Chapter 1

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

“Miss Smith, we’re competitors! You’re not planning to steal our trade secrets, are you?”

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Over the years, I had built quite a reputation for myself while helping the company grow.

Everyone in the industry knew that Alex Smith would stop at nothing to land a deal.

Drinking with clients until I ended up vomiting blood was practically routine.

It wasn’t because I didn’t care about my health or because I was desperate for money.

When I first joined the company, my mother was in the hospital after a car accident and urgently needed money for her medical bills.

When my boss, James Farr, found out, he paid the bills for me without a second thought.

The company had only just been established and was already struggling financially. James himself had been surviving on cheap meals every day, yet he still reached out to help me when I was in trouble.

That was when I secretly vowed to help the company grow and succeed.

Over the next six years, I treated James as a comrade fighting alongside me and the company as my home.

Now, the company had moved from a tiny basement office into a prestigious office tower in the financial district.

But James had gradually lost sight of himself in the pursuit of profit.

I swallowed the bitterness in my chest and gave a soft laugh.

“Mr. Warren, you know I’ve never treated a project as a joke. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about resigning.”

After hearing me, Daniel Warren sounded bewildered.

“You’re Sterling’s top salesperson and one of its longest-serving employees. Would your boss really be willing to let you go?

“Besides, when I tried to recruit you before, I told you to name your price, and you still refused to leave. Why are you suddenly planning to resign?”

It was true.

Recruiters had been calling me nonstop over the years, and each offer had been more tempting than the last.

Even so, I had never once considered leaving.

I even worked harder to keep my boss from suspecting that I was disloyal, bringing in one major contract after another for the company.

I believed James would see all my efforts and remember everything I did for him.

But only today had I realized that he had long since let greed blind him.

I shook off those thoughts and briefly explained what had happened to Daniel.

He sounded stunned.

“This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a company mistreating its top salesperson. Come work for me. Like I said before, name your price.”

His words sent a warm current through me and gave me a much-needed boost of confidence.

“Mr. Warren, there’s no need to rush into discussing my position. Come to the Dawnbreaker Project bidding ceremony in three days. I’ll make sure you get a front-row seat to the show.”