Chapter 1

I’d spent years in sales, chasing leads and keeping clients happy.

This time, I’d worked three days and nights straight to land the biggest contract our company had ever seen.

I thought I’d be rewarded with a huge bonus. Instead, I received a notice stripping me of my position.

The reason? Commercial bribery.

Our new vice president even produced security footage showing me slipping an envelope into a client’s bag.

My blood ran cold. I had no memory of doing that.

But they forced me to take the blame.

They even demanded that I apologize on a public livestream.

I quit without hesitation. Apparently, they’d forgotten one thing.

I was the one with all the client relationships.

I’d barely signed the biggest deal in company history when a notice arrived from the CEO’s office:

I was being removed as sales director, and all my bonuses and commissions for the quarter were frozen.

Furious, I stormed straight into his office.

“Richard, what the hell is going on?”

Our CEO, Richard Bennett, didn’t even look up.

“Emily, calm down.”

Beside him sat Victor Hayes, our newly appointed vice president.

He looked at me with a smile that never reached his eyes.

“Director Parker, this contract you signed with Horizon Construction…”

“There are concerns about unfair competition and commercial bribery. You’ve caused tremendous damage to the company’s reputation.”

“The client has lodged a formal complaint. They’re threatening legal action.”

It felt like someone had hit me over the head.

“That’s impossible!” I said firmly.

“Daniel Brooks and I spent three months negotiating that deal. Every term was transparent. We won it because of our product quality and service fees well below our competitors’!”

“There’s no way—”

Victor interrupted me and slid a tablet across the desk.

“See for yourself.”

A grainy security video played on the screen.

It showed a hallway at a private club. I was helping a drunk middle-aged man walk. It was Daniel Brooks, Horizon Construction’s procurement director.

In the footage, I took an envelope from my bag and slipped it into his briefcase.

The timestamp was the night before we signed.

I had absolutely no memory of it!

“Emily.”

Richard finally spoke, his voice tinged with disappointment.

“You’ve been here eight years. You started as an intern and worked your way up to sales director. This company has treated you well.”

“I know how badly you wanted this contract, but you can’t resort to tactics like that.”

“Now it’s all over the internet. Everyone’s talking about our bribery scandal. Our stock has already dropped two percent.”

He sighed, putting on a show of heartbreak.

“To contain the situation—and protect you—this is the only option we have.”

“Take some time off and reflect. Once things die down, you can come back.”

I stared at his hypocritical face as a chill shot through me.

They were protecting me by stripping me of my position and freezing my pay?

I’d given this company eight years of relentless work.

It had grown from a tiny operation with a few dozen employees into a publicly traded corporation. The sales department deserved at least half the credit.

And I was the heart of that department.

Yet now?

One video of unknown origin and one baseless accusation were enough for them to throw me to the wolves.

I took a deep breath and forced down the storm inside me.

“Fine.”

“I accept the company’s decision.”

“But I’ll need some leave. To reflect.”

At the word “leave,” Victor’s mouth curved into a smug smile.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Richard looked relieved too.

“Of course. Of course. Emily, you’ve worked so hard all these years. You deserve a proper break.”

“Your quarterly bonus is frozen for now, but don’t worry. Once this blows over, I’ll make it up to you personally.”

Looking at them made me sick.

Without another word, I turned and left the CEO’s office.

By the time I returned to the sales department, my desk had already been cleared.

Several team members crowded around me, their faces burning with anger.

“Emily! How is this fair?”

“That Victor’s been trouble since the day he got here!”

“He shoved his cousin into our department last month. The guy’s completely useless, but he’s already trying to steal clients!”

“He wanted in on the Horizon deal too, remember? You shut him down.”

“I bet Victor’s behind this whole thing!”

So that was it.

I’d wondered how that video had materialized out of nowhere. Now it made sense.

Chloe Reed grew angrier with every word. “No! Emily, we can’t let them get away with this!”

“We’re going to Richard! We’ll tell him what really happened!”

“Stop.”

I called her back.

“Chloe, it won’t help.”

She turned, confused.

I shook my head. Victor was just a petty clown who’d climbed the ladder through connections. He wasn’t what truly broke my heart.

I knew that if Richard genuinely trusted me—if he valued everything I’d done for this company—

Victor’s little scheme wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.

But what had Richard done?

He’d chosen the easiest way out.

To defuse a supposed PR crisis and prop up the stock price, he’d sacrificed me without a second thought.

The moment I became inconvenient, I was disposable.

I grabbed my bag and walked out without looking back.

I swore I would never return.