My best friend wouldn't stop nagging me, listing out every pathetic, desperate thing I had done while chasing Tristan Vance. "You gave him your entire heart," she said, exasperated. "And he treated you like a piece of furniture." Finally, she sighed, poking me hard in the forehead. "Please tell me you're done running after him like a lost puppy!" I hesitated for a moment, genuinely confused, and asked, "Who is Tristan Vance?" 1 The moment the words left my mouth, the hospital door creaked open. A man in a crisp white button-down and tailored trousers stood in the doorway. He had a lean, sharp build. With his fine features and gold-rimmed glasses, he radiated an aloof, old-money elegance. My best friend, Harper, let out a loud, exaggerated gasp. "Mr. Vance! You actually found the time to visit?" She then shifted her gaze to the woman trailing right behind him. "Oh, and Miss Blake is here too? Makes sense. Our Stella almost died saving Tristan, which means she practically saved you too, Serena. You definitely owe her a 'thank you', don't you think?" Harper sneered. "Your timing is impeccable. If you came any later, Stella might have already been discharged." Amidst the verbal crossfire, I turned my attention to this "Miss Blake." She was wearing a blush-pink skirt suit, her chestnut hair half-pinned up in a chic, elegant style. Even after hearing Harper’s heavily veiled sarcasm, her expression didn't change. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "I came specifically to thank Stella. I heard she's being discharged? Her injuries must not be too serious, then." 2 According to Harper, I ended up in the hospital because I was trying to protect Serena. Well, more accurately: the moment the massive billboard collapsed on the commercial set, Tristan rushed to shield his childhood sweetheart, Serena. And I, like an idiot, rushed to shield my boyfriend, Tristan. The result? The golden couple stared lovingly into each other's eyes, perfectly safe and unharmed. Meanwhile, the collateral damage—me—got exactly what I asked for: a trip to the ER. Serena stepped past Harper and stood by my bed, her voice soothing. "Stella, we've investigated the incident. We've confirmed the fault lies with the brand's production team, and Tristan has already dispatched our lawyers to hold them accountable." She gently slid a settlement agreement onto my lap table. "Anyway, it's not a huge deal. Tristan and I both agree it’s best if you just sign this liability waiver for now. Once this blows over, we'll make sure you're compensated. "Besides, to be completely honest... if you hadn't suddenly thrown yourself at him, things probably wouldn't have gotten this messy." Tristan and I. She said it so naturally, instantly drawing a thick line in the sand between "them" and "me." Looking at the two strangers in front of me, my heart gave an involuntary, painful squeeze. I frowned, finding my own physical reaction completely baffling. Seeing my silence, Serena casually pushed the waiver closer, looking utterly confident that I would sign it on command. "Tristan and I have to catch a flight for a business trip, so we won't disturb your rest." Tristan stood off to the side, his handsome face completely unreadable. He offered a single, cold sentence: "Get some rest. Stop causing unnecessary drama." And just like that, he turned and left with Serena. 3 The second they were out the door, Harper absolutely exploded. "Stella Monroe, are you a complete doormat?! That woman practically wiped her shoes on your face, and you just sat there?!" I stayed silent for a moment. "Look, I really want to be mad with you, but I literally have no idea who those people are..." Harper sucked in a sharp breath. It finally dawned on her that when I asked Who is Tristan Vance?, it wasn't a dramatic expression of a broken heart. I, Stella Monroe, had been hit in the head so hard I literally got amnesia. 4 After the doctor confirmed my diagnosis, Harper practically wept tears of joy. "Getting hit in the head was the best thing that ever happened to you." A giant question mark materialized above my head. "?" Harper looked at me with deep sincerity. "While you still have a functioning, rational brain, let me give you a piece of advice: stay the hell away from Tristan Vance." Then, she filled me in on the messy, dramatic love triangle between me, Tristan, and Serena. "Serena is Tristan's childhood sweetheart. Unfortunately for them, her family went bankrupt during their sophomore year of college, and her dad shipped her off to Europe." Meanwhile, I had just started my freshman year. I spent four entire years chasing Tristan before I finally managed to thaw the campus ice prince. It was the peak of the tech startup boom, and Tristan and I decided to build a company together. I was always by his side—networking, pitching to investors, working the room. We spun like tops, working ourselves to the bone. We went from drinking with clients until we ended up in urgent care, to finally sitting at the head of the boardroom table, having people respectfully call us Mr. Vance and Ms. Monroe. Back then, we were the power couple of the industry. The year our company went public, Tristan had planned to propose to me. But that was the exact same year Serena returned to the States. 