Chapter 2
After leaving the bank, I called my best friend, Sophie Grant.
She picked up, and I could hear someone swearing in the background.
"Which client is messing with the project again?" she asked.
"It's not a client," I answered.
"Then who is it?" she kept asking.
"It's about Andrew," I replied.
There was a brief silence on the other end after that.
Sophie's voice went soft for an instant.
"Did you really get divorced?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said quietly.
"So, did you get the divorce papers?" Sophie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Got them," I answered, trying to sound steady.
"Did you move your stuff out?" Sophie asked.
"Yeah, I did," I replied.
"Does he know?" she pressed.
"He probably does," I replied, not really caring either way.
I could hear Sophie scoot her chair back on the other end.
"What do you mean, 'probably'?" she demanded.
I looked at the glass doors of the bank.
Inside, Mr. Carter was on the phone with the credit department.
"Because I just signed a statement," I said.
"What statement?" Sophie asked.
"I'm done signing the guarantee for Andrew's company loan renewal," I replied.
Sophie was quiet for a few seconds.
Then she said in a more delightful way.
"Damn, why didn't you tell me sooner? You should've done this a long time ago."
I let out a faint laugh.
Even though her words were rough, they were way more pleasant to hear than Andrew's usual "Stop fussing," "be reasonable," or "I'll make it up to you later."
Sophie then asked, "Where are you headed now?"
I glanced at the address Andrew had sent me.
"To the award ceremony," I replied.
"Are you crazy? Weren't you supposed to skip it?" Sophie asked.
"I wasn't planning to," I replied.
I started the car.
"But I just remembered, the entry form for that award has my name listed as the author," I said.
There was a beat of silence on Sophie's end.
Then she swore under her breath.
"Alright, go ahead. If things get messy, I'll be there in a flash," she said.
I didn't tell her to come.
This was a score I had to settle myself.
By seven, the hotel ballroom was ablaze with lights.
Andrew stood on stage, looking sharp in his suit.
Nina was by his side in a cream-colored dress, holding the trophy.
She was all smiles, looking gorgeous.
The big screen showed the project introduction.
[Innovative Brand Case of the Year]
[BrightPath Solutions Brand Center]
The host smiled and said, "I heard this project was the first major thing Ms. Hughes took charge of after returning to the country. Mr. Collins, do you have anything to say about it?"
The audience broke into applause.
Andrew took the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
When he spotted me, he froze for a second.
Nina saw me too.
Her smile faltered for a split second, but she quickly composed herself.
Andrew paused for a moment, then finally spoke.
"This project wouldn't have made it without the team, and without Nina," he said.
Nina's eyes grew misty, clearly touched.
"I just did what needed to be done," she said.
Then some teases were heard in the crowd.
"Mr. Collins and Ms. Hughes really are the best partners!"
The majority of the audience laughed.
And some fixed their sights on me.
After all, just three minutes ago, people were still calling me Mrs. Collins.
Now, I was just another face in the crowd. I was Mr. Collins' ex-wife.
The host turned to Nina. "Ms. Hughes, would you mind sharing what was the biggest challenge with this project?"
Nina held the microphone, her voice gentle.
"Honestly, the early materials were a mess. Andrew and I spent countless nights working late, slowly piecing the plan together," she said.
I looked down and smiled to myself.
Someone next to me gave me a look.
I took out my phone and pulled up a document.
On stage, Nina continued, her voice soft and steady.
"Those days were really hard, but Andrew never left my side," she said.
I stood up.
The ballroom slowly fell silent.
Andrew frowned, and then he called out.
"Charlotte, what are you doing?"
Without even glancing at him, I handed my phone straight to the staff member.
"Please put this on the screen," I said.
The staff member was stunned, then glanced nervously at Andrew.
"Relax," I said. "I'm the original creator of this project. Now that it's getting an award, I have every right to see how my name is credited."
The audience burst into an uproar.
Andrew's face darkened.
"Charlotte, stop fussing," he spoke.
I looked at him.
"You already tried to pay me off with those words today," I responded.
The big screen blazed to life.
The cover of the original application form flashed onto the screen.
Author: Charlotte Lane
Last edited by: Charlotte Lane
Edition count: Seventy-three.
The next slide showed all my email threads with finance, the bank, and the client.
Then came the final submission version, it was my last piece of work for them.
And in the author field, my name had been replaced with: BrightPath Solutions Brand Center.
Nina's face drained of color, turning ghostly pale.
Someone whispered, "Isn't this just taking all the credit?"
Nina gripped the microphone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Charlotte, you've got it wrong. I just helped with the final touches," Nina said, her voice trembling.
I cut her off.
"You changed the title and the cover image in the final version," I said, my tone icy.
The screen flipped to the edit log.
Nina's account showed just two edits.
[Title changed]
[Cover image replaced]
The whole place went dead silent.
Andrew stared at me, and then he spoke with his voice low and tense.
"Do you really have to make such a fuss here?"
I pulled out my divorce certificate and set it down on the table.
"Mr. Collins, first thing first, I'm not your wife anymore," I said, my voice steady.
"Second, the project can go to the company, and you can keep the award."
"But my name stays."
With that, I grabbed my bag and walked out.
As I reached the door, Nina suddenly started crying.
"Charlotte, are you doing this just because I came back?" Nina choked out, her voice trembling.
I stopped in my tracks.
I turned to look at her.
"Nina, you can pick up the man I don't want," I said, my voice cold.
"But you have nothing to do with my achievements."