Chapter 1
At the Anniversary Gala, Sophie Stanton, the new intern, declared war on me in front of eight hundred people. "Ms. Lane, I want to compete fairly with you for Mr. Howard."
The whole room fell silent.
Ethan Howard, my fiancé, stood on stage. He didn't say a word, didn't reach for me, and I even caught a hint of approval in his eyes.
I smiled.
I took off my engagement ring and placed it before him.
"No need to compete. I'm out," I said.
What Ethan didn't know was, Howard Enterprises wouldn't be what it is today without everything I've done for it.
What he didn't realize was, I wasn't just leaving the engagement behind.
*****
It was the fifteenth anniversary gala of Howard Enterprises.
The crystal chandeliers lit up the entire reception hall as bright as day.
More than eight hundred guests, dressed to the nines, mingled with drinks in hand.
I stood at the edge of the crowd, holding a glass of champagne, watching Ethan give his speech on stage.
He wore a black tailored suit, with the platinum-and-diamond cufflinks I'd given him last year on my birthday: understated, but definitely expensive.
As he spoke, his gaze was steady, his pace unhurried, every word carrying the calm confidence of someone in control.
I'd been hearing that tone for three years.
The crowd applauded, and I joined in.
Then I noticed a girl in the front row staring at him.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
That look in her eyes wasn't just admiration, it was the kind of determination you see in someone who's out to win, no matter what.
She was Sophie.
She was the intern who joined Howard Enterprises two months ago, the daughter of Richard Stanton from Stanton Group.
Tonight, she had on a white evening dress, flawless makeup, and her hair was pinned up to show off her long, graceful neck. She looked sweet and harmless.
I took a sip of champagne and didn't think much of it.
That was, until Ethan finished his speech and stepped off the stage.
Sophie stopped him.
Right in front of everyone.
Sophie said, "Mr. Howard."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the reception hall's acoustics were so good that her words echoed clearly through every corner.
Ethan stopped in his tracks.
"Mr. Howard, there's something I want to say to you, right here, in front of everyone," she said.
She took a step forward, positioning herself directly in front of him.
Then she turned, locking eyes with me.
To be exact, her gaze zeroed in on me, out of everyone there.
Sophie said, "Ms. Lane."
The whole place went silent.
Sophie said, "I want a fair shot at Mr. Howard like you."
It was like someone hit pause on the whole ballroom.
Over eight hundred pairs of eyes all turned my way.
Some looked shocked, some were just there for the drama, and others looked away, clearly embarrassed.
I kept my champagne glass steady in my hand, refusing to let anyone see me flinch.
The surface of the champagne stayed perfectly still, like nothing could shake me.
Then something came even more devastating.
Silence.
Ethan's silence.
He stood there, not denying anything, not pulling Sophie away, not even looking at me.
He just tilted his head a little, and for a split second, something flickered in his eyes.
I knew that look all too well.
It was the same look he gave when he was impressed by a valuable proposal during a business negotiation.
It was approval, clear as day.
The whole room started buzzing.
People started whispering, some pulled out their phones to record, and others pretended to check their screens, but everyone was listening in.
For a split second, my fingertips went cold.
It wasn't anger.
It was something deeper.
I'd been in this relationship for three years.
For three years, I handled the private matters he refused to deal with in person, kept his behind-the-scenes relationships with business partners running smoothly, and wrote at least six key consulting reports for Howard Enterprises, all under the name Prism Consulting.
For three years, I never showed off being Ethan's fiancée in public, he always said it was best to stay under the radar.
For three years, he never bothered to officially introduce me to anyone, not once.
And right now, an intern who'd only been here two months was standing in front of eight hundred people, declaring she wanted a fair shot at him.
He didn't deny it.
Fair competition?
What exactly does she mean by "fair competition"?'
I'm his fiancée, not some product you put on display for people to pick and choose.'
I set my champagne glass down on the round table beside me.
My movements were subtle and light.
Then I walked over to Ethan.