My mother told me to come home for an arranged marriage alliance. I was nearly thirty, she said, and I couldn't keep being stubborn.

I swore Felix Henson would marry me. Her answer came fast.

“Bea, if he wanted to marry you, he would have done it by now!”

“The whole reason I had you hide your identity was so he wouldn't marry you just for our family's money!”

“I'm giving you three more months. After that, you come home and accept the arrangement.”

I went to find Felix with my heart in my throat, and what I found was him holding hands with his assistant, Vera Gilbert.

“Felix, are you ever going to make things clear with that old woman Beulah?”

“She's already thirty. How much longer are you going to keep dragging things out with her?”

Vera's words pinned me where I stood.

“Vera, I'm ready. I'm going to make things clear with Beulah.”

“You know as well as I do, the company wouldn't be where it is without her help all these years.”

“I'm planning to wait until the Dickerson Group deal is locked down, then break up with her.”

I stood there, frozen for a long moment. Then a dry, bitter laugh escaped me.

……

The love I thought was real had been nothing but a con.

I turned and walked out of the office. Then I called my mother.

“Mom, I'm ready to come home and accept the arrangement.”

“Just give me one more week.”

I told her.

Felix wanted a Dickerson Group contract?

He had no idea that Dickerson Group was my family's company.

And his entire business had been built on my support from the very start.

When I first met Felix, he was broke. I was the one beside him through every step of his startup, the one who helped him land deal after deal.

That was how the company grew, one contract at a time.

And every time I brought up marriage, he'd tell me the same thing: once the company was more stable, he'd marry me.

I believed him. I worked to grow that company from a small operation with a handful of people into a business valued at over a hundred million.

But now I knew. That company didn't belong to me. It only belonged to Felix Henson.

Fine. Then I could destroy it just as easily as I'd built it.

Back in my office, I called the managers on my side of the partnership.

I told them the cooperation with Felix would continue—but the contract terms needed revising. I sent over the new agreement.

They didn't ask questions. They just agreed.

I had just hung up when Felix pushed open my office door.

He looked at me and got straight to it：“Beulah, how's the Dickerson Group contract coming?”

“No issues on their end.”

I kept my expression perfectly composed as I looked at him：“All that's left is to go sign it.”

Relief washed over his face.

Then he said：“Beulah, since this isn't that big a deal, why don't we let Vera represent the company for the signing?”

There was a hint of something unnatural in his expression as he said it.

I stared at him. Sending a secretary to sign on behalf of the company. What was he thinking?

“Beulah, I think it's time to give Vera some hands-on experience.”

He said it quickly, like he'd rehearsed the excuse.

I just smiled：“Sure.”

If that was the game he wanted to play, then from here on, I wouldn't hold back either.

Felix was about to leave the office when I looked at him and spoke up：“Felix, once the Dickerson Group contract is signed—let's get married.”

My words hung in the air. He froze for a moment, then turned to me：“Beulah, I've already told you about this.”

“Work comes first. That's not negotiable right now.”

He looked at me, his voice carrying a familiar chill：“Once the contract is signed, I'll give you an answer. Naturally.”

I smiled and didn't push further.

Just stalling. That's all it ever was.

He was never going to marry me. All he'd ever needed was someone who could close deals for him.

I watched him walk out and let the smile stay on my face. I knew now that all of it had been a dream.

And the dream was over.

Since that was how things stood, there was nothing left to say.

Over the next few days, Vera bought lunch for colleagues every single day, making sure everyone heard her take credit for landing the Dickerson Group deal. Talking up how hard she'd worked, how much effort she'd put in.

When Ian told me, I just smiled.

I knew this was Felix building her up on purpose.

Vera had no idea that this particular contract wasn't a gift for Felix. It was a nightmare.

But none of that was really my problem anymore.

That afternoon, a Dickerson Group representative came to the office. Following my instructions, the new contract already contained a number of revised clauses.

Vera didn't read a single one. She signed it on the spot.

I knew that contract inside and out.

The quality standards it demanded were steep. If Felix tried to meet them honestly, there'd be no profit margin left.

