Chapter 2

I looked at him, and suddenly, he seemed like a stranger to me.

Was this really the man I'd spent ten years loving?

"Alright," I said, standing up and straightening my clothes. "Since you've got everything so neatly calculated, Mr. Reed, I'll take the seven hundred and fifty grand. Every penny, principal and interest included. Thanks for settling up."

He pulled a red velvet box from his suit pocket and placed it on my desk.

"What's this?" I asked.

"I was going to give it to you," he said, with a barely perceptible hint of hesitation in his voice. "But now..."

I opened the box.

Inside was a diamond ring. The center stone had to be at least three carats, perfectly cut, shimmering brilliantly under the lights.

"An engagement ring?" I asked.

He didn't say a word.

"How long have you been holding onto this?" I asked.

"Six months," he replied.

"So, you were going to propose today?"

"Yeah."

I picked up the ring, held it up to the light, then put it back in the box and pushed it back toward him.

"Alex, thanks for your 'investment' all these years," I said, putting extra weight on the word 'investment.' "I won't be needing the ring."

His frown deepened. "Em, you don't have to be like this. I..."

"Likewhat?" I cut him off, flashing a bright smile. "Mr. Reed, relax. I took the money without any hesitation, and I won't cause any trouble. But there's one thing I want you to know."

"What is it?" he asked.

"All those years, everything I did for you wasn't an investment," I said, emphasizing each word. "It was genuine."

I grabbed my bag and walked right past him, never looking back.

At the door, I paused and looked back at him.

He was still standing there, clutching the velvet box, his expression hard to read.

"Oh, and Alex," I said, "that seven hundred fifty grand? It's what I needed. Thanks for the perfectly timed 'angel investment.'"

This time, I really walked away.

As I stepped out of the Riverdale Business Tower, the November wind whipped against me, making me shiver.

I stood on the sidewalk, watching the traffic rush by, and suddenly, I had no idea where to turn next.

Home? That apartment we shared for three years? I couldn't stand to spend another minute there.

Go back to the company? What a joke. That place was always his. Who was I, really?

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts.

My finger stopped on one name.

Ethan Carter.

My rival. Alex's rival.

Everyone in Riverdale's business circle knew Alex and Ethan had been rivals since college. They both started companies in the same industry, and their businesses had been fighting tooth and nail for years.

Ethan Carter... how should I even describe him?

In Alex's words, he was "that scheming snake you can't trust."

The business media called him "the most low-key and toughest rival in the game."

But to me...

He was all cool detachment, with eyes you could get lost in, and every time we ran into each other, he'd hit me with that barely-there, loaded look.

I wasn't even sure what I was thinking: my finger slipped, and before I knew it, I was calling him.

It rang twice, and he answered.

"Hello?"

His deep, steady voice came through the line, and oddly enough, it calmed my shaking hands.

"Mr. Carter," I said, taking a deep breath. "It's Emily Foster."

There was a two-secondsilence on the other end.

"I know," he said.

"I've got some money I want to invest in you."

"How much?"

"250,000 dollars."

He went quiet again.

I quickly added, "I know this isn't much in your eyes, but I heard you're launching a new project right in my area.

"I've got over five years of ops experience, and I know all the traps in this field. I don't need a salary. Consider this my buy-in. I'm serious. I want to be your new project's..."

I paused, then blurted out something even I thought was nuts.

"Shareholder."

There was a long silence.

So long, I thought he'd hung up.

Then, I heard a soft laugh.

It was quick, just a hint, but it was real.

"Emily," he said, his voice carrying a warmth I'd never heard before, "where are you right now?"

"I'm at the entrance of Riverdale Business Tower," I replied.

"Stay right there."

"Huh?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Then he hung up.

I stared at my phone: the call lasted 1:47.

The wind whipped by again, and I hunched my shoulders against the cold, with only one thought in my mind: Emily, are you crazy?