Chapter 1

After helping my boyfriend, Gavin Rossi, set up his company and landing its first multi-million dollar deal, he finally decided to go public with our relationship.

But before he could say a word, Linda Reed, the intern who had been gunning for me, beat him to it and sat right next to him.

She leaned into his arms, looking smug.

"Didn't you say you'd wait until the company went public to announce it? Why couldn't you wait?" she asked, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.

Gavin didn't explain. Instead, he handed her a stack of equity documents.

He announced to the entire room that she was the majority shareholder.

The crowd erupted into cheers and whistles.

Linda didn't waste any time. She started insulting me, throwing salt in the wound.

Gavin didn't stop her. He looked at me with cold, sharp eyes.

"You helped me register the company and brought in some business, sure. But only Linda has the vision to take us to the top," he said.

I didn't get angry. I just accepted it.

I wanted to see exactly how high they could fly without my connections.

...

When Gavin announced Linda as the majority shareholder, the room went silent for a split second before the gossip started.

I stood there, my head throbbing from days of overtime and lack of sleep.

I thought I was hearing things.

"Look at Shana Collins's face! She looks like a total mess," someone whispered.

"She's been with the CEO forever and didn't get a single share. Now look at Linda. She's the boss now!"

"She thought she was hot stuff because of a few big deals. Turns out she's just another worker bee."

"Always critiquing our plans... look at her now. A total joke."

My colleagues didn't even try to hide their laughter.

They were sucking up to Linda, and they knew Gavin wouldn't stop them.

Linda looked at me with a mocking grin, though her voice sounded like honey.

"Shana, aren't you happy for me? You're not clapping. Is something wrong?"

"I guess, technically, you have more seniority. It should have been yours."

She slowly pushed the equity papers toward me.

Gavin reacted like a protective dog, snatching the papers back and shoving them into Linda's hands.

His voice was soft for her, but like ice for me. "Linda, don't be too kind. The corporate world doesn't care about seniority."

He turned his gaze on me.

"And you, stop trying to stir up trouble. You lost the Sky-Line Construction account last month and cost us millions!"

"The only reason I haven't fired you is out of pity. You don't deserve shares!"

They were playing good cop, bad cop, and it was almost funny.

Sky-Line had rejected the deal because Linda messed it up behind my back.

She'd framed me to avoid the blame, and I hadn't defended myself because I thought Gavin trusted me.

I was a fool.

Linda was useless at work, but she was a pro at catching rich men and sabotaging me.

She played the role of a sweet, wealthy heiress perfectly.

Gavin fell for it. Every time she provoked me and I pushed back, I was the villain.

"But Shana looks so upset," Linda whimpered, burying her face in Gavin's chest.

Gavin held her tight.

He looked at me with pure disgust. "Shana Collins, wipe that look off your face!"

"This was a careful decision. The board voted on it. Don't ruin this for everyone."

"If you don't like it, quit!"

The office cheered.

I knew Gavin was just talking out of anger, but my heart finally went cold.

I'd bled for this company. I'd vomited in executive bathrooms after drinking for deals and landed in the hospital more times than I could count.

I'd fixed every crappy proposal these people had written.

And now, he was tossing me out like trash?

I stood up and took two steps forward.

Linda shrieked and hid behind Gavin.

Gavin stood his ground, shielding her like a knight.

"Shana! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I pulled a document from my bag and tossed it on the table.

"Relax. I just think these shares are a bit small. Why don't I give her the legal representation of the company too?"

"I hope she can keep up the momentum."

Linda's eyes lit up at the sight of the contract.

Gavin frowned, silent.

The room buzzed with whispers.

They knew I'd been here since day one. I was the one who worked the hardest to get us to the IPO stage.

I was a one-woman army.

The investors knew the company would go public once this ten-million-dollar deal closed.

The shares were about to skyrocket in value.

Giving up the legal rep position was unheard of.

They thought I'd beg for a piece of the pie. They never expected me to walk away.

What they didn't know was that I was Gavin's fiancée.

He'd kept it a secret because he didn't want people "gossiping."

I'd felt insecure since Linda showed up, and he'd promised to announce our relationship once the big deal was signed.

Last night, I'd stayed awake, excited for today.

But Linda took my seat.

And he didn't even push her away.

I finally saw the truth. It wasn't that he didn't want to go public. He just wanted it to be with someone else.

He stayed silent.

I turned to leave.

I'd only gone two steps when he grabbed my wrist.

I looked back, surprised. Usually, he'd just let me walk away, knowing I'd come back to apologize.

He bit his lip.

"Shana, don't be impulsive. Don't be so petty. Be the bigger person."

"I didn't want to fire you, but I have to give Linda an explanation. The shares and the legal title―they have to be hers."

I laughed.

He was really doubling down.

If this were yesterday, I'd have argued. Now, I just nodded.

I was calm. Too calm.

Gavin seemed flustered by my lack of reaction.

Before he could speak, someone yelled about a celebration. Gavin shot me one last look and walked back to Linda.

I watched him go, then walked out of the ballroom without looking back.

Once outside, I made a phone call.

"Dad, I'm coming home. I'll start my own company like you wanted."