and accusing. "You suck it up and deal with it! Don't forget, this family depends on him!" Robin's face turned pale at her mother's words. The anger Robin had been suppressing finally erupted. She snapped, unable to hold back anymore. "If you want to depend on him, then do it yourself! Stop sacrificing me, will you?!" "What did you just say?" Dawn froze mid-step, then raised her hand, ready to slap her across the face. Robin instinctively shut her eyes, bracing for impact. But the expected slap never landed. Instead, a slender hand intercepted her mother's wrist in mid-air. Robin opened her eyes and saw a familiar, elegant figure standing before her. Her eyes widened as she stammered, "Mr. Dunn?" Edward gave a faint acknowledgment, his brows slightly furrowed as he asked, "What's going on?" "I ... " Robin had just opened her mouth to explain when her mother burst out angrily. "Who is this man?!" she demanded, her voice shrill. "So it's true, just like Norris said, you're out there messing around with men? Robin, who taught you to be so shameless and immoral!" Her mother's accusations stabbed into Robin's heart like knives, leaving her feeling even more humiliated than when her coworkers used to mock her for being a social climber. "Please watch your words when addressing my wife." Edward's icy voice cut through her mother's tirade like a blade. "She and I are legally married. It's not your place to judge."