I'd barely said a few words to Evie, and Keaton had already rushed to her defense like he was ready to rip me apart for her.

Evie strolled to my desk, dropped into my chair, and lifted her wrist.

The bracelet Keaton had just clasped on her glittered there.

She smiled like she'd won.

"I heard this set's been on your wish list forever, but you never bought it. I mentioned it to Mr. Smyth once, and the next day, he bought the whole thing and gave it to me himself. Guess I'm the one he cares about most."

I said nothing.

Let her enjoy it.

I used to think I knew Keaton.

These past few days proved I'd been giving myself way too much credit.

Maybe in his eyes, there was no room left for this marriage.

Or for me.

Seeing I wouldn't react, she smirked.

"You look like you've never seen real luxury. Admit you're not on my level, and maybe I'll let you get a closer look."

My face went cold.

Keaton and I had been married for years.

We'd built everything we had together.

I treasured our marriage.

Whatever he asked for, I gave without hesitation.

When he wanted half my shares in Orion Corp, I signed them over without a second thought.

To me, family always mattered more than business.

I honestly thought we'd grow old together.

Then Evie showed up.

Just days after Keaton hired her, everything changed.

He grew distant.

Cold.

Every little thing she said became another reason to blame me.

And every time she caused trouble...

He took her side.

Despite everyone pushing back, Keaton insisted she get a private office.

After that, he stopped caring about Orion's best interests.

He let Evie wreck project after project, even when the company's future was on the line.

Then he hid behind "work" while showering her with one perk after another.

I'd spent years at Orion.

I'd never been treated like that.

Did he really think someone who spent all day slacking off could handle a project like this?

What a joke.

When I still didn't react, Evie just smiled.

She pulled out the flash drive and casually tossed it in the air.

I glanced at it coldly.

She had no clue the data on that drive was incomplete.

It still needed rounds of testing before it could be finalized.

The latest version was on my phone.

I just hadn't updated the flash drive yet.

Since Keaton trusted Evie so much and wanted her to prove herself, she clearly didn't need my data.

Wasn't she supposed to be capable?

A small smile touched my lips.

I unlocked my phone and quietly deleted the final data file.

Then I looked at her.

"No thanks. That bracelet fits you perfectly. Don't waste Mr. Smyth's gift. Besides, you won't be wearing that jewelry much longer."

Evie's face twisted.

"Ungrateful."

She stood, kicked my desk, and stormed off.

***

After work, I was about to leave when I heard a familiar voice.

I looked up.

Evie was coming down from the company gym with her little squad.

Her face was pure contempt.

"Tessa's nothing. She just met Mr. Smyth before I did. What does she have that I don't? The apartment, the project—I mentioned them once, and Mr. Smyth rushed to give them to me. Tell me, how could she ever compete?"

"Besides, Mr. Smyth told me he's been sick of Tessa for a long time. If they hadn't been married for so many years, he would've divorced her already."

Like she needed proof, Evie pulled up her texts and flashed her phone at everyone.

A new message popped up.

One of the coworkers read it out loud.

"I booked us a table tonight. Dinner?"

Evie smirked.

"See? That's how much Mr. Smyth cares about me. And Tessa thinks she can compete?"

The group instantly started sucking up to her, saying they wanted to stay on her good side from now on.

Surrounded by her little fan club, Evie walked away.

I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms.

Then I packed up my things and walked out of Orion Corp.

***

The second I walked into the living room, I spotted an elegant gift box on the table.

Inside was an expensive ring.

The brand looked familiar.

I froze.

Was this for me?

He was actually willing to spend this much on me?

Usually, the gifts Keaton gave me didn't even cost ten bucks.

A sticky note sat beside the ring.

In Keaton's handwriting, it read:

[You're still the one.]

A bitter laugh escaped me.

I set the note back where I'd found it.

Keaton had always been like this.

As long as I did what he wanted, he'd throw me a reward whenever the mood struck.

This wasn't new.

I'd gotten used to it.

I was about to head upstairs when Keaton came down.

He smiled.