5 The moment she came back, she effortlessly took everything that was mine. The company I had built from the ground up, bleeding and sweating alongside Tristan for years? Serena just frowned, sighed, and said she "couldn't find a reason to stay in the country." With that single sentence, she wiped out years of my hard work and successfully ousted me, stepping in as the new Brand Director. And me? One of the original founders? I was demoted to a mid-level manager handling logistics. Hearing this backstory felt like listening to a stranger's life. Not a single ripple of emotion stirred in my chest. Harper watched my calm face cautiously. "Stella... how are you feeling right now?" I thought about it for a second, then said firmly, "He's human garbage. To hell with him." 6 The next time I saw Tristan was the day of my discharge. Dressed in a charcoal-gray suit, he was holding a generic fruit and floral basket. His long, elegant fingers looked like they belonged in a magazine. He was conventionally gorgeous, exuding an effortless, old-money aura. Serena trailed behind him like a delicate little bird, smiling. "I told Tristan you were getting discharged today. We didn't want to show up empty-handed, so we specifically picked out this basket." Her eyes immediately darted to my bedside table. It was empty. Her face tightened. "Stella, what's going on? It's been days, and you still haven't signed the liability waiver? "Do you have any idea how much pressure the corporate sponsors are putting on us? Are you dragging this out just to throw a tantrum? "You're being completely unreasonable and unprofessional." 7 I completely ignored Serena's interrogating tone. I turned to look at Tristan. "Tristan Vance?" He looked down at me, a hint of impatience in his voice. "What is it now?" I nodded. As long as he was the right guy. "Let's break up." He froze. Harper had just walked in from the hallway and heard exactly that. Her face lit up with pure, unadulterated triumph. She strutted to my side and tapped her temple. "Mr. Vance, our Stella..." She was about to say my brain was finally working. Tristan snapped out of his daze, his brow furrowing. "Is there something wrong with your head?" 8 Harper's face turned beet red with anger. She slammed my medical chart right into his chest. Reading the diagnosis on the paper, Serena couldn't hide her shock. She looked me up and down, then gently tugged on Tristan's sleeve. "Tristan, maybe we should go talk to the doctor. Let's see what exactly is wrong with her." Tristan's gaze lingered on me for a moment before he gave a slight nod. He turned and walked out with Serena. The hospital door clicked shut. Through the thin walls, Serena's soft, calculating voice drifted in. "Amnesia? Really? "How come she remembers everyone else, but conveniently forgot only you? "Even if she forgot everyone, knowing Stella's personality, she should still remember you. "Of course, I'm not saying she's faking it... but you were about to break up with her. Maybe she's just using this as a new tactic to make you stay..." A moment later, Tristan's calm, arrogant voice filtered through the crack in the door. "Yeah. She could never forget me." 9 Serena kept going. "I know you're worried about her, but if she's using tricks like this to manipulate you now, what extreme things will she do next?" She urged him to leave. "It's just a girl throwing a temper tantrum. Tristan, you have a company to run. Let me stay and talk some sense into her." Tristan remained silent for a second, then said coldly, "Handle it." Her blatant manipulation oozed through the door. Harper was practically breathing fire. I didn't care at all. I seized the moment to ask the only question that actually mattered. "Hey, you said the company Tristan and I founded went public. I'm a shareholder, right? So I should be getting a massive annual dividend?" Harper scoffed. "Obviously. "If your company wasn't pulling in insane revenue, do you think Serena would have dropped her 'holier-than-thou' act and practically begged to join the executive team?" Harper looked at me proudly. "What is it? Have you finally come to your senses? Are you going to use your board power to kick her out and take your throne back?! "I've been telling you to do that for years—" I cut her off, waving a dismissive hand. "If I'm already rich, why would I fight her for a stressful Brand Director job? "She wants to work overtime to make me money? Sounds like a great deal to me." 10 When Serena walked back into the room, Tristan was gone. "Stella, Tristan is incredibly busy right now. If it isn't an absolute emergency, please stop bothering him." Her gentle tone masked a thick layer of arrogance. "I know you two are technically dating, but given his status and position now, your lack of tact is putting him in a very difficult spot." I smiled agreeably. "Don't worry, Ms. Blake. I definitely won't hold him back. "After all, I co-founded the company with him. I want him to succeed more than anyone. Why would I cause trouble for my own cash cow?" I was thrilled he was out there grinding to boost my stock portfolio. Serena's face stiffened. She forced a smile and slid a freshly printed document onto my tray. "I'm glad you see it that way. In that case, sign this liability waiver." I smiled. "Yeah, I can't sign that." Serena gave me a look that screamed I knew it. "You're causing all this drama just to force me out of the Brand Department. But it's not going to work." I cut her off. "Harper told me the contracting company that built that set was recommended by you. "A massive structural failure happened under your watch, and you think you can just sweep it under the rug with a piece of paper?" 