Chapter 1

Davin Slade closed the file in his hands, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and glanced at me as though bestowing a favor.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he said, "Well then, here's to a successful partnership, Ms. Leigh."

I stared at his polite demeanor, my face pale as I recalled the events of the previous night.

When John Vaughn, an old investor of my company, was dragging me into a room, the elevator doors chimed and opened to reveal Davin inside, straight-backed and still. Just as the doors were about to close, I cried out to him and pleaded for help.

The image of John sprawled on the ground, beaten bloody, was still vivid in my mind.

I swallowed hard, unsure if I had made the right choice. Pushing down the unease in my chest, I replied with difficulty, "Pleasure working with you."

After I had packed up and was ready to leave the hotel, I happened to run into Tanner Clarkson and Willow Thorne in the lobby.

Tanner had an arm wrapped around Willow affectionately.

When they saw me, Tanner awkwardly retrieved his arm, while Willow rushed forward with concern. Although her face was filled with gratitude, there was provocation in her eyes.

"Katherine, are you okay? Did that old bastard hurt you? I'm so sorry. I should've endured his harassment so that you wouldn't have had to go through that."

The surrounding crowd went quiet for a moment upon hearing her words, and their eyes turned to me. Their gazes were a mixture of disdain and pity.

On the other hand, Tanner's face twisted slightly in disgust as he pulled Willow back to his side and reprimanded her, "What do you mean endure? A woman needs to protect herself first."

His disregard for me stirred a bitter feeling in my chest. I went up to him and looked at him with teary eyes. "Tanner, nothing happened last night. Don't you believe me?"

Tanner paused, and something flickered in his eyes.

Willow tugged at his sleeve and pouted. "But Mr. Vaughn said that if we didn't make it up to him, he'd withdraw the investment. He even called Tanner this morning to confirm that the deal would continue.

"I understand no woman wants to admit it when something like this happened to them, but Katherine, you can't lie just for the sake of your pride!"

I clenched my fists tightly and glared at her with indignation. "Shut up!"

Last night, when I had been soaked in ice water, dazed and shivering, Davin had pulled me from the bathtub and pressed my ear against the wall, forcing me to listen.

In the room next door, they had opened a bottle of champagne, laughing and celebrating in advance for securing the deal that would make the company go public on the stock market.

Tanner shot me a look of dissatisfaction and scolded me for snapping at his secretary. "Why are you yelling at her? What did she say wrong?"

I stared at him in shock while tears blurred my vision.

My strange behavior seemed to have startled Tanner. He uncharacteristically wrapped his arm around my shoulder and comforted me in a low voice, "Kathy, you need to trust that your sacrifice will be worth it. After the company goes public, I'll make it up to you."

When I remained silent, he grew impatient, and his tone became stiff and forced. "You just want to marry me, right? Fine. I promise we'll have the wedding once the company goes public."

"Enough!"

I looked at his impatient expression and felt a sense of self-mockery.

It was hard to believe this was the man I had been chasing for so long. The one I thought I would burn everything for, just to stand by his side.

The idea of spending a life with him had completely disappeared by now.

Holding back my tears, I looked up at Tanner and said with determination, "No, I don't want to marry you anymore."

Willow let out a small, triumphant smile and immediately exclaimed gleefully, "That's great! You never deserved Tanner anyway!"

However, Tanner's face darkened instantly. His gaze fixed on me, heavy and silent, as if trying to force me into submission through his silence alone.

In the past, whenever he gave me that look, I would immediately apologize and do everything I could to please him. But this time, I didn't avoid his gaze.

I uttered each word with finality, "Tanner, I mean it. I don't want to marry you anymore. Our relationship ends here."

"Katherine!" he shouted at me.

I stood my ground, unmoving.

After a tense staredown, he sneered and said, "I'll wait for the day you regret this."

With that, he dragged Willow away and left me behind.