"Do you like it? I had a friend overseas track it down for me. It wasn't cheap."

As he spoke, he picked up the ring and reached for my hand.

I pulled away.

He froze.

A few seconds later, he pulled his hand back and set the ring on the table.

His expression hardened.

Then his voice softened. "I know I made you feel humiliated at the office today, but I didn't have a choice. I'm the CEO. I can't play favorites. I'm doing this for our future... and for Orion's. Can't you help me out? Teach Evie. She's talented. Give her a few months, and she'll bring even more value to the company. She just needs a chance—"

I cut him off.

"Not happening. I won't do it."

He must've thought I was still hung up on the jewelry set he'd given Evie.

After a long pause, he tried again.

"If you'll mentor Evie and help her finish the project, I'll take you to see the Northern Lights. You've always wanted to go. You just never had the time. Say yes, and I'll approve two weeks off."

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and booked the trip.

I watched him.

Did he really think I couldn't say no?

The confirmation popped onto the screen.

He smiled and held it out to me.

"I said no."

Keaton's smile vanished.

His face went ice-cold.

"Tessa, say that again. Everything I'm doing is for our future. If you can't understand that, or even think about what's best for us, then you don't need these tickets. I'll give them to Evie. At least she actually cares about the company. You can stay at work and regret it."

Then Keaton slammed the door and left.

I watched the door swing back and forth and let out a bitter laugh.

So taking Evie to see the Northern Lights had been the plan all along.

Why else would he give me such an expensive ring?

Not long after, Evie sent me a post.

A photo of her and Keaton boarding the plane together.

My fists clenched until my fingers went white.

Fine.

There was no point holding on to a marriage that had already meant nothing for a long time.

***

A week later, I walked into Orion Corp to the sound of laughter.

I looked up.

Keaton and Evie.

Our eyes met.

Keaton strolled over, a smug smile on his face.

"Tessa, turns out Evie handled the project just fine without you. Did you really think this company couldn't survive without you? If anything, you're the one who can't survive without Orion. That's why you kept trying to make yourself look indispensable."

Evie slipped in beside him, smiling like she'd already won.

"Mr. Smyth, why argue with her? She's just hiding behind seniority. Honestly, most of the new hires are better than she is. They just never got the chance to prove themselves... just like me."

She made sure everyone could hear.

The coworkers who'd been talking about the celebration party all turned to look.

Whispers spread fast.

Someone even sneered right at me.

"Looks like Evie's not below Tessa at all. Tessa was probably scared Evie would outshine her, so she refused to hand over the project."

Laughter rippled through the room.

Keaton didn't stop them.

He just let everyone mock me.

Then he spoke.

"All right, organize the project files. Nova Corp will be here any minute."

Right then, Nova Corp's team walked in.

Keaton froze for half a second, then hurried forward.

"Mr. Linden, you're early. Come in. We just finished the final data set. Once the files are organized, everything will be ready for handoff."

Mr. Linden nodded. "No rush. Take your time."

Keaton smiled and introduced Evie. "Evie is the reason this project got finished. Without her, we never would've moved this fast."

Then he shot me a look full of disgust.

"Unlike Tessa. She sat on this project for half a month and got nowhere. Complete waste of time. Luckily, Evie took over and sped everything up. She's one of the most talented people in this company."

Just then, the assistant team lead handed Mr. Linden the project files and the flash drive.

Mr. Linden nodded and gave the paperwork a quick look.

Satisfied, he handed the flash drive to his secretary.

She plugged it into her laptop to verify the data.

Keaton, Evie, and the rest watched with confident smiles.

They were sure the project was flawless.

Then the data started loading.

A second later—

Smoke poured out of the laptop.

The screen went black.

Silence slammed across the room.

Someone tried to joke that Nova Corp must've brought a broken laptop.

One look from Keaton shut them up.

A second later, the laptop powered back on.

Everyone held their breath.

The Nova Corp logo slowly appeared on the screen.

Keaton and the others had just started to relax—

Smoke poured out again.

Then—

Boom.

The laptop exploded right in front of everyone.

The room erupted in screams.