Chapter 3

The next morning at work, I found that the proposal on my computer had been deleted.

Wiped clean. Not even a copy left in the recycle bin.

When the conference room door opened again, cheerful talk about a successful partnership drifted out.

No surprise there. The project had gone to Gilbert Corp.

Everyone crowded around Aria Fox, asking how she'd cracked such a tough nut.

Aria glanced at me, smug.

"You have to give the client what they want, of course. Figure out how they operate."

"Not like some people, who only know how to grind away and never adapt."

While I'd been running myself ragged tracking down what the client needed, she'd been lounging in Harry Gilbert's office playing games.

While I'd been pulling all-nighters on the proposal, she'd been swiping Harry's card on the most expensive spa treatments.

Harry told me once to go easy on her, and now she actually believed she'd done all of this herself.

I snapped the pen in my hand and shot to my feet.

Harry came striding over from across the room, already furious.

"Lena Swanson!"

He flung a stack of documents in my face.

The sharp edge of the paper cut a thin line across my skin, small but stinging.

"What have you been doing all day? You can't even get a simple data check right."

"This company isn't a place for you to slack off and coast."

I looked at where his finger was pointing. It wasn't even the section I was responsible for.

Harry drew a deep breath and tapped the table with his forefinger.

"Starting today, your position goes to Aria Fox."

"You're demoted to a regular employee. Move your desk out to the main floor."

I looked at him coldly, then suddenly laughed.

So he wasn't just stealing my work. He was using me as a stepping stone to lift Aria up.

This time he'd given her everything.

My heart felt like a hand had closed hard around it.

For once, I nodded, obedient.

"Fine. I'll move right now."

Tomorrow was the day I officially left.

Packing up early meant I'd walk out lighter when the time came.

Harry followed it up, announcing loudly.

"To celebrate landing the project, we're having a celebration dinner tonight at the Marlowe Hotel."

"Aria's already arranged the seating. Everyone knock off early today."

The room burst into cheers.

That evening, all the employees took their assigned seats.

I was a little slow packing up, so by the time I got there the banquet hall was nearly full.

Aria sat right beside Harry, on his right.

Every dish in the bowl in front of her had been picked out for her by Harry himself.

"The bones aren't cleaned out of this fish."

"My fault, I was careless. Eat this piece, there aren't any."

"I want some of that beef."

"There's garlic in it. You won't like it."

……

I watched for a moment, then followed the name cards to the seat in the farthest corner.

It was the most out-of-the-way spot, and the one furthest from Harry.

By the time the dishes had gone around the table and reached me, only scraps were left.

I set down my chopsticks and drank a few sips of water.

By the end of it, my stomach, which hadn't given me trouble in a long time, was cramping with hunger.

Someone sighed out loud.

"Some people make a pretty pathetic CEO's wife."

"If I were her, I'd have handed over the position ages ago. Clinging to it this long, she's got a hide like a fortress wall."

I gripped the glass tighter, my knuckles going white.

I'd just opened my mouth to say something when a full glass of red wine came pouring down over my head.