11 I might have amnesia, but I wasn't stupid. While I was in the hospital, I took the time to read through the case files. Serena's frantic desperation to get my signature meant this accident was directly tied to her. "Who was contracted to build that massive set? I heard your family fell on hard times. Landing a massive corporate contract like that... your little brother must have been thrilled, right?" Serena's face turned ugly. I ignored her and kept going. "A multi-million dollar project, completely botched. You must be having a really hard time explaining this to the board and the sponsors. "If you can get me to sign this waiver, you can hand it over to the corporate clients as a neat little peace offering. Problem solved, everyone is happy... except me, the sacrificial lamb. "But tell me, Serena," I looked at her, genuinely perplexed. "Why on earth would I do that for you? "Do you honestly think you hold any weight with me?" 12 Serena took a deep breath. "Stella, I have no idea what you're talking about. It was just a freak accident. Whether you sign it or not, I have my ways of handling it. "But Tristan is ready to dump you. You'd better start thinking about your own future. "You can't rely on his lingering pity to leech off him forever." She turned to leave, tossing one last quiet insult over her shoulder. "He doesn't love you anymore. Forcing yourself on a man who doesn't want you is just pathetic." 13 I couldn't care less. I unlocked my phone. Besides work group chats, my messages were completely peaceful. Pinned at the very top was Tristan. I tapped on his profile. The chat history was entirely me, pre-amnesia, acting like a desperate simp. Paragraphs of checking in on him, bringing him lunch, asking about his day. And scattered sparsely in between were his cold, one-word replies. [Yeah.] [Got it.] [Fine.] It read exactly like an employee texting a hostile boss. Harper walked me to the elevator, giving me strict instructions. "Be careful. Call me immediately if you can't remember something." I laughed and promised I would. The building concierge helped me scan my fob and took me up. Using my fingerprint to unlock the door, I stepped inside and looked out at the stunning, panoramic city view. My mood was fantastic. Beep. The smart lock chimed again. Tristan had come home. He was wearing a gray wool overcoat, looking like a strict, repressed academic. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his sharp eyes carried a trace of exhaustion. Seeing me, he paused. "You're fully recovered?" His gaze was freezing, looking at me like I was a clown performing a terrible magic trick. "If you have amnesia, how did you know how to get home?" 14 I replied politely, "Mr. Vance, I have amnesia, I didn't lose half my brain cells." "Drop the childish games." His eyes flared with annoyance. "Since you're better, get back to the office tomorrow. "You're already severely lacking in competence. With you gone these past few days, Serena has had to do all your work on top of hers." He rubbed his temples, his voice dripping with tired frustration. "I've told you a million times, Serena and I grew up together. I view her as family. Why do you insist on making her life so difficult?" I nodded. "You're absolutely right. I really shouldn't be making her life difficult." I didn't care about their childhood romance. All I cared about was that she kept generating revenue for my shares. Tristan froze, clearly not expecting me to agree. "Are you finished, Mr. Vance? If so, please leave." Harper had told me that in my peak simp era, I had bought this luxury condo to be our future marital home. As he brushed past me, Tristan suddenly grabbed my arm. His brow furrowed, his handsome face hiding a dark irritation. "What kind of reverse psychology is this now?" 15 Silence hung in the air for a second. Then, Tristan dropped my arm like it was trash. "Forget it. You always pull these stunts. Is this your new strategy to get my attention? "Don't forget to show up to work tomorrow." With that, he left without a shred of hesitation. Before going to bed, I scrolled through Instagram to familiarize myself with my old life. The first thing that popped up was a new photo. It was Serena, smiling sweetly, leaning her head on Tristan's shoulder. They looked like the perfect power couple. The comments were flooded with: [Goals!] [You guys are so cute together!] [When's the wedding?!] I dropped a comment below: [Office romances are cute, but please don't let it affect your productivity.] Do not mess with my dividends. Three seconds later, Tristan replied to my comment. [Are you insane?] 