Chapter 5

Scattered among the mess were documents I'd stayed up late organizing, candy I kept on hand in case my blood sugar dropped, and the only travel photo Harrison and I had ever taken together. It had been snapped in a hurry during a business trip years ago.

I ignored Celeste and turned instead to Harrison, who had been standing off to the side, calmly watching the entire scene from the beginning.

The moment our eyes met, some of the nonchalance disappeared from his face.

After a brief pause, he walked over, picked up the photo, and carefully set it back on the desk.

"Celeste has a point. For convenience, she'll be using this office for the time being. Besides, most of that stuff is old anyway. If it's been thrown out, so be it. We'll keep this photo frame for now..."

"No need." I cut him off and said calmly, "You're right. When something gets old, it's time to throw it away. So I don't want this anymore either."

With that, I picked up my laptop and walked out.

Harrison stood frozen in place, watching in silence until I disappeared from sight.

I went home and packed a few things. After seven years of marriage, one large suitcase was more than enough to hold everything I wanted to take with me.

I didn't linger. I wheeled my suitcase out the door and took a cab to the international airport.

Even while I was checking in, I was still handling the final details with the Westerland partners.

My phone vibrated. A message from Harrison appeared.

It was a photo of the press conference.

When I didn't reply, he unsent it a little while later. Then, as if trying to cover for himself, he sent another message: [Sent that to the wrong person.]

Two minutes later, another message came through. [You're really not coming? The Westerland project is your life's work.]

I still didn't reply.

After one final call with the partners, I turned off my phone and boarded the plane.

Of course, I knew how much of myself I'd poured into that project, which was exactly why no one was going to take it from me.

...

The press conference was an elaborate affair. It was being livestreamed worldwide, with countless business leaders watching.

Celeste wore an elegant evening gown, smiling brightly as she held Harrison's arm. Harrison stood beside her in a perfectly tailored suit, looking every inch the successful CEO.

However, his eyes remained fixed on the message thread that still had no reply, and his unease grew by the second.

Was she really not coming?

He didn't believe it.

Serena had practically worked herself to death securing this deal. She'd poured everything she had into it. There was no way she'd give it up this easily.

But the press conference had to continue.

When it was time for the project lead to speak, Celeste smoothed her dress and walked onto the stage with a radiant smile.

Instantly, camera flashes erupted more intensely than ever.

Yet as Harrison watched from below the stage, all he could picture was Serena standing up there instead.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Celeste Foster, the project lead. I'm delighted to have you all here for today's launch—"

She hadn't even finished her first sentence when Harrison's assistant, Hayden Santos, suddenly rushed over, panic written all over his face. Ignoring the countless cameras surrounding them, he leaned close to Harrison and hissed urgently into his ear.

"Mr. Knight, we have a serious problem! One minute ago, RT Group issued an official statement. The Westerland project belongs to RT. Director Wilson left the company—and took the partnership with her!"