I spend a decade as the woman behind Corey Larson. I help him save his company from the brink of bankruptcy and turn it into a public-listed company.

He's on the cusp of success, and I'm about to propose to him. That's when he brings his childhood sweetheart into the picture to take my place.

He thanks me for my decade of hard work. Then, he tells me I'm no longer a good fit for the company as it's about to embark on a new journey.

I stare at him. I've loved him for ten years and given him my everything, but he brushes me off with a bank card. My blood turns to ice.

The decade I've spent with him has ultimately gone down the drain.

He doesn't seem to realize the consequences, though. Once I quit and leave, his company will cease to exist… just like my love for him.

The conference room was filled with executives. All of them were silent.

Many of my colleagues, with whom I'd fought side by side for years, had expressions full of frustration and pity.

Seeing their expressions as I walked into the room made me stop in my tracks. I instinctively looked toward Corey Larson, who was seated at the head of the table.

The next moment, my heart skipped a beat.

"Who's this, Cor?" I frowned, pointing to the woman sitting next to Corey at the head of the table. She was in the seat that should've been mine.

Ten years ago, Corey's father, Thomas Larson, suddenly passed away. He left Corey with a company burdened by debt.

To be closer to my crush, I gave up a high-paying job abroad and joined him without a second thought.

Back then, the company was on the brink of collapse, and most of the employees had fled. I was the only one left.

I was his secretary, his driver, the copywriter... I did everything. I even took care of his daily needs.

To put it simply, there would be no Larson Technologies today without me. There certainly wouldn't be the successful Corey sitting here now.

The company was preparing to go public, and I had planned to propose to him on that day. But now, a woman had appeared beside him, sitting in my rightful spot.

What was going on?

As I spoke, the eyes of the ten or so people in the room immediately turned to Corey. The atmosphere turned tense and serious.

Corey was expressionless. He avoided my gaze and casually said, "Priscilla, this is Jayda Bell, our company's new vice CEO.

"After this meeting, you can take her to HR to handle her onboarding. As for the office, would you mind clearing yours for her? It's closer to me, so it'll be more convenient."

I froze at his words. It felt like the ground beneath me was spinning.

Vice CEO? And I had to give up my office for her?

I had been with Corey since all the employees had abandoned the company. On paper, I was the head of marketing, but I'd always taken on the role of vice CEO.

I'd worked myself to the bone for ten years, helping the company go from the brink of bankruptcy to being on the verge of an IPO.

But I'd never officially been appointed vice CEO. That position had always been vacant.

Now, a new vice CEO had come in out of nowhere, and I was being told to give up my office. What did that make me?

Even if I didn't care about the title of vice CEO, Corey knew how much I'd loved him over the past ten years. It was that love that drove me to build Larson Technologies into what it was today.

And now, he just did this without a word of explanation, as if I meant nothing to him.

Was I nothing more than a disposable rag to him? Or did I have no place in his heart at all?

Thinking back on the efforts of the past ten years, I couldn't help but feel a sense of reluctance. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope, as I quietly asked, "Can you give me a reason?"

I locked eyes with Corey. I didn't care about my position in the company, but I wanted to know where I stood in his heart.

Maybe he felt guilty or was ashamed, but he couldn't look me in the eye. Instead, he deflected, saying, "The company is going public, and there are bigger plans and a brighter future ahead. Jayda is more suited for the vice CEO position."

At that moment, it felt like my heart had been plunged into an ice-cold abyss. It was so cold that it felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Mr. Larson, Priscilla has done so much for the company," one of my colleague said. "Even though her title is head of marketing, she's been doing the work of a vice CEO. Now that we're about to go public, you're bringing in another vice CEO. Isn't that a bit much?"

"Exactly," another chimed in. "Without Priscilla, there wouldn't be Larson Technologies. If she's not made vice CEO, I won't agree to it!"

Several colleagues, who had worked alongside me for years, couldn't stand it anymore and spoke out in my defense.

Corey's face instantly darkened. He scanned the room before speaking coldly, "I'm the boss here. Do I need your approval for every decision I make?"

After saying that, his eyes locked with mine, and his expression softened.

"I know you're upset, but Jayda studied abroad. She has a PhD in economics. She knows how to manage a public company, and she's much more qualified than you. I'm doing this for the company's future. You've been with me for ten years, so you should understand—"

Unable to listen to his hollow words any longer, I cut him off with a bitter laugh, "Stop with the excuses. Isn't it really because she's your first love?"

Corey was my senior in college. With his good looks and background, he was the dream guy for every girl on campus.

It was said that he had a childhood sweetheart, with whom he had a passionate relationship before she left for abroad after high school.

One night, after a drinking binge, I had to help Corey back to his place. He kept muttering Jayda's name at that time. So when I heard her name earlier, I already had an answer in mind.

Corey's face darkened as I called him out. His gaze turned scornful. "Yes, she's my first love. But was I wrong to say what I said?

"Forgive me for speaking frankly. The company is about to go public. You're not qualified for the vice CEO position, not with your abilities or education. The reason I've kept that position vacant all these years was to save it for her!"

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I almost staggered, barely keeping myself upright.

At that moment, the last shred of hope I had left shattered.

