All Chapters of Ex-husband, Step Aside: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

POV: Sloane The morning begins early. I sat at my desk, staring at the logo on the wall. Harper Solutions. The name looks small now, but it means everything to me.I open my laptop and scroll through numbers. The client list is short, but one name stands out—a tech firm ready to sign a contract. I whisper to myself, “This is the start.”Evelyn calls and asks if I’m ready for the meeting. I tell her I’ve been ready for weeks. She laughs softly and says, “Make them believe in you.” I hang up and take one more deep breath.The meeting starts with nervous faces across the table. The men look at me like they want proof that I can handle it. I give them my pitch slowly, each point clear.When it ends, they nod and shake hands. One of them says, “You’ll hear from us soon.” I smile and reply, “I’ll be waiting.” I leave knowing I did everything right.By evening, the message comes in. “Congratulations. Contract approved.” I stare at the words, barely breathing. I whisper, “You did it, Sloane.

Nathan’s tone changes before the gala begins. His messages sound less polite, more demanding. He wants me to arrive early so we can “enter together.” I read the text twice before replying with a short see you there. I feel uneasy, but I decide to go anyway.At the gala, his smile looks forced. He compliments me again, but it feels like a trick. He asks who else I’ll be speaking with tonight, and his eyes move around too quickly. I sense something behind his calm face.When I walk away to greet another guest, he follows. He laughs too loudly at things I don’t find funny. I notice how often he checks his phone. It buzzes once, and I catch a glimpse of a name on the screen—Adrian.My heart stops for a second. I pretend not to notice. I excuse myself and walk toward the restroom, my thoughts racing. Why is he talking to Adrian? I wait for a moment, breathing hard. Then I take out my phone and open my messages with Nathan. I scroll through his past words—how perfect I am, how he wants to p

POV: Gabriel HaleSloane walks into my office right on time. Her steps are calm, her tone steady when she greets me. I stand to shake her hand, but she only gives a short nod. I tell myself not to overthink it.I’ve watched her from a distance for months. Her rise after everything Adrian did has been fast, almost too fast. Every time her name appears in a headline, I feel something inside me tighten. I tell myself it’s admiration, not attraction.When she sits, I start explaining the proposal. I tell her Hale Enterprises wants to partner with Harper Solutions on the new expansion. She listens quietly, her face unreadable. I can’t tell if she’s interested or bored.She asks what’s in it for me. The question cuts clean through the air. I pause for a second before answering. I tell her I want to build something that matters, something solid, not built on old grudges.She raises an eyebrow and says I sound like a politician. I smile, but her expression doesn’t change. I add that my compan

POV: Sloane HarperWhen the news came that I had won the client, I sat still for a long time. It didn’t feel real at first. The account had been the biggest one on the list, the kind that could change everything. I thought of the nights I stayed awake perfecting the proposal while Daisy slept in the next room. My phone buzzed again and again with messages of congratulations, but I didn’t smile. I only thought of Adrian’s face when he found out.He called that same afternoon. His voice was sharp, pretending to sound calm. “You think this is over, Sloane?” he said. I told him it wasn’t a competition, but he laughed. “You stole my ideas,” he said. “You used what you learned from me.” I told him I built Harper Solutions from nothing. He didn’t believe me.After the call, I sat in silence. His words stayed in my head. I knew this would come, but it still cut deep. I had left him to build something new, not to keep fighting old battles. I whispered to myself that I didn’t need his approval.

POV: Sloane HarperVictor calls me early in the morning. His tone is smooth, and his words come dressed in promises. He talks about comfort, stability, and a future where Daisy never lacks anything. I listen, silent, because I’ve learned that silence gives power. He offers to put everything in Daisy’s name if I agree to be his partner. My heart feels tight, but my mind stays calm.He says I should stop working so hard and let him take care of things. He says it as if my effort is a burden, as if ambition doesn’t belong to women. I grip the edge of my desk, forcing my voice to stay steady. I tell him I’ll think about it, though my answer is already clear in my head. I can’t let another man decide my life.When I end the call, my phone buzzes again. Gabriel’s name flashes on the screen. His voice is low and warm, the kind that makes words linger longer than they should. He asks if I’m all right, and I lie, saying I’m fine. He says he has an idea, one that could strengthen Harper Solutio