Chapter 3

When I heard that, I grabbed my bag and stood up.

"Great. I'll leave right now. And since you fired me, don't forget my tripled severance."

I walked out of the company without looking back.

Once outside, I called my brother, Steven Luxton.

"Steven, cancel the partnership. Chris fired me."

Steven was shocked. "Isn't Chris your boyfriend? You two built that company when you were still in college. Why did he fire you?"

I told Steven everything that happened.

Steven slammed the table in anger.

"Break up with him. Immediately! A guy like that is trash. I'll find you someone more handsome and loyal. As for that partnership, forget it. If it weren't for you, a tiny company like his wouldn't even make it past our first round of screening."

After getting home, I still felt frustrated when I thought about all the effort I had put in.

Steven saw how down I was and read my mind instantly.

"Janet, come to my company. You can handle this partnership yourself. Get familiar with the place. You own shares in the company, anyway. Once you settle in, you get to choose whoever you want to work with."

I thought for a moment and agreed.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the Luxton Group bidding meeting.

The moment I walked in, I saw Chris with his arm around Shirley's waist. When he spotted me, he looked annoyed.

"Janet, you're not the project lead anymore. How do you even have the nerve to show up?"

Shirley looked at me with open mockery. "Janet, didn't you say you were leaving the company? Why are you still here?"

I shot them a cold look. "This isn't your company. Why can't I be here?"

Chris snorted. "Janet, if not for using our company's name, you wouldn't even get through Luxton Group's front door. Leave before security drags you out and embarrasses you."

I rolled my eyes and was ready to walk away, but Chris grabbed me and threw me onto the floor.

"Security! Why is just anyone allowed inside?"

The guards came running.

"This woman is pretending to be from our company and causing trouble. Get her out!"

I quickly explained, "There's been a misunderstanding. I'm the project lead representing Luxton Group."

Chris let out a mocking laugh.

"Are you still lying? You just left our company and suddenly became Luxton Group's project lead? Who do you think you are? As if Luxton Group would ever want you!"

As I was thrown out the front door, people whispered around me.

I snorted and sat down right outside. I'd like to see how they planned to hold the meeting without me.

Inside the Luxton Group conference room, ten minutes passed. Chris asked the executive staff member when the meeting would begin.

The executive staff member frowned.

"Our project lead isn't here yet."

Another thirty minutes went by before he spoke again.

"Didn't Ms. Saunders say she arrived early? Why isn't she here yet?"

Someone suggested calling to check. I was sipping coffee at the cafe downstairs when the call came in.

Hearing the question, I said calmly, "Oh, I was thrown out. I'm at the cafe downstairs."

A few minutes later, Chris and the others rushed in. Their faces were drenched in sweat.