"Hey, Emma, you must have received that anonymous email about me too. I'd like to see it," Nova said as she walked straight towards Emma after coming out of the restroom.

Emma's face tightened, her brows furrowing. "That email is pretty graphic. Um... I'd suggest you not look at it. If you really want to know, I can tell you what it says: The email contains several intimate photos of you and Frank, accusing you of being financially supported by him. I believe you're not like that; you're innocent. The sender must be trying to defame you."

"Emma, please show it to me," Nova insisted firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Emma hesitated but eventually handed over the email. The photos were indeed as explicit as Emma had described, more appropriate for an adult site than anything else, leaving no doubt about the sender's intent to humiliate.

"Nova, are you okay? I'm really worried about you. "

"I'm fine. I just think the methods of slandering someone are rather mundane and unimaginative. Throughout history, the way to attack women has always been to question their purity, to label them with derogatory terms like 'whore' or 'prostitute.' It's always the same tired tactics.

But if the same thing happens to a man, he's often labeled with neutral or even positive terms like 'playboy' or 'charming,' which only enhances his appeal. Don't worry about me; if I were truly affected by this, I might have left in tears and never shown up here again."

"It's good to see you're still in the mood to joke around. That reassures me a bit. What's your plan now? You've only been working here for a short time, and most people don't know you well. Letting the rumors spread unchecked could have a serious impact on your daily work and your reputation," Emma expressed her concern, her voice filled with genuine worry.

"I'm going to catch the person who maliciously forged the photos and sent the anonymous email."

"Through technical means? That seems a bit difficult given the complexity of tracking digital footprints."

"No, I'll make that person admit it themselves. Just wait and see." With that determined statement, Nova turned on her heel and left Emma's office.

"I need your help," Nova texted Steve during work hours for the first time. "Can you find an excuse to have Sophia stay in your office for an hour? I'd like you to go to Sophia's office and take her away, preferably in front of everyone in the Marketing Department, especially Mia."

"Sure thing. What's going on?" Steve replied promptly.

"I just want to verify a guess. It's nothing major. Trust me, I can handle it myself."

Nova noticed Mia's unusual expression when she saw Sophia being escorted away by Steve. After a while, Nova received a phone call and left.

When Nova returned to the Marketing Department, she immediately found Mia and fixed her sharp gaze on her. "Why did you do this?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand," Mia replied with a look of feigned innocence.

"Stop pretending. I'm talking about the anonymous email. Why did you do it?"

"This is ridiculous! I don't like you, but you can't just accuse me without evidence! Your behavior is inappropriate, and your private life is chaotic..." Mia defended herself vehemently, her voice rising in pitch.

"Sophia said the anonymous email was your idea. "

Mia's eyes flickered with a hint of panic as she tried to think of a plausible response.

Nova pressed on, "Don't try to lie to me, Mia. Sophia has confessed everything, and she blamed you.

Mia's anger flared. "She's lying! It was her who instructed me to do this! She said there would be performance evaluations, and with you being Steve's kept woman, I would be fired. So she had me fabricate those photos of you and Frank. Only by creating discord between you and Steve and getting you fired could I keep my job. She even promised to improve my performance review once I succeeded."

Upon hearing this, Nova sighed internally. She had worked hard to keep her relationship with Steve discreet, only to find it had already been exposed.

"You've been completely fooled by Sophia. Given that you know my relationship with Steve is special, if I just hint at it, do you think you'd keep your job? Are you out of your mind to target me? Use your head and think. If you don't offend me and maintain a good relationship with me, I might even help you with the CEO if you make a mistake. Keeping a regular employee's position is not hard at all. You're just a pawn used by someone else. Think carefully about who is the real threat here."

"Sophia! She likes Steve, and she had me secretly follow you and send her photos of you two. She must be jealous of your relationship with Steve and made me do this! That bitch Sophia used me!"

With the truth now mostly clear, Nova felt a sense of clarity about the situation. The next step was to figure out how to clear her name. After all, people live in communities and need to cooperate. A tarnished reputation could be a severe obstacle.

At this moment, Steve appeared in the doorway. "Nova, come with me to the office." Nova followed Steve out, leaving behind a flurry of discussions in the office.

"This has even reached the CEO. Nova might get fired."

"Maybe. Even though Nova has performed well at work, such matters can create a bad workplace atmosphere."

"I can't believe Nova is involved in this."

In the CEO's office, Steve sat behind his desk and gestured for Nova to sit. His gaze was filled with deep regret and empathy. "I'm really sorry for what happened."

Steve felt deeply remorseful. He had underestimated the extent of jealousy and the lengths people would go to. The reason Mia discovered the special nature of Steve and Nova's relationship was that Steve had intentionally left clues, hoping to take their relationship further. He had not anticipated such a malicious response.

"I've sent people to investigate who sent the anonymous email. I believe we'll have results soon."

"There's no need. I already know it was Sophia who instructed Mia."

"I'll have my assistant draft two termination contracts and find a lawyer to sue both of them. If anything else happens, let me know, and I'll help you resolve it."

"But I don't think relying on others is good. I'd prefer to solve problems on my own rather than depend on others."

Steve approached Nova, his expression earnest. "I'm not just 'someone else,' Nova. I belong to you. So, you should use your own strength. Do you understand what I mean?" Steve's gaze was filled with deep affection and concern.

"I know you like me, but I don't understand why you're not accepting my love. What are you afraid of?"

Steve's words made Nova's feelings even more complex. His sudden confession and vulnerability left her unsure of how to respond.

Nova avoided Steve's gaze and took a step back, her tone a mix of helplessness and confusion.

"I'm a person full of uncertainties. I've lost my memory; I have no past, and I don't know what I was like before. Was I single, in a relationship, or even married? I don't know anything. I'm afraid that if I accept your love, and if I suddenly regain my memory one day, it could put me in a difficult situation and possibly cause more harm to others, including you. So the best solution is to make no changes."

Steve felt a profound sense of disappointment.

"But how can you be sure you weren't single before your memory loss? If you never recover your memory, are you going to stay like this forever?" Steve tried to explore Nova's true feelings and also hoped to reassess their relationship.

"To be honest, I don't know," Nova replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Your heart tells me that you like me." Steve looked at Nova with affection and moved closer to her, his expression earnest.

Nova's heart was tumultuous, torn between Steve's care and sincerity and her fears about the unknown future and her past. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner turmoil. "Sorry, Steve. I can't accept your love right now. I have work to do; I need to go."

Steve felt as though his heart had been pierced by an invisible blade. He tried to hold Nova back. "Nova, please don't leave in a hurry. We can..."

But Nova had already quickly left the office, leaving Steve alone in the empty room, his thoughts consumed by the whirlwind of emotions and the uncertain future of their relationship.