Chapter 1

In my third month on the job, I found out my colleagues were calling me "the Spinster" behind my back.

This nickname started with Jasmine, Ryan's incredibly snobby secretary.

All because I was thirty-two, dragging out an eight-year relationship, and still waiting endlessly for a ring.

I confronted Ryan. "Did you know your staff calls me the Spinster?"

He didn't even blink. "That's just Jasmine being blunt. It was a joke. Are you really holding a grudge against a kid at your age?"

He let out a soft chuckle. "You have to admit, it's pretty fitting."

An icy grip seized my heart. Eight years of my life were nothing but a cheap joke to him.

I walked away, quit my job, and blocked him on everything.

But the always-composed Ryan finally panicked. "Freya, please come back."

*****

The first time I heard the word "Spinster" out loud was at our Monday staff meeting.

Jasmine Langford stared at the floor while I reprimanded her. A single tear hung from her eye.

During a quick break, someone whispered, "Typical Spinster. Always bullying the young, pretty ones."

My mind blanked. That one comment opened the floodgates, and the whispers grew louder.

"She's on a massive power trip, taking it out on that poor girl."

"She's thirty-two and still clinging to a dead-end relationship. Pathetic."

I slammed my coffee mug down. Dead silence filled the room. Every eye locked onto me. I was suddenly the villain.

Jasmine dabbed her red eyes with a tissue. "Freya, I'll double-check the data."

"Not double-check. Redo." I ignored the sting in my chest and kept my voice icy. "I want a flawless report and a fix on my desk before tomorrow's meeting."

I glared at her, then at the onlookers. "Meeting adjourned."

I stood up and walked out. Behind me, the whispers surged again.

This time, they didn't hold back.

"Who does she think she is? She only made Director because of Ryan."

"The Spinster is on the warpath. Early menopause, maybe?"

Back in my office, my computer chimed.

I opened an internal email with a glaring subject line: Optimizing Management Communication and Employee Mental Health.

It was from HR, but I knew who pulled the strings. Jasmine's tears clearly outweighed my performance metrics.

I scoffed and closed the tab. Then Ryan called my extension.

His voice was lazy and careless as always. "Freya, you really lost your temper in there.

"You made the poor girl cry. Jasmine is young. Mistakes happen. Cut her some slack."

I heard faint sniffling in the background.

I swallowed my anger and kept my voice steady. "Her data was full of errors. It directly impacts our quarterly financials."

"Come on, it's just work. Oversights happen," he brushed it off. "Jasmine is on her period.

"She's not feeling her best. Cut her some slack. Anyway, dinner tonight? I booked a table at that new Italian place."