16 The next day, the second I sat at my desk, I saw a mountain of files piled high. The guy sitting at the next desk spun his chair around and barked orders at me. "Stella, handle these. And don't forget you need to go on-site this afternoon to oversee the brand promo setup." He scoffed, full of disdain. "You got a tiny scratch and acted like the sky was falling. Do you know how many days you've been out? If everyone took time off like you, this company would collapse." A guy in thick black glasses chimed in with a sneer. "She's a nepo-baby, what do you expect? Manager Higgins, you better watch your mouth around her. "Taking off over a little scratch, leaving Director Blake to clean up her mess and apologize to the sponsors..." Wow. Serena had some loyal lapdogs. Harper was right. My old brain really was broken to put up with this. I was a founding equity partner, yet I was sitting here doing grunt work for free, letting middle management talk down to me? I beamed a bright smile at them. "A tiny scratch? How about I drop a steel beam on your head and we see how you feel? "And with gossiping little men like you running around, the company's already collapsing." The guy in glasses turned bright red, then pale. Serena materialized out of nowhere. "Stella, you just got back. Why are you picking fights with your coworkers?" She stepped in to play the peacemaker, putting on the act of a benevolent leader protecting her team. "You were gone for days. Their workload doubled. Isn't it normal for them to be a little frustrated? "We all work for the same company. Why are you being so petty?" Oh, so when they insult me, she watches the show, but when I insult them, I'm being petty? I clapped my hands slowly. "Bravo, Director Blake. You're so kind and generous. It's just a shame about your hearing. You didn't hear a single insult they threw at me, did you? "Since you love playing the martyr with other people's dignity, should I commission a statue in your honor?" Serena's face froze. She clearly hadn't expected me to publicly humiliate her like this. "Are you targeting Serena again?" I turned around. Tristan was standing there, looking down at me with an icy glare. He was just as deaf and blind as she was, only seeing what he wanted to see. With Tristan backing her up, Serena instantly grew a spine. She smiled gently, looping her arm through his. "It's fine. Don't blame Stella. I'm used to it." Tristan's lips pressed into a thin line. "Is this company your personal playground to throw tantrums?" Before I could answer, he ordered, "My office. Now." 17 The moment the door closed, Tristan started tearing into me. "Why won't you sign the waiver? Do you have any idea how much money the company will lose because of your petty stubbornness? "Stella, I thought you at least knew how to look at the big picture." His tone was heavy with disappointment. "The old you knew exactly what was appropriate and what wasn't." I nodded in sudden realization. "In other words, you got too comfortable treating me like a doormat, and now you feel entitled to it?" I tossed the dossier I had compiled last night onto his desk. "The contractor who built that promo set entirely ignored our safety regulations and blueprints. That's why it collapsed. "In other words, they cut corners. It wasn't an 'accident.'" The air in the room shifted. Tristan frowned, glancing down at the papers. I looked at Serena. "This project was overseen by Director Blake. She should bear at least ninety percent of the liability. Furthermore, it appears the contractor is actually Director Blake's younger brother?" Tristan's head snapped up. He stared hard at Serena. Serena bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Stella, I know you're angry that I took your Director position, but you shouldn't stoop this low. "Corporate bidding has strict protocols. I'm just a mid-level director, I don't have the power to rig a bid." Serena was utterly incompetent, but she was a master at using Tristan's name to bully the procurement department into doing her bidding. I didn't have the time or energy to fight her on this. A faint smile touched my lips. "I'm thrilled you're working for me, Director Blake. Why would I frame you? "I don't dislike you because you're malicious. I dislike you because you're talentless, yet you insist on acting like you run the place. "You're in way over your head." 18 All the color drained from Serena's face. She furrowed her brow, and her two loyal lapdogs immediately jumped in to defend her. Serena's assistant barked at me, "Just because you're the CEO's girlfriend doesn't mean you can throw your weight around and make up lies! Everyone knows how hard Director Blake works! "You might be dating Mr. Vance, but does anyone in this company actually respect you? "If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut and be grateful I get to ride his coattails, instead of making a fool of myself." I stood there calmly. The mocking, scornful eyes of the office staff were fixed on me. Whispers hissed through the bullpen. Through the glass walls of his private office, Tristan stood silently, just watching the circus unfold. It was hilarious. "I compiled all the evidence in that file. You didn't even look at it before accusing me of abusing my power. "I am Tristan's ex-girlfriend, yes. But more importantly, I am a founding equity partner of this company. "If I truly abused my power, you would have been fired an hour ago, and you wouldn't be standing here running your mouth." I stood up, my voice turning to ice. "I officially resign from my position as Operations Director." Tristan jolted, staring at me in shock. I thought he was going to threaten my severance package. Instead, his lips parted slightly. "Ex-girlfriend? What are you talking about?" I looked him dead in the eyes, enunciating every word. "Before I left the hospital, I told you we were broken up, Mr. Vance."
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