Chapter 4

The moment I stepped into the office, I heard several coworkers whispering in the break room.

"Did you hear? Yvette just joined the firm, and she's already been promoted to assistant director of administration. Zane personally recommended her to the president."

I lowered my head and pretended not to hear as I went to my desk and sat down.

I had barely opened the file in front of me when a commotion broke out in the adjoining work area.

"Come look! This is the design Yvette won the award for! The president had it printed and put up on the display board!"

"Oh my God, this is incredible. No wonder it won the gold medal!"

I looked up and saw several coworkers gathered around a large architectural rendering, admiring it enthusiastically.

Sunlight streamed through the windows and fell across the drawing, illuminating every line and annotation with perfect clarity.

My gaze locked on the page.

The instant I recognized it, my pupils contracted and all the blood in my body seemed to turn cold.

That drawing...

It was mine.

I had spent more than six months working on it. Every line, every annotation, every detail had come from countless sleepless nights and seventeen rounds of revisions before I was finally satisfied.

It wasn't just another set of plans. It represented everything I had learned and developed over years of working in architecture, the clearest expression of the dream I had once pursued for myself.

I hadn't even shown it to Zane.

I had always planned to wait until after the wedding, then surprise him with it.

I had imagined telling him, "Zane, look. I can create something remarkable too. I'm not just a shadow following behind you. I can shine on my own."

But now, the work I had guarded so carefully had someone else's name printed across it.

Yvette Quinn.

The bold black letters seemed to cut straight through me.

"This design is amazing! No wonder it won an award!"

"Zane really knows talent when he sees it. He found a rising star right away!"

Praise poured in from every direction, but I could no longer make out the words. My ears rang and my vision dimmed in waves, forcing me to grip the edge of my desk just to stay on my feet.

I stood frozen, my fingers clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white and my nails dug into my palms, yet I barely felt the pain. Nothing hurt as much as the cold realization settling over me.

When I finally spoke, my voice was so dry and hoarse that I almost didn't recognize it.

"That design... is mine. My original drawings disappeared from the office two weeks ago."

I hadn't spoken loudly, but the effect was immediate. The noisy room fell completely silent.

Every head turned toward me, the faces around me filled with shock, contempt, and open curiosity at the drama unfolding in front of them.

A coworker pouring water in the break room stopped mid-motion, while people passing through the hallway slowed and turned to watch.

Within seconds, I had become the center of attention.

I didn't know when Yvette had arrived.

She stood beside Zane in a perfectly tailored white dress, her long hair falling smoothly over her shoulders and her makeup immaculate. Dressed all in white, she looked pristine and untouched by anything around her.

At my accusation, she tilted her head slightly. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes so quickly that I almost missed it, only to be replaced just as quickly by a wounded expression.

"Ms. Stone, what are you talking about?"

Her voice was soft, trembling just enough to sound genuinely shocked.