After six months closing a major deal, my boss promised a promotion. At the company meeting, it went to a new grad instead. Then comments appeared like subtitles: [ML is falling for FL! Giving her the promotion!] [He's been faithful to FL the whole time!] [He'll dump the villainess when FL gets hurt!] I stared at my smiling boyfriend of seven years. So I'm the villainess? Fine. I'll play the role perfectly. ... “While Ivy is new to the company, her hard work is plain for all to see,” my boss, Landon, announced. “This promotion is a way to encourage our new talent. For those who didn’t get the opportunity this time, keep up the good work.” He smiled warmly at the new graduate, Ivy. “To celebrate Ivy’s promotion, we’ll be having a company dinner at The Crown tonight at 7 PM. I hope everyone can make it.” Landon’s gaze lingered on Ivy, who returned it with a shy, blushing smile. A few of my colleagues exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes darting towards me, filled with a pity I didn't want. My limbs felt like ice. I couldn’t move. Hard work? Did he mean coming in late more than a dozen times a month, and turning in a proposal a week late—a proposal I had to fix for her? Encourage new talent? Did he mean the five years I’d worked here without a single promotion, with him telling me it was a “temporary sacrifice” to protect our secret relationship? As I trembled with rage, more text appeared in my vision. [Look! He’s making eyes at her again! The chemistry is insane. The second they get together it’s gonna be explosive.] [He’s so worried the villainess and the other jealous randos will give the FL a hard time. He's protecting her in public, even throwing a dinner just for her. He’s so in love. He deserves a wife like her.] I bit back tears and forced a smile. Oh yes. He was so in love. We’d been together for seven years, since college. When he started this company, he asked me to start from the bottom, and for five years, that’s where I’d stayed. He always said the company had a strict no-office-romance policy, and that I had to endure it for a while to avoid suspicion. But Ivy had been here for three months, and she was already my superior. Maybe he didn’t even realize it, but at home, her name was always on his lips. “This new girl is pretty good. You should mentor her. But as her senior, you need to take on more of her workload.” At the office, he was the impartial boss. When I accidentally spilled a cup of coffee, he scolded me in front of everyone: “Be more careful. You can’t do anything right with that kind of carelessness.” But when Ivy lost a contract, costing the company a significant amount of money, he comforted her in private with soft, gentle words. Then he turned to me, his face a stern mask, and said, “Ivy is your responsibility. When something like this happens, you need to reflect on your own failings.” On the night of our seventh anniversary, I waited for him at a restaurant, surrounded by flowers and candles, until midnight. I got a text saying he was working late and couldn’t make it. The next day, I found out he and Ivy had worked so late that they’d fallen asleep together on his office sofa, sharing a blanket. He seemed to have forgotten everything. When he had nothing, I worked myself to the bone, pouring every penny I earned into his fledgling company. I even borrowed a small fortune from my family when we were short on funds. He promised he would marry me. How quickly people change. Or maybe, he never really loved me at all. He just used me. After the meeting, Landon passed by my desk. He squeezed my shoulder and whispered, “You’re in charge of the dinner tonight. Put some effort into it. Make sure it goes well.” I ignored him, a cold laugh echoing in my mind. That night, I didn’t go. [What the hell is wrong with this villainess? Is she sick? The ML told her to do something and she just blows it off? She’s just a tool, why is she so bent out of shape? So lame.] [She embarrassed the ML so badly. He got to the hotel and found out no room was booked. My poor baby FL was standing there, about to cry. The villainess wanted this, didn't she? So evil. If it wasn’t for her, the ML and FL would have been making out in the private room by now.] [Good thing the ML is rich. He just made a call and the hotel fixed everything. The villainess thinks the world revolves around her. So pathetic.] [Don’t worry, let her act out. She’ll push the ML away eventually. He was only staying with her out of a sense of duty anyway. She really thinks she’s something special.] [Look on the bright side, because of this, the ML spent an hour comforting the FL. That’s some sweet content for us. And when he gets home tonight, he’s definitely going to tear into the villainess. She’s about to get kicked to the curb.] I closed my eyes, shutting out the words. My breathing was ragged. I told myself not to care, but a deep, sharp pain still twisted in my gut. It had been seven years, after all. I’d noticed Landon’s strange behavior over the past few months, had my suspicions. But in the end, my faith in our long history had won out over my doubts. How could it not hurt to finally learn the truth? After what felt like an eternity, my pillow vibrated. I pulled out my phone. A message from Ivy. “Hey girl, truth or dare tonight. I got to kiss the boss. And he picked dare! ;)” “It was a French kiss. He was so into it, his tongue was all over mine. My lips are still sore, lol. So embarrassing, but it felt really good.” Below the text was a video. I pressed play. The two of them were locked in a passionate, desperate kiss. When they finally broke apart, they were breathless, their eyes glazed over, a thin strand of saliva connecting their lips. My heart clenched. Tears streamed down my face. Just then, Ivy sent a few more messages. “Oops, sorry, Claire. Sent that to the wrong person.” “Meant to send it to my friend. You’re not mad, are you?” My fingers tightened around the phone until my knuckles were white. Wrong person? A month ago, I had hinted to her about my relationship with Landon. Even if no one else knew, she should have known. I typed out a furious reply, my thumb hovering over the send button. But I stopped. Her brazen provocation was only possible because Landon gave her the confidence to do it. Responding would only make me look like a pathetic, jealous clown. Forget the woman. It was time to deal with the man. Landon didn’t get home until almost midnight, his face a dark storm cloud. He didn’t go to the bathroom first, as he usually did. He just stood there, looking down at me on the sofa. “You’ve had all evening to reflect. You can explain yourself now.” He spoke as if we were really just boss and subordinate. I smiled and slowly stood up. The cloying scent of another woman’s perfume hit me. I spoke each word with deliberate clarity. “Let’s break up.” The pop-up comments exploded. [Is this villainess crazy? This isn’t in the script! Psycho.] [How serious do you think she is about this breakup? 