Chapter 2

2

The next morning, I walked into the office to find my personal belongings tossed into a cardboard box in the corner.

Blake was sitting in my executive chair behind my desk.

Through the glass partition, he gave me a look of pure triumph.

My heart sank. I pulled out my phone and saw a notification from the company app. I had been demoted.

Not only was I no longer the CFO, but my salary had been cut in half.

"Sorry about that, Mona," Blake said, leaning back. "It's a shame that at your age, you have to squeeze into a cubicle with the juniors."

I stared at him with ice in my eyes. "What are you really after, Blake?"

He didn't seem to care about my tone. He just kept grinning.

"I'm heading out to sign a deal with Mr. Chambers. It's a massive project. Wish me luck."

I looked at the folder on his desk. It was the contract I had spent months negotiating and drafting.

I reached out to grab it, but Blake was faster.

He hopped back, a sly look in his eyes.

"Whoa there, Mona! What are you doing? I worked hard to secure this deal. Don't go messing it up."

"You worked hard? You have no shame, Blake. That is my contract."

My voice was shaking with fury.

Blake just shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh? Has it been signed yet? No. So technically, it's anyone's deal."

He swaggered past me, intentionally shoving his shoulder into mine.

I stumbled and nearly hit the floor.

I swallowed my rage and looked around the room. My eyes landed on Gwen.

I had drafted that contract with her. Every clause and every detail was something only the two of us knew.

The moment Gwen made eye contact with me, she looked away.

"Gwen? Did you do this?"

Her body physically flinched. She looked up, her voice trembling but defiant.

"Mona, you've been working on that deal for months and couldn't close it. Why shouldn't someone else have a turn?"

My heart went completely cold.

When she first joined, the senior staff bullied her constantly. I was the one who took her under my wing.

I even helped pay for her siblings' school supplies when she was broke.

And now, she was handing my hard work to Blake on a silver platter.

I took a deep breath and started cleaning up my mess of a desk.

While I was buried in boxes, the boss came running in, sweating through his shirt.

"Mona! Get your things. We're going to see Mr. Chambers right now. He's demanding you be there for the signing."