Chapter 2
I didn't sleep that night.
How could I?
The image of Rhys slipping that diamond ring onto Arden's finger played on repeat behind my eyelids like some twisted horror film. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the smug satisfaction on her face, heard the applause of the crowd celebrating their 'power couple' status, felt the humiliation burning through my veins all over again.
By dawn, I'd moved from shock to a numb determination.
I would face Rhys today. Force him to look me in the eye. Make him explain why he'd erased a year of us as if it had been nothing but a fever dream.
I dressed with particular care—a sharp charcoal suit, hair pulled back in a severe bun, makeup flawless.
Armor, all of it.
Lyra, my wolf, paced restlessly inside me, sensing the confrontation ahead. I silently promised her we wouldn't back down.
"We deserve answers," I whispered to my reflection, straightening my shoulders.
The familiar walk to Montgomery Financial felt different today. The gleaming sixty-story building that had once represented my ambition now loomed like a fortress I needed to breach. I nodded to the usual security guard in the lobby, swiped my keycard at the turnstile—
Nothing happened. The light remained red.
"Ms. Chen?" The security guard approached, his expression uncomfortable. "I need to ask you to step aside."
"There must be something wrong with my card," I said, trying again. Red light. Denial.
"I'm sorry, but your access has been revoked. I'm to escort you to HR."
The lobby suddenly felt too bright, too exposed. Other employees streamed past, some averting their eyes, others openly staring. News traveled fast in the werewolf business world—especially scandalous news.
"My access revoked?" I kept my voice steady despite the panic rising in my chest. "On whose authority?"
The guard shifted uncomfortably. "Mr. Montgomery's. There's someone waiting for you upstairs."
Of course. Rhys was making his next move. The bastard was always three steps ahead.
The elevator ride was excruciating. The guard stood beside me, radiating awkwardness, while I stared straight ahead, refusing to let my expression crack. When the doors opened on the HR floor, I saw a young woman I didn't recognize waiting with a cardboard box.
"Ms. Chen," she said, professional and cold. "I'm Vanessa from HR. Please follow me."
The box held the contents of my office. My awards. My plants. The framed photo of my parents. All neatly packed away as if I'd never existed there at all.
"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded as she led me to a conference room.
"Please, have a seat." She gestured to a chair, ignoring my question.
I remained standing. "I want to speak with Rhys."
"Mr. Montgomery is unavailable," she replied smoothly. "And given the circumstances, direct contact would be inappropriate."
"Inappropriate?" I nearly laughed. "What exactly are the 'circumstances'?"
She slid a folder across the table. "We're implementing some organizational changes following the successful completion of the Apex Project. You're being reassigned to the Records Analysis department, effective immediately."
I opened the folder. The transfer paperwork detailed my new position: Junior Analyst, Records Division. Basement level. A sixty percent pay cut. A career death sentence.
"This is retaliation," I said, my voice dangerously quiet. "And it's illegal."
"It's a lateral move that better suits your... current situation." Her emphasis made it clear what she meant. "Given your recent behavior at the celebration event, Mr. Montgomery has been extremely generous in offering continued employment at all."
My hands trembled with rage. "My recent behavior? You mean confronting the man who stole a year of my life? Who took credit for my work and gave it to his fiancée?"
Vanessa's expression remained impassive. "Ms. Chen, there are concerns about your emotional stability and professional boundaries. Multiple witnesses observed your outburst. Mr. Montgomery has been quite tolerant of your... fixation."
"Fixation?" The word felt like acid on my tongue.
"Your inappropriate attachment to your supervisor has been noted by several colleagues. Mr. Montgomery has documented multiple instances where he had to clarify the professional nature of your relationship."
The room seemed to tilt sideways. He'd been building this narrative all along. Every time I'd pushed to go public with our relationship and he'd insisted on privacy, he'd been creating a paper trail. Every late night in his office, every weekend working on "urgent" projects—all of it could now be reframed as my obsessive pursuit of him.
"That's a lie," I said, but even to my own ears, my voice sounded hollow.
"You have two options, Ms. Chen." Vanessa slid another document forward. "Accept the transfer or tender your resignation. Either way, security will escort you to collect your personal items and then out of the building."
I stared at the papers, mind racing. If I resigned, I'd have no income, no reference, no leverage. If I accepted this humiliating demotion, I'd be trapped in a basement, my reputation in tatters, watching Rhys and Arden celebrate their engagement from afar.
"I'll take the transfer," I said finally. "For now."
Vanessa nodded, unsurprised. "You'll report to Records tomorrow morning. Today, you're on administrative leave."
The security guard reappeared to escort me to my former office. The walk through the executive floor was a gauntlet of averted gazes and whispered conversations that abruptly halted as I passed. Outside my office—my former office—stood another guard with my already-packed belongings.
As we waited for the elevator, I heard familiar voices around the corner.
"—completely delusional," came Rhys's smooth voice. "I tried to mentor her, and she constructed this entire fantasy relationship."
"That's terrifying," replied a female voice—Arden. "Do you think she's dangerous?"
"Not dangerous, just unstable. HR is handling it. I feel sorry for her, really."
The sympathy in his voice made my stomach turn. This was the man who had whispered he loved me just three nights ago, whose bed I had left yesterday morning with a kiss and a promise to see him at the celebration.
The elevator arrived, and I stepped in, clutching my box of belongings. As the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of Rhys rounding the corner, his arm around Arden's waist. Our eyes met for a split second—and I saw it. Not guilt. Not remorse. Just cold, calculated satisfaction.
In that moment, something inside me hardened. This wasn't just a betrayal. It was a declaration of war. And if Rhys Montgomery thought I would simply disappear into the basement and fade away, he had gravely miscalculated.
Lyra growled deep within me, a sound I'd never heard from my usually quiet wolf. She wanted blood. And for the first time in my life, so did I.