Chapter 1

The day before the prestigious jewelry design competition, the CEO accused me of being headstrong and disruptive to company unity.

He ordered me to hand over my spot to a fresh, young intern.

I smiled thinly and asked, “Why not just hand her my Director position while you are at it?”

The CEO was pleased, telling me that I had finally learned how to be sensible.

That same night, the company’s biggest investor pulled their funding, and our stock prices plummeted.

The CEO sent ten desperate emails in the middle of the night, begging me to save the deal, but I simply replied, “Let’s not. My headstrong nature is bad for company unity, remember?”

1.

I am the Design Director.

With the jewelry competition opening in just twenty-four hours, I had just finished proofreading my design drafts when CEO Marcus Blackwood walked in.

He wore a thin, insincere smile, his tone brooks no argument: “Chloe, the board has been discussing things. They want to give our new talent a chance to shine, so I need you to hand your competition spot to Heather.”

“You have been with the company for a long time, so I am sure you will support this decision, right?”

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely amused.

Heather was the company’s new intern, a fresh hire straight from overseas whom Marcus had brought on personally. I had seen them leaving the parking garage together more than once.

I knew they were sleeping together, and I had never cared to gossip about it, but now it was landing right on my desk.

This competition was a heavy hitter in the jewelry world. If you participated, you stood a chance to be scouted by industry titans, which meant a massive career boost.

I had spent an entire month preparing for this, scouring archives for inspiration, sketching, and refining prototypes through countless sleepless nights. Why should I give up my spot just to make a trophy wife out of her?

“Marcus, it is not that I want to defy you, but the competition starts tomorrow. Isn’t it a bit late to swap people out?”

Marcus ignored my question, pivoting to a patronizing, fatherly tone.

“Oh, I didn’t want to be blunt about this...”

“Chloe, ask yourself, how has this company treated you over the years? The other employees are always complaining that all the best resources go to the design department, and specifically to you. We are only thinking about the bigger picture here.”

I knew the board of directors couldn’t care less about a design contest; this was clearly Marcus’s own agenda. But seeing how far he was willing to go, I didn’t feel like wasting my breath.

“Fine, I understand. Give her the spot. I won’t go.” I sat back down in my chair, my voice calm.

Marcus hadn't expected me to agree so easily, and his smile actually reached his eyes for a second.

“I knew you were a reasonable person, Chloe!” He leaned in closer, looming over my desk.

“Since you are right about the timing being tight, and Heather is still a bit green, I was hoping you could mentor her a bit.”

Marcus played the part of the concerned leader perfectly, glancing at me to gauge my reaction.

I saw right through it, but I played dumb.

“What are you trying to say, Marcus? Just spit it out.”

“Well, I was thinking you could hand your original designs over to Heather so she has something to reference...”

Halfway through, Marcus realized how terrible that sounded and quickly added, “After all, you are both on the same team, working for the same company!”

It was absolutely insane.

Hearing him dress up plagiarism in such grand, corporate language, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

Not only were they stealing my spot, but they wanted to strip-mine my hard work, too? I had heard of people cutting corners, but this was full-blown robbery.

“Marcus, you are quite the financial genius. Your abacus is certainly rattling loud today,” I mocked him.

“Since the company thinks so highly of her, why don’t I just cut to the chase and hand her my Director title, too?”

“If Chloe is willing to be that generous, that would be wonderful!” A shrill, overly sweet voice cut through the air from the doorway.

Heather pushed the office door open, strutting in on high heels with the confidence of someone who thought they had already won.

“Chloe, the jewelry industry evolves fast. You are getting on in years, and your creativity is lagging behind us young people. It would be smart to step down now while you still have a decent reputation.”

Her voice drew the attention of everyone in the design department. They met my eyes for a second before pretending to be busy, but I could hear them whispering.

The gossip mill was working overtime, and they didn’t even notice when I walked up behind them.

“Do you think she’s actually leaving?”

“Probably. Good riddance. She was always way too uptight, acting like the world was ending over the smallest mistake. Besides, Heather might be new, but she’s an elite import, she’ll be fine.”

“Maybe it is time for the new wave to wash the old one out.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. To think these were the people I had mentored for three years!

“Great. Then you all can enjoy working under your ‘new Director,’ Heather. Good luck.”

I turned on my heel and walked out of that disappointing place without a second look.

Stepping out of the building, I looked up at the blue sky and pulled out my phone to make a call.

It was picked up instantly. “Sis, don’t you worry about the project at your company. I’ll oversee it personally!”

“Lucas,” I replied, “cancel the investment. They just kicked me out. The reason? Apparently, I was disrupting company unity.”