Chapter 1

I had worked my fingers to the bone at Aura Tech for eight years. Every single year, my annual review rating was a straight A.

Yet, I was downsized under the guise of "corporate restructuring" because I was thirty, single, and deemed "unstable."

The day the layoff list was announced, Brenda, the HR manager, sneered at me in her passive-aggressive corporate tone:

"The company needs a younger, fresher vibe, Nora. A single woman your age is a liability—always on the verge of taking maternity leave or getting distracted."

My department manager, Richard, added oil to the fire: "Honestly, if you had a boyfriend, we might have reconsidered. But you have no anchor."

I just smiled, signed the papers, grabbed my severance package, and walked out.

Three months later, I walked back into the Aura Tech headquarters as the lead representative of the acquiring investment firm, announcing a hundred percent buyout.

My first order of business as the new boss: everyone had to reapply for their jobs.

Brenda and Richard practically fell to their knees, begging for mercy. I looked at them with innocent eyes:

"The company needs a fresh vibe, guys. Older employees like you, over forty-five, are a liability to our growth."

Only then did they realize that during the three months after my departure, I had married their biggest competitor—the legendary billionaire heir of the Sterling Group.