YEAR

mpossible gloss. Music drifted like silk through the air, and laughter blended with the clink of ch

the marble floor, each one the measured beat of my heart. My emerald satin gown shimmered in the light, clinging to every curve

't know m

stepping on me was the final act of his rise. And as fate would have it, there he was in front of me, talking and s

lder ambition. Perfect for the man who once cl

. Could have walked straight to the st

thout being told. So I worked through the crowd, scanning for a waiter with a silver tray

om my hand as its contents spilled on

at the same time as mine. Our fingers

se

d for a lipstick. He stared at me. His brow furrowed ever so slightly beneath the el

?" he asked, his head til

king my compact fro

ling? Is everything alright?" He blinked, faked a s

not before I saw that tight look of confusion. The strain in his jaw. He just stood t

d s

the backstage. A tech greeted me with a cl

breath in. My

aside, the lights dimmed. The room hushed, a thick

can the room. I felt every eye shift in my direction. Curiosity rippled through the room-who

phone and spoke, my voice c

g, ladies an

ushed. Cam

ds. And I'm the CEO an

firecrackers. I removed my mask slowly, deliberately, my eyes lo

My Dominic, fr

His fiancée clutched his arm, saying something urgentl

with perfect calm. "Rumors of a tech company rising stealthily, picking up ass

rstly, let me tell yo

urmurs, then

n. Of betrayal. Of ashes som

They had no idea who I was

ietly walk away are defeated. That women, especially the quiet ones who silentl

reath. "But sometimes, silence is a strategy. Sometimes t

stared at him confused but the wor

behind to clean up the mess. I even watched them steal ideas to present in boardrooms. But I didn't break, I built myself up. I studied.

e legacy firms. We've taken the scraps you discarded and turne

let the nex

d you don't know my n

azed-like a man seeing the ghost of his

d unleashed. The crowd surged to its feet. Cheers. Fla

to the stage. He didn't rush it. He was caught in some internal tug-of-war, unsure if h

ach other. He stared at me as if he'd seen a ghost but

steel. "Three years, Dominic. And all it took was a new dress, a godd

rom him and directly into the eyes of a man waiting nearby. "It looks

pulled me close, and I ki

memory now. You'

staring until the room erupted into

urned around to look at Dominic

tunned and clearly sensing something was very, very wrong. I met

tarted and he has no idea w