Chapter 2

When I got to the office the next day, I found out that the new senior consultant in the Technology Department was Sunny.

My colleague, Nina Green, came over to my desk with a cup of coffee, her words firing off like a machine gun. "Did you hear? The new senior consultant dropped in out of nowhere and took the biggest office in the Technology Department.

"Word is, she's got connections. She used Mr. Ludwig's pull. Here's the kicker. The spot at Berringer Labs was supposed to be yours, right? Now they've given it to her. Did you know?"

Yeah, I knew.

When she saw I wasn't reacting, Nina paused, her coffee cup frozen in midair. "Sofia, you're really holding it together. That spot was something you literally risked your life for."

"It's not a big deal." I zoomed in on the design on my screen. "The spot belongs to the company. They can give it to whoever they want."

Nina stared at me for a couple of seconds, then swallowed whatever she was about to say.

At lunch, I ran into Sunny in the cafeteria.

She wore an off-white knit dress, her long hair draped down, and she smiled at me as she carried her tray. That smile was so familiar. It was the same as when I first met her three years ago.

"Sofia." Sunny sat down across from me. "It's been a while. You've gotten so skinny."

I didn't touch my fork. "Sunny, nice to see you. Congrats on joining us."

"I wouldn't call it congratulations." Sunny gently stirred her soup. "Theo said the Tech Department needed people. I just got back from abroad, so I thought I'd lend a hand."

Lend a hand? That was what she called taking the spot I fought for over a year and a half?

Nina sat at the next table, chewing her sandwich. She glanced over, her lip curling in disdain.

Sunny didn't seem to notice; her voice was still soft and warm. "By the way, Sofia, I'm doing a tech share this afternoon on high-frequency chip cooling solutions. Want to drop by? Theo said you've put in tons of work on this."

I put down my fork.

That so-called cooling solution for high-frequency chips? I ground on it for three months straight last winter. Didn't lock it down until revision seventeen. Every trace, every contact pad. I dialed in every single one myself.

"Alright," I said. "I'll be there."

*****

At three in the afternoon, in the company's big conference room, Sunny stood in front of the projection screen.

When she flipped to the first page of the blueprint, my fingers curled tight under the table.

That was my blueprint. Every circuit, every label, even the blue marker pen I always used. Sunny hadn't changed a thing.

Sunny delivered a smooth presentation for twenty minutes. About twenty people from Tech and Marketing sat in the audience. When she finished, the applause was scattered.

Theo stood by the door, leaning against the frame, and nodded at Sunny. "Not bad. This plan stands a strong chance with the client."

Sunny tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. "It's not all my doing. The company already had a strong foundation."

That foundation? I built it.

Nina got up from the back row and walked past me. She whispered, "That solution she presented? The design style is exactly like yours."

I didn't say anything.

Nina shot me a look, frowned, and walked off.

After the meeting, Sunny came over and grabbed my hand. "Sofia, what did you think of my presentation? Anything I should improve on?"

Her hand was cold. Her nails were perfectly manicured and shiny.

I looked into her smiling eyes and slipped my hand out of hers. "It was great. Thanks for your hard work, Sunny."

That cooling solution was only the beginning. Over the next week, Sunny dug up all seven of my core designs from the past three years at the Ludwig Group.

She didn't use everything. She cherry-picked what she liked. With some, she'd change the color, slap a new cover on it, and pass it off as her own.

With others, she'd cut out a chunk and paste it into her report, putting her name on it.

Three years of my work, and Sunny claimed it all as her own in seven days.

And every single time, Theo was there, nodding and saying it was good.

On the morning of the eighth day, Theo made a rare appearance in our department.

He stood in front of my desk, holding a folder. "Sofia."

I looked up from my screen.

Theo said, "Next week, there's a meeting with the Sableton client. They want the presenter to have overseas credentials. I've already submitted Sunny's info. You'll help her get the technical documents ready."

I looked at him. "I've been the one handling this client all along."

"I know." Theo set the folder on my desk. "But the client specifically asked for someone with overseas experience. Sunny's fresh back from abroad, so she's a better fit. Handle the backend support for her."

Backend support? I spent a whole year on this client. Eleven revisions. Now, right at the finish line, Sunny took over, and I was the backend support?

"Okay," I said.

Theo's brow twitched. He clearly didn't expect me to agree without a fight.