Chapter 1

I worked my butt off for this project proposal, and my boyfriend just handed it over to the new girl.

Oppressed, suppressed—and I’ve become nothing but the stepping stone for their romance.

If a tiger doesn’t roar, you really think I’m some cuddly little kitten?

Anger level: 1000%.

Fury level: 10,000%.

Crazy level: Off the charts.

Time to bring the pain. If we’re playing this game, I’m blowing everyone up.

After a full month of overtime, my dark circles were worse than a raccoon’s, but I finally finished the project.

I was ready to get promoted and maybe even a nice bonus.

Ryan Mitchell, my boss-slash-boyfriend, called me into his office. “Claire, you've been doing great. Keep up the good work.”

I nodded eagerly, waiting for the good part.

...Nothing.

I waited a little longer. Still nothing.

“Is that it?”

He blinked, as if remembering something. “Oh, right! I almost forgot the main thing.”

I knew it. Verbal praise alone wasn’t enough.

“These are the new project files. I want you to take charge and try to wrap it up in a month.”

I looked at the stack of papers—at least six inches high—and felt sick to my stomach.

“Weren’t you going to promote me after this project?”

Ryan walked over, patted my shoulder, and gave me that condescending smile. “Claire, you're still young, there will be lots of opportunities. This is just a small supervisor role. Knock out a few more projects, and I’ll personally push for your promotion to manager.”

I wasn’t buying it. “So... who’s getting the promotion this time?”

“Emma Johnson.”

Emma? The new girl who’d only been here for six months?

“Ryan, are you serious? You’re promoting her over me? Have you lost your mind?”

He knew better than anyone how hard I’d worked for this promotion. Forget weekends—I practically split my day into eight parts to get everything done.

“Ryan, you’d better give me an explanation, or this won’t end well for anyone.”

Ryan’s face darkened. “Claire, this is work. I’m your boss. Just do as I say.”

Then he softened his tone, trying to pacify me. “Claire, I’m your boyfriend. Would I ever harm you? I fought hard to get this project for you, and there’s plenty of credit to go around. Trust me, it’ll pay off. Be good.”

I’d heard this spiel too many times. “Stop feeding me lies. I’m cutting carbs.”

When I returned to my desk with the files, Emma was already soaking up the congratulations from the team.

The moment she saw me, she rushed over to give me a hug. “Oh, Claire, I’m so sorry! I don’t know why the boss chose me. We all thought it would be you. You’re not mad, right?”

“I’ll ask Ryan. Maybe there’s been a mistake.”

I pushed her off with a fake smile. “Oh, please, don’t wait. Go ask him now.”

Emma’s face changed, and she lowered her head, saying nothing. Not long after, she posted in our Slack channel, inviting everyone to dinner.

And, just like that, the group chat lit up with congratulations.

It was sickening.

“Claire, you’re coming, right? Your support would mean the world to me. After all, if it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity.”

“They say you’re clueless, can’t get anything right. But clearly, you’ve gotten pretty smart. At least you know you don’t deserve it.”

“Emma, weren’t you going to ask the boss? What’s the hold-up? Turns out thanking me was just lip service.” I added a fake pout to my voice for good measure.

Emma stood there, speechless, her face stiff with embarrassment.

She’s been playing the sweet girl act for so long, she probably thought it worked on everyone.

Predictable.