Chapter 1

Haisley sucked in a sharp breath, then let out a quiet laugh.

"What's this? World finally beat you down? Ready to come home and take the throne?"

Classic Haisley—teasing, but always got my back.

I wasn't in the mood. "Yeah. I'm coming back. Set it up."

She caught the shift in my voice, knew something went down.

"Come back," she said. "Gauthier Corp's always got room for you."

Minutes after we hung up, HR called—full apology, offer back on the table.

Not long after, Yvette called.

"Dylan, we've been in a cold war for a whole day. You done being dramatic?" Her voice all smug, like she was doing me a favor. "Don't blame me. Kevin was jobless and literally getting sick from stress. Try to see the bigger picture."

My chest burned, hands shaking. "I'm your boyfriend. And you sold me out so Kevin could take my spot. How could you even do that?"

"I didn't have a choice, did I?" Yvette said, all casual, like she was the voice of reason. "Kevin couldn't land anything decent. He's been a wreck—snapping at everyone.

"Gauthier Corp's perfect for him. Good pay, low stress, close to home.

"You're talented—just apply somewhere else. No need to make this a thing."

I laughed, bitter. "You know how many nights I pulled for that job? How much I burned out?

"I only applied 'cause you were interning there—I just wanted to be with you. And right when I was about to make it, you turned me in.

"Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?"

Yvette snapped. "Dylan Dunham, is your heart made of stone? You're so selfish! Kevin's your junior—you're supposed to help him! It's just a dumb job. Are you really that desperate?"

"You're yelling at me?" My whole body went cold. I couldn't believe she actually said that.

"If it's such a stupid job," I shot back, "why'd you report me just to hand it over to Kevin? If he's so talented, let him earn one himself."

"Why bother when we had one right there?" she said, smug. "All you had to do was send out a few more résumés. Maybe if you stopped whining, you'd already have another offer. You're the one wasting time."

Yvette let out this dramatic sigh. "Dylan, I thought you were the nice, generous type—like, dream boyfriend material. Never figured you'd be this petty.

"You're just salty you lost the job and can't flex on your classmates, huh? That's why you're starting drama."

Her words cut deep. Heart twisted up.

Petty?

It was just an intern gig. I didn't even need it.

I applied because she was there. That's it. Just wanted to be close to her.

If I really wanted to, I could've walked into management with one word to my sister.

But now? I was done. No more words.

I was already shattered.

All I wanted was to shut her and that fake-sweet snake up—for good.

I let out a quiet sigh. Yvette took it as surrender.

She jumped right in, smug. "Alright, I get it—you've been wronged. I can help you reach out to some small companies. You'll definitely get something. Maybe not Gauthier level, but it's a solid start."

She kept going like she was handing me a golden ticket.

I cut her off, cold. "Don't bother."

Yvette sneered. "Ha! Graduation's coming up. You really think you'll land a good job without me?"

I fired back, "Wouldn't dream of bothering you. Last thing I need is getting an offer just to have someone snitch and hand it off again. I've got it covered. Neither of you needs to stress."

She lost it. "Can you get real for once? You think you passed Gauthier's interview on your own? If I hadn't coached you, you wouldn't have made it past round one. Without me, you're nothing!"