Chapter 1

William Sutton took the design proposal I had worked on for half a month and put his childhood friend Charlotte Cole's name on it.

Right then and there, I knew our five-year relationship was truly over.

He brushed it off and said, "Charlotte just got back and needs something for her resume. You're family now. Be sensible."

That same day, my childhood friend Jason Grant was kicked out of a core project by his girlfriend, Bianca Lane, just so she could make room for her so-called first love, Alex Carter.

The four of them kept posting their sweet moments all over social media, while Jason and I sat in silence at the bar, not saying a word.

They thought we were the losers, but they had no idea our counterattack had already begun.

*****

I held the freshly printed design draft and knocked on William's office door.

I hadn't slept properly in two weeks because of this proposal.

"Mr. Sutton, here is the final version," I said.

I placed the draft on his desk, only to see Charlotte sitting across from him, his childhood friend who'd just returned from abroad.

William flipped through a couple of pages before casually sliding my proposal over to Charlotte, as if it meant nothing.

I froze.

"Charlotte just got back and isn't familiar with how things work here. Your proposal is perfect for her to get some practice," he said naturally, as if it were completely reasonable.

Charlotte gave me a sweet smile. "Thanks, Sophie."

I watched her take my work from William's hands. My mind went blank. "William, this proposal is mine."

He finally looked up at me. "Sophie, you're talented. You'll have more chances. Charlotte just got back, and her resume needs something solid. We're family. Be sensible and help her out."

"Be sensible." Those words again. I had heard them for five years.

I didn't say another word. What could I even say?

I just stood there, watching Charlotte flip through my proposal like it was a new toy, turning the pages over and over.

William stood beside her, patiently explaining every detail. In five years, I had never once felt that same patience and warmth from him.

I felt like an outsider. No, worse than that. I felt like I didn't even exist.

I didn't even know how I left the office. By the time I got back to my desk, my hands and feet were ice cold.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Jason, just one word. [Free?]

I replied: [Yes.]

He texted back. [Usual place. The bar.]

Jason was my childhood friend, and we were inseparable, like two parts of the same whole.

Back when I was chasing William, he always helped me with ideas. And when he was chasing Bianca, I helped him write love letters.

Bianca was a total heiress from the same elite circle as William.

Jason and I spent five years grinding our way in, just barely managing to step into their world, thinking hard work could close the gap.

Now I knew how ridiculous that was.

When I got to the bar, Jason was already there, with a pile of empty beer bottles in front of him.

He didn't say anything when he saw me. He opened a beer and handed it to me.

I took it and downed half of it in one go.

"You heard about it too?" I asked.

He grunted in response, shoving a handful of fries into his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

"Bianca handed my project to Alex," Jason grumbled, his mouth full.

Alex Carter, Bianca's so-called first love, the one she had never really gotten over.

Just like Charlotte, he'd only recently come back from abroad.

"Now she wants me to be Alex's assistant," Jason said.

He took another swig, eyes a little red. "She told me to think bigger and not make a fuss over one project."

I couldn't hold it in, so I burst out laughing, and before I knew it, tears were rolling down my cheeks.

"William told me to be sensible too," I said.

We spent five years working ourselves to the bone, standing by them from nothing to getting the company listed, pulling all-nighters, fixing problem after problem.

We thought we were partners in the same fight. But once their childhood friends came back, we suddenly became nothing more than "sensible" assistants who should step aside.

Just as we were getting pretty wasted, both our phones buzzed at the same time.

It was a social media notification. I opened it.

William had posted a picture of himself and Charlotte at the beach, fireworks exploding in the sky behind them.

Charlotte was leaning on his shoulder, smiling brighter than the fireworks.

The caption said: [Welcome home.]

Almost at the same time, Jason's phone lit up too.

Bianca had posted a photo with Alex, their heads pressed together, an elegant cake sitting in front of them.

The caption read: [My boy is finally back.]

Jason and I looked at each other. In his eyes, I saw the same thing I felt in mine, the last bit of foolish hope, completely shattered.

"Fuck." Jason clinked his bottle against mine and muttered, "Sophie."

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Working for them? What's the point anymore?"

I nodded and finished the rest of my beer in one go.

That night, we didn't talk about any plans, but we both knew things had already changed from that moment on.