I stood up too, my eyes locked on his.

He blinked, then let out a scornful laugh.

"Fine. I admit it. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"But you defied your own father for me. Five years of pushback, all that money, all that energy poured in. Are you really willing to burn it all down?"

His words were a poisoned blade, driven straight into my heart.

The wound was raw and bloody, but I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

So he'd known all along.

He knew exactly how much I'd sacrificed for him. That was why he dared to be so brazen.

That night, we parted on bitter terms.

He slammed the guest room door and didn't come out for the rest of the night.

I sat in the living room until dawn.

When the first light crept through the windows, I sent my lawyer a message:

"Those documents I asked you to prepare. Where do we stand?"

The reply came almost immediately:

"Ms. Pruitt, everything is proceeding on schedule. We can move forward whenever you give the word."

I deleted the conversation. As if nothing had happened.

I'd given him chances. More than one.

Six months ago, I'd already noticed something was off.

He started working late constantly, staying out all night.

His phone was always face-down on the table.

He'd even changed his lock screen passcode to Claudia's birthday.

The first time I brought up Claudia was after I saw his social media photos from a company retreat. Everyone was looking at the camera. Everyone except him. His gaze had drifted to Claudia, tucked away in the far corner of the frame.

I told him to keep his distance from her.

He apologized. Said he'd just been spacing out, hadn't realized, and that it wouldn't happen again.

Then he turned around and promoted Claudia from administrative secretary to executive assistant to the CEO, tripling her salary.

He gave her a private office and clearance high enough to access the company's core data at will.

People at the company whispered behind my back, saying Claudia was the real future Mrs. Fox.

I was supposed to be his girlfriend, but I was treated like an outsider.

I swallowed it.

I told myself that after five years together, this was just a passing infatuation. He'd come to his senses eventually.

But my patience only made him bolder.

The next morning, I went to the office. The moment I stepped into the elevator, there was Claudia.

She was wearing the latest haute couture suit.

In her hand was a limited-edition bag I couldn't have gotten my hands on even if I'd waited in line for hours.

All bought by Evan.

When she saw me, she didn't shrink back. Instead, she smiled and sidled up to me.

"Good morning, Ms. Pruitt."

I ignored her.

She lowered her voice to a murmur only the two of us could hear.

"Ms. Pruitt, thank you for holding down the fort for Evan last night. He spent so long keeping me company, I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning."

She paused, her smile widening.

"Oh, and Evan told me the thing he hates most about you is that entitled princess attitude. You always make him feel like he's eating out of your hand. But he's a man. What he needs is emotional fulfillment, not your charity."

"If you'd like lessons on how to give a man what he actually needs, I'm happy to teach you."

"Of course, I'd have to borrow Evan for the demonstration."

The elevator doors opened. She clicked out on her heels, hips swaying, without a backward glance.

I stood in the elevator, nails digging into my palms, feeling nothing.

I walked into Evan's office.

He was reading a document and didn't even look up.

"What is it?"

"Fire Claudia."

No preamble. No buildup.

He finally raised his head, brow furrowed, irritation written across his face.

"What are you making a scene about now?"

"I'm making a scene?"

I stared at him.

"Do you have any idea what she said to me? She's lording herself over me, rubbing my face in it, and I don't even have the right to do anything about it?"

"What did she say to you?"

Evan's tone was pure dismissal. He rubbed his brow wearily.

"Claudia's not that kind of person. You must have misunderstood. She's young, she doesn't know better. Cut her some slack."

I laughed.

"She's your secretary, not your grandmother. Why should I cut her any slack?"

"Bernice!"

He slammed his pen on the desk and shot to his feet.

"Can you grow up? Stop acting like some jealous schoolgirl!"

"I'm at a critical stage in my career. Claudia gives me emotional support. She helps me focus on my work. And you? What do you do besides pressure me and pick fights?"

Emotional support.

So five years of giving him everything I had still couldn't compete with a young girl batting her eyelashes and playing the victim.

I looked at him, and suddenly, I didn't want to fight anymore.

"Fine. I'll drop it."

"The Global Summit is next month. The organizers gave us two spots, and I secured one for you. This is your best shot at breaking into the international market. Don't screw it up."

His expression softened instantly. He walked over and patted my shoulder.

"I knew you'd come around. You've always been the sensible one."

"Don't worry. Once I've got a solid foothold, I'll marry you. A big, proper wedding."

I looked at him. Not a single ripple stirred inside me.

This was his best opportunity.

And the perfect moment for me to pull the net closed.

Over the next month, I watched him and Claudia grow bolder.

The core algorithm my team had spent a year refining, he handed straight to Claudia.

She entered it in a competition and won an innovation award.

