Chapter 1

My name was right there at the very top of the layoff list, front and center.

Those two letters of my name were printed in such heavy, inky black, it felt like an official stamp sealing the end of my job.

Ashley Carter sat across from me, her makeup flawless. She slid the pink slip across the table with a confident smile.

"Olivia, don't take it personally. Things are rough right now. The company has to tighten its belt," she said.

Her words were warm, but her eyes had that cold look for something about to be thrown away.

"You have spent eleven years in accounting. Maybe it's time to for a change," she added.

I sat there, watching her quietly.

She was 24, draped in the latest designer brands from head to toe. That watch on her wrist alone was worth two or three years of a regular employee's salary.

She'd only parachuted into the HR department four months ago, but she already had more say than the actual department head.

The reason was simple: the chairman, Richard Lane, had brought her in himself.

I didn't say a word. I just reached out, grabbed the thin sheet of paper, and skimmed it.

The severance was top-tier, and the legal paperwork was airtight.

Seeing me stay silent, Ashley probably thought I was stunned. She leaned back in her chair with casual indifference, arms crossed, sizing me up from above like she was the queen of the room.

She said, "Olivia, I get that it's hard to let go, but there's really no choice. The company's upgrading, bringing in a new team that's savvy with smart financial systems.

"And you... you're not getting any younger. That new system would probably be a real headache for you, don't you think?"

I gave a faint smile, reached into my pen holder, and pulled out that old fountain pen I'd used for years. I twisted off the cap with a soft click.

"Alright," I said.

*****

My voice was flat. "I'll sign."

The way I handled it totally caught Ashley off guard.

All those excuses and speeches she'd rehearsed, whether to comfort me or threaten me, suddenly died on her lips.

The smug expression vanished from her face, replaced by shock. "You... you're signing it right now?"

"What else?" I looked up at her, my gaze calm.

I continued, "Do you want me to break down and beg in front of you? Or should I start listing all those nights I spent burning the midnight oil for the company, or all the times I covered for the boss?"

I spoke so calmly, it actually unsettled her a bit.

Her throat felt dry, and she scrambled to clarify, "I... I didn't mean it like that."

I didn't respond. I lowered my head and, in one smooth motion, signed "Olivia Grant" on the signature line.

The pen slid across the paper with a crisp, final stroke.

Eleven whole years. My blood, sweat, and tears poured into this place.

I stuck with the company from that tiny office in an old apartment on the outskirts of Riverdale, pushing through until we finally made it to a fancy tower downtown.

I watched Richard go from a young guy hustling for cash, drinking so much at business dinners he wrecked his stomach, to the big boss who could turn the tides with just a word.

However, my role shifted from a partner who brainstormed ideas to a hidden wife, and finally I became just that woman Olivia from accounting.

Now, I was nothing but a leftover expense he couldn't wait to wipe off the ledger.

This whole thing was ridiculous.

I pushed the signed document back to Ashley. "Okay, so what's the plan for the handover?"

Ashley seemed thrown off, still in a daze for a few seconds before she finally snapped back to herself. "This week. Actually, you can leave whenever you want. Maeve will take over your duties."

Maeve Young? That new grad who'd been here less than a year, still had to check the textbook for the basics of the general ledger? And they were really letting her take over this pile of messy accounts from me?

I nodded, not even bothering to say another word.

I stood up and started packing up my tiny workspace.

I barely had anything to take with me. Just a thermos, a pen holder, an old cushion I'd used for years, and a pothos plant with shiny green leaves.

Ashley stood off to the side, eyeing me with suspicion and guarded curiosity.

She probably expected me to bang the desk and raise hell, or at least turn the accounting department upside down.

But I didn't do any of that.

I was so unfazed, it was almost like I was watching someone else leave.

As I walked out of the office with my box, every eye in the open-plan office was glued to me.

Some people sighed, some whispered under their breath, and others watched with barely concealed glee.

I kept my eyes forward and walked directly to the elevator.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, I saw Ashley rush out, surrounded by a bunch of new hires, all laughing and chatting around her.

That smug, triumphant smile was back on her face. She thought she'd won.

She thought she'd finally gotten rid of the stubborn old-timer who'd been rooted in the company for 11 years.

I leaned against the cold metal wall of the elevator, looking at my calm reflection. I couldn't help but find it kind of ironic.

Did Ashley really think it was over?

How could she take over the whole financial system I had built with such care, a system only I truly understood?

When I got home, the whole place was quiet.

This 2,000-square-feet condo by the lake was decorated like a magazine showroom, yet it showed no trace of daily life.

On paper, this was the marital home Richard and I shared.

We'd been married for eight years, but he came back only a handful of times.

He was always busy with something else.

He always said our marriage had to stay hidden to protect the company's reputation.

I took his word for it for eight years.

I set the box down in the entryway, poured myself a glass of cold water, and sank into the couch, staring blankly at the traffic outside.