And I knew exactly who Felix was. For money, he'd risk everything—cut corners, use inferior materials without blinking.

All I'd done was double the penalty for breach. If this order fell through, his entire company would be in trouble.

Before, because it was my mother's company on the other side, I'd always kept a close watch on things. I'd even helped Felix find alternative suppliers so he could avoid using cheap substitutes and still turn a profit.

Now, I didn't need to bother with any of that.

I'd already spoken to the suppliers. None of them would be filling orders for Felix anymore.

The moment the contract was signed, Felix stood up in front of the whole company and announced that Vera had single-handedly closed the Dickerson Group deal. Effective immediately, she was the new sales director.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me.

They all knew perfectly well that I was the current sales director. And Felix Henson's girlfriend.

Felix looked straight at me：“Beulah, you have to admit—Vera did an outstanding job this time.”

“She landed the Dickerson Group contract. No one's better suited for the position.”

I listened, then smiled：“Felix, that contract. Wasn't I the one who negotiated it?”

The question shifted something in his expression.

Vera immediately burst into a tearful protest：“Bea, I know you're Felix's girlfriend!”

“But you can't just steal my credit like this!”

“Everyone here knows I'm the one who signed that Dickerson Group contract!”

Before the tears on her face had even dried, Felix turned on me, his tone flat and cold：“Beulah, you're really going to stand here and steal credit from someone under you? Go home. Get some rest.”

They fed off each other seamlessly, line for line, as though Vera really had closed the deal all by herself.

Half the company already bought it—Vera had made sure of that. She'd spent the last few days telling anyone who'd listen that she was the one who landed the deal.

“Bea, I know you're Mr. Henson's girlfriend, but the Dickerson Group contract? That was mine. I'm the one who closed it.”

“Everyone in this company knows that order was my work. How can you just swoop in and take it from me?”

Vera's voice trembled with rehearsed hurt.

Felix turned to me, his face cold.：“Beulah, that deal was Vera's. Why are you stealing business from your own subordinate?”

“You're in the wrong here.”

The words landed, and I laughed out loud.

Felix really thought this would make me back down?

I looked at him, and all I felt was disappointment.

“Beulah, you're no longer fit to hold a position at this company. Effective immediately, you're fired.”

His voice was ice.

I smiled.：“Felix, are you sure you want to fire me?”

“I said what I said, Beulah. Don't make me repeat myself.”

Impatience flickered across his face.

I looked at him and smiled again. So this was what it had all been about. The contract was signed, everything was on track—he didn't need to pretend anymore.

So he wanted me gone.

Wanted to be rid of me.

Fine by me.

I spoke evenly.：“If Mr. Henson has decided to fire me, by all means.”

“But before you do, Mr. Henson, it seems you've forgotten something. I'm still a shareholder of this company.”

I pulled out a share agreement.

Right there in black and white: fifteen percent of the company, under my name.

“Beulah, what the hell are you getting at?”

The color drained from his face.

Years ago, I'd invested my own money into Felix's company. He'd signed an agreement giving me equity at the time.

But it had been so many years. He'd clearly forgotten that this agreement ever existed.

“What's wrong, Mr. Henson? Can't read your own signature?”

I kept my voice light.：“Since I'm leaving the company, Mr. Henson, we'll need to settle accounts.”

“I'm a shareholder. And in all these years, I haven't received a single cent in dividend payouts. Every last one of them needs to be accounted for.”

I said it looking straight at him.

His expression shifted completely.

Beside him, Vera's eyes went wide with panic.：“Beulah, what are you talking about?”

“This company belongs to Felix! Everyone knows it's his company and his alone!”

“How is it suddenly yours?”

She stared at me as if I'd lost my mind.

I barely spared her a glance. My eyes stayed on Felix.：“Mr. Henson, the startup capital for this company came from me, didn't it?”

“You know exactly how much profit this company has turned every year. And I haven't seen a single cent of it.”

“If you won't own up to that, I'll let the lawyers sort it out.”

“And when that happens, your books are the first thing they'll crack open.”

His face went ashen.：“Beulah, I'll settle up with you.”

I knew he wouldn't dare refuse.