Chapter 1
The day I was hospitalized with a ruptured ovarian cyst, my childhood sweetheart's new girlfriend started spreading rumors that I'd wrecked my body by sleeping my way through clients to secure a project.
When Sebastian Hayes heard about it, he dismissed it casually. "Vanessa's just young and blunt," he remarked lightly. "She doesn't really get how things work around here and can't stand the corporate world's dirty little rules. Don't take it personally."
But I did.
With the IV still in hand, I stormed into the office. In a room full of stunned employees, I kicked Vanessa Cole's desk to the floor.
"At this week's staff meeting," I said, voice steady, "you'll be giving a presentation on ruptured ovarian cysts in women. If you screw it up, you're fired."
She screamed as her cup of hot coffee tipped over, splashing across her clothes.
Sebastian was supposed to be in a meeting in Westbrook, but he showed up just in time, pulling her into his arms and glaring down at me.
"My staff," he said coldly, "aren't yours to fire."
I laughed, sharp and humorless. Rage surged through me as I tore the IV needle from my arm and smashed the bottle into his head.
"Get out of my face," I snapped. "Just scram."
*****
"Wendy, are you out of your mind?" Sebastian clutched his bleeding scalp, staring at me in disbelief.
The office erupted into chaos.
"Sebastian, you're bleeding." Vanessa scrambled to his side, panic written all over her face. When she saw the blood running down his temple, she burst into tears. "Quick, someone call 911."
People rushed forward, hands fumbling as they tried to help him up, but Sebastian shoved them away.
"Wendy." He took an unsteady step toward me. "Over something this small, you're really going to give a new hire a hard time and bash my head in?"
'Something this small?' I scoffed to myself. 'After eighteen years, Sebastian knew exactly how to phrase things in the way that hurt me most.'
I leaned heavily against my assistant, Ryan Miller, barely managing to stay upright through the pain. "Then why did you hire an illiterate assistant," I shot back, "who thinks a ruptured ovarian cyst is just about men and women screwing around?"
"Do you have any idea how many nights I stayed up to land the Eastport project? How many times I ran back and forth to the site just to get it launched on time?" My voice shook as it rose. "Are you blind?"
The office went dead silent. Aside from Vanessa's sobbing, no one dared make a sound.
They all knew how hard I'd worked. And yet Sebastian had still allowed Vanessa to spread those filthy rumors about me.
A sharp ache twisted deep in my abdomen. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to remain upright.
Ryan leaned closer and whispered urgently, "Wendy, your health comes first. Let's go back to the hospital."
"Wendy." Sebastian frowned, his tone softening now that he sensed he was in the wrong. "Go back to the hospital first."
With a dull thud, Vanessa suddenly dropped to her knees. "Wendy, this is all my fault," she sobbed, lunging forward as though she were about to bow to the floor. "Do whatever you want to me. Just don't make things difficult for Sebastian anymore."
Sebastian reacted instantly, pulling her up. He smoothed her skirt with careful hands, his expression a mix of helplessness and indulgence. "Why are you begging her?" he said gently. "This has nothing to do with you. She's blaming me."
He looked down at Vanessa. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Pain blurred my vision as I remembered how gentle he had once been with me, too.
Everyone else stood frozen, unsure whether to leave or stay. One of the senior employees finally forced a smile and spoke up. "Wendy, Vanessa knows she was wrong. Maybe you could—"
His voice trailed off under my gaze. I looked around and saw everyone watching me, their faces a mix of fear and hesitation.
In the reflection of the shattered glass on the floor, I caught a clear glimpse of myself, hair disheveled, eyes bloodshot, my face pale as paper.
This was the second time I'd torn things apart with Sebastian in public, just as disgracefully as the first.
The first time was on New Year's Eve. I'd waited for him for hours in Century Plaza, only to find out he was spending the night with a small-time influencer in his new apartment.
"Wendy, if you don't want to stay at this company, you're free to leave anytime," he said, not even looking at me.
"I don't have room here for someone like you," He'd said it coldly, clearing the crowd before turning away hand in hand with Vanessa.
"Wendy." Someone called my name.
I turned toward the voice, frowning in confusion.
A man in a brown trench coat walked in at the worst possible moment, a bag of apples dangling from his hand. He brushed past Sebastian without even glancing at him.
Sebastian stopped short and sneered. "Well, look at that. You really know how to pick your moment to play the hero."
Adrian Wright didn't respond. He walked straight to my side, took what remained of the IV bottle from Ryan's hand. "I'll take you back to the hospital," he said quietly.
I hadn't expected Adrian to show up at our company.
The Eastport project was a joint effort between our two firms, and he and I were the leads. That meant we'd been pulling late nights together for weeks.
Once I climbed into his car, exhaustion hit me like a wave. At the next red light, he hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Do you want to consider a change of work environment?"
I didn't answer, closing my eyes to steal a moment of rest.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have poked my nose into your personal business," Adrian said, always so polite and sharp. He somehow always saw through the chaos I felt whenever I dealt with Sebastian.
This wasn't the first time he'd subtly hinted that I consider changing companies. I lifted my eyes to meet his, and only when I saw the faint blush creeping up the tips of his ears did I look away.