Chapter 2

Sophia Bennett POV

The celebration banquet for the Empire Group acquisition was held at the city's most luxurious hotel.

Crystal chandeliers sparkled brilliantly overhead, while elegantly dressed guests mingled with champagne glasses in hand.

I wore a well-tailored black business suit, holding a glass of champagne, standing quietly in a corner of the banquet hall.

As Chief Investment Analyst at Pierce Corporation, this three-hundred-billion-dollar acquisition had taken me and my team three entire months of grinding work, countless cups of espresso, and even a trip to the emergency room for gastric bleeding before we finally closed the deal.

I glanced down at the simple band on my ring finger—something Ethan Pierce had casually bought for me last month.

I thought that tonight, at this celebration banquet, he would finally publicly acknowledge our five-year underground relationship.

As the grand doors swung open, the banquet hall fell instantly silent.

Ethan Pierce entered in a custom-tailored black suit, his posture impeccable, his features sharp and cold.

However, on his arm hung a woman in a pure white haute couture gown, her smile gentle and delicate.

Lily Hayes.

Ethan Pierce's first love—the woman he'd pined for, who had spent years overseas.

My breathing hitched sharply, my knuckles turning white as I gripped my champagne flute.

Ethan Pierce walked onto the stage with Lily Hayes, took the microphone, and his deep, pleasant voice echoed throughout the hall:

"Thank you all for attending. I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce Pierce Corporation's new Vice President of Investment, Miss Lily Hayes. The successful landing of the Empire acquisition was entirely thanks to Miss Hayes and her overseas connections."

Thunderous applause filled the room.

I stood in the shadows, feeling as though all the blood in my body had reversed course, leaving even my fingertips numb with cold.

Entirely thanks to Lily Hayes? In these three months, Lily Hayes hadn't looked at a single punctuation mark of the acquisition documents.

And all my sleepless nights, my effort, my dedication—just like that, in Ethan Pierce's offhand remark, became nothing more than a stepping stone to make his beauty smile.

Halfway through the banquet, I cornered Ethan Pierce on the deserted terrace.

"Why?"

My voice was soft, but it trembled with suppressed emotion.

Ethan Pierce lit a cigarette, the blue-white smoke blurring his hard features.

He looked at me, his eyes calm to the point of cruelty:

"Lily just returned to the country. To establish herself at Pierce Corporation, she needs an impressive resume. You've always been understanding. Putting this project under her name is the most appropriate solution."

"Understanding?"

I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting blood.

"Ethan, I've worked myself to death for you for five years, been your underground lover for five years, and now... you're taking the results I achieved with my life and using them to curry favor with her?"

Ethan Pierce frowned slightly, seemingly displeased by my questioning.

"Sophia Bennett, don't be unreasonable."

He flicked his cigarette ash, his tone rational and cold.

"Whatever compensation you want—bonuses, stock options, or that penthouse downtown—I can give it to you. But Lily is different. She's sensitive and can't handle being wronged. You've already gained enough from your position. Don't be greedy."

Greedy.

That word was like a rusty, dull knife sawing through my heart.

Eight years of secret admiration, five years as his girlfriend—I thought even if I were a stone, I could eventually warm him up.

But it turned out that in his eyes, I was just a tool to be sacrificed at will, a subordinate who could be bought off with money.

"I understand."

I didn't cry. I just pulled at the corner of my mouth as the light in my heart slowly extinguished.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Pierce is right. I overstepped."

I turned and left the terrace, my spine straight, without a trace of lingering attachment.