Chapter 2

Caroline POV:

I took a deep breath, stepped over the scattered pages under the prying eyes of the junior assistants down the hall, and walked straight to the President's office.

Pushing open the heavy mahogany doors, I found Kiel sitting in his wide leather chair, twirling a sterling silver cigar cutter engraved with his initials. Kelsie leaned against the edge of his desk, her chin raised as she watched me approach.

I shut the door behind me, cutting off the curious stares from outside, and stopped in front of the desk with my back straight.

Kiel didn't look up. He tossed the cigar cutter onto the blotter with a heavy thud.

"To calm the board down, you're going to take the fall for this leak."

I stared at him, my stomach churning.

"You want me to take the blame for a crime I didn't commit?"

"It's a standard PR move."

Kiel finally lifted his eyelids, his gaze heavy with the arrogance I had tolerated for far too long.

"Apologize to Kelsie, and submit a request for a demotion to the administrative pool."

Kelsie covered her mouth with a soft laugh.

"Caroline, Kiel is protecting you. If we call the feds, you'll be rotting in a federal prison."

Looking at the two of them, a wave of disgust rose in my throat. For six years, I had turned down my mother's pleas to come home and manage our multi-billion-dollar real estate portfolio in Boston and New York, all to play the dutiful secretary for a man who viewed me as disposable trash. I had wanted to prove I could build something without my family's name--and I had mistaken Kiel's coldness for ambition.

I planted both hands on the cold edge of the desk and leaned forward, locking eyes with Kiel.

"And if I refuse?"

Kiel's face darkened instantly.

"Caroline, enough is enough. Angering me won't do you any good."

I straightened up, unclipped the high-level Apex security badge from my collar, and slapped it down onto the files in front of him.

"I refuse to apologize, I refuse to be your scapegoat, and effective immediately--I quit."

A muscle twitched near Kiel's eyebrow. He leaned back against the leather headrest and let out a cold snort.

"Playing these cheap tricks won't work on me. Do you really think you can survive in this industry after walking out on Apex?"

I looked at his self-important face and felt nothing at all.

"One more thing, Kiel."

I reached for my left ring finger and slid off the plain silver band he had given me two years ago to keep me quiet about our secret relationship.

Kelsie's expression shifted when she saw the ring, her mouth opening, but I moved before she could speak.

I flicked my wrist and tossed the cheap ring straight into the metal trash can beside Kiel's desk. It hit the bottom with a sharp clink.

Kiel jerked upright in his chair, his light-brown pupils contracting as he stared at the bin.

"We're done. I don't recycle trash."

I looked down at him, my voice as steady as if I were reading off his daily schedule.

Kiel's chest rose and fell rapidly, the veins on his neck standing out before he forced his expression back into a sneer.

"Fine. Walk out that door and you are nothing to me. Don't expect you can come back when you're broke."

I didn't waste another breath on him. I turned on my heel and walked toward the door, my heels sinking into the Persian rug with steady steps.

Behind me, Kelsie's shrill voice rang out.

"Make sure you clear all your cheap junk off your desk! Don't dirty up Apex's floor!"

I gripped the brass doorknob, glanced back over my shoulder, and offered a thin smile.

"Don't worry. Trash belongs in the trash can--just like the two of you."

I pulled the door open and stepped out, shutting the sound of Kiel smashing his coffee mug against the wall firmly behind me.

The air in the hallway felt ten degrees cooler. I walked back to my workstation, pulled an empty cardboard box from the bottom cabinet, and began tossing my few personal items inside.

Several colleagues whispered behind their cubicles, their eyes darting my way. I ignored them, picking up a silver photo frame from the corner of my desk--a picture of Kiel and me in Central Park three winters ago--and dropping it face-down into the box.

Just as I reached for the packing tape to seal the box, Kelsie marched up to the entrance of my workspace, flanked by two burly building security guards.