Chapter 2
On the day of the anniversary party, I was chatting with a few folks from the HR team while there were song and dance numbers happening on stage.
The show was already halfway through, but Samuel still hadn't shown up.
Some people who didn't know Samuel had been cheating joked around, asking, "Hey, where's Samuel? Is he cooking up a big surprise for you or what?"
I let out a cold laugh. Yeah, it was indeed a surprise.
Just then, the lights in the ballroom suddenly dimmed.
Samuel walked in with Charlotte on his arm.
The two of them were dressed to kill, practically blinding everyone in the room, like the whole event was for them.
"Everyone," Samuel's voice echoed through the hall, "I'm honored to introduce our company's newest rising star, Ms. Charlotte Linwood.
"She's brought us the Starlight Initiative, a fresh and innovative project that fits perfectly with our current theme. After talking it over with the leadership team, we've decided this will be our core project for the next three years."
The host handed over the project proposal, and the big screen was turned on, showcasing all the details for everyone.
The board members looked through the proposal, nodding in approval, while several executives immediately started discussing how to allocate resources.
Evelyn, the HR director, kept shooting glances my way. She'd signed off on my resignation this morning.
I slowly wiped the corner of my mouth and flashed her a knowing smile.
That expression made her visibly relax, and she turned her attention to the unfolding drama, curiosity written all over her face.
"Ms. Linwood," I suddenly stood up, "could you explain the logic behind the data model on page three? This model seems kind of unusual."
Charlotte's smile froze on her face. She hurriedly flipped to page three, her lashes fluttering nervously.
Charlotte had only gotten the project proposal, so she hadn't really gotten a handle on all the details yet.
Samuel, beside her, was clearly caught off guard by my question.
The silence dragged on. I leaned against the table, arms crossed, calmly watching them.
All around, colleagues and executives were staring at them, clearly confused.
This proposal was put together with impressive detail, and the logic was absolutely airtight.
If this was really their work, how come they couldn't handle such a simple question?
"That's alright. Since you can't explain it, I'll do it for you. Actually, this model rings a bell." I strode over to the projector, ignoring all the eyes on me, and opened up the original file straight from my inbox.
The timestamp was plain as day, a full month before the project proposal they were showing off.
The whole room erupted in an uproar.
Samuel hurried forward, reaching for the mic, flustered. "Ms. Linwood must be mixing things up—"
I shot back, "Could Ms. Linwood have really gotten it mixed up?"
The ballroom went dead silent.
Charlotte's face drained from red to pale, her fingers absently twisting the hem of her dress.
Samuel's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he tugged at his tie, which suddenly felt suffocating.
"The best part is this." I played a recording for everyone to hear.
Samuel's voice echoed loud and clear. "Change the title on Claire's proposal. That fool never checks the version history."
The chairman of the board shot to his feet, looking utterly stunned.
Everyone had always thought Samuel was a genius, and they couldn't believe he'd actually pull something so shady.
With this bombshell dropped, people started looking back and wondering if Samuel had been up to this all along with his previous project proposals.
Charlotte staggered back two steps, her perfectly styled curls plastered to her sweaty forehead.
I took off my employee badge and set it down on the podium. "But I do have to thank Mr. Grant for all his careful guidance these past few months.
"Starting today, these ideas will finally bear the name of their true creator. By the way, after today, I'll be leaving the company. I've learned a lot here and hope to see you all again someday."
The projector paused on an email.
It was a job offer from a competing company for the position of Chief Strategy Officer. The salary made everyone present gasp.
*****
After leaving the company, I headed home.
Sprawled out on my bed, I started sorting through everything I needed to hand over from these past few years.
When it was all done, I left the group chat with a quiet click and powered down my phone.
Meanwhile, Samuel stared at our chat box on his phone screen, his brows furrowed tightly.
The messages he sent remained unread. He stared repeatedly at the texts he'd sent, realizing he'd been blocked again. This was the third time I'd blocked him this week.
Unfortunately, after I unmasked Samuel for what he really was, as the sole heir to Grant Holdings, the company still let him stay.
After that, I settled in at my new company.
"Samuel called again, looking for you. I told him you were moving to Brigtoin, and you should've heard his voice. It totally changed," my old coworker said, venting over the phone.
"He hasn't seen the worst of it yet. I don't want to catch a glimpse of him," I replied, calm as ever.
Back in my previous life, at this exact moment, I was plotting ways to run into Samuel and find excuses to talk about my project ideas with him day after day.
But now, I was sitting on a plane, watching Nenport fade away beneath me. Nearly a thousand miles would finally keep us worlds apart.