0%. She’s just throwing a tantrum to get the ML’s attention. She doesn’t realize this will only make him resent her more and appreciate the FL’s maturity in comparison.] [If he actually agrees, she’ll be the one who’s upset.] Landon froze, then frowned, his bright eyes staring at me. “Are you serious?” I nodded. “Perfectly serious.” He let out a derisive snort. “If you’re mad about the dinner, you’re being incredibly petty.” He took a step closer. “I gave you that responsibility because I trusted you. You failed, and I didn't even blame you, and now you're the one throwing a fit?” His voice grew colder. “Frankly, you embarrassed me today. And as a senior employee, you showed a complete lack of grace. Ivy is just a newcomer. There was no need to humiliate a young girl like that. What will the other employees think of her now?” I just looked at him, my expression unreadable. “So, let’s break up.” I continued, my voice even. “Because I’m not good enough. Not as good as the newcomer who’s only been here three months.” Landon stared at me for a long moment, then finally dropped his gaze. He gripped my shoulders, but he couldn’t meet my eyes. “Claire, I know you feel wronged,” he said, his voice softening. “But we agreed, didn’t we? We built this company together. No matter what your position is, we’re a team. Half of this company’s success is yours.” He sighed. “As for Ivy… she’s just a kid. To be honest, seeing her reminds me of us when we just graduated. I just want to give her a hand, that’s all. It’s not because I have feelings for her. And she is talented, she just needs time to grow. I’m asking you, please, don’t push her away.” He finally looked at me, his eyes pleading. “But… I’m not heartless. I would never abandon you… Let’s not talk about breaking up.” With that, he turned and went to his room, his back weary and tired. He never once asked if I was willing to continue. As if our relationship was his alone to decide. As long as he said we would continue, it was impossible for me to leave. But, Landon, since you won’t agree… Then you can’t blame me for what comes next. After that night, I didn’t mention the breakup again. I threw myself into my work, acting as if Landon’s words had moved me, ready to sacrifice everything for the company. Over the years, I had learned every inch of this business. How the big contracts were negotiated. Which projects bent the rules. Who our competitors were. I knew it all. When Ivy clicked into the office in her new designer heels, my colleagues oohed and aahed. “Wow, Ivy! Is that the latest bag? It must be worth a fortune!” “Did you get a new boyfriend? Spill!” “Oh, come on, you know who her boyfriend is. Better start sucking up now.” Ivy feigned embarrassment. “Stop it, you guys. Office romances are forbidden, you know. Don’t spread rumors.” She added coyly, “I didn’t even want it, but someone insisted on buying it for me.” She glanced at the cheap trinkets on my desk, her eyes filled with smug satisfaction. It was laughable. When Landon and I were together, we scrimped and saved. After he made it big, he never bought me a single item of clothing that cost more than a hundred dollars. I thought he was just naturally frugal. Turns out, he just didn't think I was worth it. A dull, persistent ache started in my chest. I forced a smile and walked to Landon’s office. He raised an eyebrow when I entered. I handed him a report. “This is for the Northside development. There seems to be a problem with the funding. I need to see last year’s bidding contract.” Landon’s hand, which had been flipping through a file, paused. He didn’t question me, just stood up and walked to the safe. After all these years, he still trusted me. But only to a point. He would never let me see the combination. Just as I turned my back to wait for him to enter the code, the door was thrown open. Ivy bounced in without knocking. If that had been me, I would have been chewed out already. But Landon just gave her an indulgent look and tapped her on the nose. “You have no manners.” Ivy wrinkled her nose. “Hmph. Just wanted to see what you old folks were up to.” She shot me a hostile glare. She probably thought I was in here to pick a fight over him, and had rushed in to stake her claim. My chest tightened. Seeing my expression, Landon seemed to remember why I was there. “Claire needs a contract from me.” “Oh,” Ivy said, her tone suddenly sweet. “Let me get it for her.” I was about to remind her that the contract was in the safe, when she reached out and casually keyed in the combination. With a soft click, the safe opened. My world plunged into an icy abyss. I stared at Landon, my eyes wide with disbelief. The pain in my heart was so sharp it was numbing. Landon, how could you? [Does anyone else get a rush seeing the villainess’s face in that moment? Like, duh, he’s going to trust my girl over you. What if you took all the money and ran?] [Haha, this part of the plot is so satisfying. I skipped right to it. The ML is so doting!] I started to tremble uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face. Landon’s first instinct was to shield Ivy, pushing her behind him. “Go on, sweetie. You can go out first.” Ivy crossed her arms and shot me a timid look before scurrying out of the office. The moment I heard the lock click, I lost control.
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