At the ceremony, Claudia teared up on stage and said, "I want to thank my mentor, Evan Fox. I wouldn't be here without him."

The internet praised them as a dream team.

No one knew that algorithm had been built on countless all-nighters pulled by my team.

My birthday. I'd reminded him two weeks in advance.

He promised he'd be there, swore he'd celebrate with me.

On the day itself, I waited for him all night. He didn't even send a "happy birthday."

The next morning, I saw it. Claudia had posted on social media the day before.

Evan had taken her to Disneyland. He'd arranged a private fireworks show just for her.

The caption read: "My little one. Be happy forever."

I was hospitalized with a stomach hemorrhage. I called him. His voice was thick with irritation.

"I'm on my way to the vet with Claudia. Her cat's sick. Just call a nurse. You're a grown woman. Stop being so dramatic."

Then he hung up.

I lay in the hospital bed.

For the first time, I realized that for five years, I'd been completely blind.

I stopped arguing with him. Stopped making scenes. Stopped asking about him and Claudia altogether.

I just went to work and came home on time, every day.

As if nothing had happened.

Evan probably assumed I'd given in. That I'd finally accepted Claudia's presence in his life.

The way he looked at me carried a new kind of satisfaction, like he was granting me a favor by staying.

He didn't know I was simply waiting.

Waiting for the perfect moment.

To take back everything I'd given him, with interest.

The moment came soon enough.

The Global Summit. Investors, media, industry titans, all under one roof.

Evan was set to unveil our new product at the event.

It was the key to cementing his place at the top of the industry.

The day of the summit, I sat in the front row and watched Evan stride onto the stage, radiating confidence.

He took the microphone and spoke with effortless charisma.

He talked about his journey from a penniless college kid to a rising star in tech.

He painted himself as a self-made genius who'd defied the odds.

Not once during the entire speech did he mention me. Not once did he mention the Pruitt Group.

After presenting the product, he turned and beckoned Claudia, who'd been waiting at the side of the stage, to join him.

He wrapped an arm around her, smiled into the cameras, and said:

"I want to give special thanks to my executive assistant, Ms. Claudia Swanson. The core breakthroughs in this product wouldn't have been possible without her dedication and perseverance. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Whispers erupted across the audience. Countless camera lenses swiveled toward me in unison.

The flash of the cameras stung my eyes.

Everyone in that room knew I was the one who'd funded this project. I was the one who'd poured every resource, every piece of technology, into making it happen.

And there he stood, bathed in the spotlight, handing all the glory to a secretary whose only real talent was playing helpless.

When the presentation ended, he stepped offstage. He didn't come to me first.

Instead, he pulled a teary-eyed Claudia into his arms, murmuring to her softly, as if she were something precious beyond measure.

Only when he saw me approaching did he frown and let go of her.

"Bernice, what happened onstage was just part of the job. Don't throw a tantrum and make a scene here."

I looked at him, and suddenly I smiled.

"Evan."

"Do you honestly believe that I, Bernice Pruitt, can't survive without you?"

He blinked, then let out a scornful laugh, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Stop acting like a child. You've sunk nearly half a billion dollars into me. Walk away from that? You wouldn't dare."

"Besides, who else would put up with you?"

Behind him, Claudia peeked out and flashed me the smile of a winner. Triumph and provocation practically spilled from her eyes.

I looked at the two of them, that sickening picture of mutual devotion.

Five years of swallowed humiliation, five years of rage. In that moment, it all finally found its way out.

I pulled out my phone. Right in front of him, I tapped the screen once.

Over a dozen documents, prepared long in advance, sent simultaneously.

Evan's phone buzzed.

He glanced down at the screen instinctively. The color drained from his face.

He looked up at me, disbelief written across every feature.

"Bernice, you... have you lost your mind?!"

A cold smile curved the corner of my lips.

Yes. I had lost my mind.

Five years ago, I'd been blind enough to fall in love with an ungrateful snake and nurse a wolf at my own hearth.

Now I was going to take back everything I'd given him. Personally. Piece by piece.

"Evan, you didn't actually think my silence this past month meant I'd given in, did you?"

"I gave you chance after chance. You're the one who slammed every door shut."

"Everything you have today came from me. I built you up from nothing, and I can tear it all down just as easily."

He staggered back a step. Fear finally surfaced in his eyes.

The venue had already descended into chaos. Calls from investors were pouring in one after another.

Reporters caught the scent and charged toward us, cameras and microphones raised like weapons.

Flashbulbs exploded.

This time, they weren't aimed at the triumphant Evan Fox. They were aimed at the ashen-faced shell of him.

And at Claudia behind him, trembling so violently she could barely stay on her feet.

I smoothed the hem of my jacket, looked into his shattered eyes, and said softly:

"This reckoning has only just begun."