Corey had once explained to me that the reason he didn't appoint me as vice CEO was to prevent any distance between me and the staff and to keep morale high.

I had foolishly believed him.

Now, hearing the truth from his own lips, I realized that perhaps I had wasted ten years. Maybe I never held much value in his eyes at all.

In an instant, a whirlwind of emotions—anger, sadness, and resentment—filled my entire being.

If bringing in his first love to be vice CEO without consulting me was a slap in the face to all the hard work I'd put in for the company, then keeping that position vacant for ten years—just to save it for her—was a betrayal of everything I had ever felt for him.

The meeting ended with me storming out of the room.

Back in my office, I couldn't make sense of it. For the past ten years, I had given everything to Corey and the company. I had turned down countless opportunities. He knew how I felt about him, and he enjoyed the love I had for him.

So why was he suddenly doing this to me? Did my ten years of sacrifice and love really mean nothing compared to his first love who had just come back into his life?

"Priscilla, everyone at the company knows how much you love Corey, and we were all rooting for you two to end up together. But now, he brings his first love into the company and steals your position as vice CEO. This is too much. Why don't you resign and start your own business with us?"

Reyna Watkins pushed open the door to my office, looking upset. She was someone I had mentored since her trainee days. We'd worked together for seven years.

Seeing me backstabbed like this made her furious. As a sign of protest, she'd even led her entire team in a strike.

I didn't say a word. Through the glass, I saw Corey, dressed in a tailored suit, exuding his cool, distant air. Standing next to him was Jayda, who wore a white dress.

The two of them were chatting and laughing, and it made my chest feel tight.

It had been ten years. I had worked my fingers to the bone for this man for ten years.

I had gone from a naive young woman rushing into love to a woman in her 30s still holding onto that love.

In the process, I had missed and lost so much.

I had turned down high-paying offers abroad, ignored the advances of several men who had pursued me, and placed my heart entirely in Corey's hands. I had even missed the chance to see my mother, Adelaide Todd, one last time.

I had always believed that after everything we had been through together, he understood my feelings, and we were bound to end up together. But now…

"Don't hesitate anymore, Priscilla."

Reyna's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. After a moment of silence, I asked, "You started your internship at Larson Technologies. Are you really willing to leave?"

She paused, taken aback by my question, then fell silent.

From near bankruptcy to where we were now, for both Reyna and me, Larson Technologies felt like a child we had nurtured from the ground up. She couldn't let go, and neither could I.

Of course, what made it even harder for me to walk away was Corey—the man I had loved for ten years and supported every step of the way.

In truth, I wasn't ready to give up, nor could I let it go.

Most of the company's employees were ones I had recruited and trained. They were just as unhappy with the way I was being treated, and they expressed their dissatisfaction in their own ways.

For example, they would outwardly obey Jayda's orders but undermine them behind the scenes. Some of them would work half-heartedly, deliberately dragging their feet in getting the required materials to her.

Jayda had tried to win them over by taking everyone out to eat, but they all found excuses to decline. In the end, not a single person showed up.

Corey had held several meetings and even lost his temper during one of them, but nothing changed.

Things stayed the same for two weeks. Eventually, Corey had no choice but to come to me.

"What is this supposed to mean?" I stared at the check he handed me with a frown.

"You've worked hard all these years. Without you, the company wouldn't be where it is today. But the company needs to grow—"

I interrupted him without any expression. "Just get to the point."

Corey was clearly irritated by my interruption, but he bit back his anger and sighed. "You've seen it yourself, Priscilla. Jay can't do her job because of you—"

"Priscilla? Jay?" I smiled, cutting him off again. My smile was bitter, as I was extremely upset.

For all these years, whenever we were alone, Corey had always called me "Pris", and I called him "Cor". But now, he was addressing me by my full name, while his address of Jayda was so affectionate.

Ten years of hard work, and in the end, it couldn't compete with his first love.

My smile must have triggered something inside Corey. He glared at me and said coldly, "Your presence is disrupting the company's operations. I've decided it's time for you to leave.

"Of course, to compensate for your years of hard work, you can fill in any amount up to 100 million dollars on this check."

I had already guessed this outcome, but hearing him say it out loud made my body sway. I looked at him in disbelief. "What did you say?"

He thought I was upset over the amount and grew annoyed.

"Priscilla, I admit the company owes its success to you, but don't be unreasonable. You, a poor student, traded ten years for 100 million dollars. That's already a huge win."

Huge win?

Hearing those words from the man I had loved for ten years felt like a knife to the heart. The pain was suffocating, yet I still couldn't let it go.

"I gave up a lucrative offer abroad to join your company when it was on the brink of collapse. I've spent ten years on you, giving up my youth and everything, enduring hardships, even almost losing my life. And now you think I did it just for money?"

Corey leaned back in his chair and looked at me coldly. A smirk curled on his lips. "Isn't money what you wanted?

"Aren't women like you from humble beginnings all just gambling for a shot at a brighter future? Well, you've won your gamble. 100 million dollars is more than enough of a reward. You should be grateful."

Enough of a reward? Be grateful?

So, this was how it was. From the start, he had never respected me.

No wonder he never appointed me as vice CEO. It was because I wasn't worthy.

My ten years of devotion were truly wasted.