Five Years Building His Legacy, I Was Just His Stand-in

The day the company went public.

Ethan and I snuck away from the celebrating employees outside to have our own private celebration in the CEO's office.

The blinds were drawn tight. On the leather sofa, my silk slip dress had been roughly shoved up to my waist, leaving my chest completely exposed.

Ethan pinned me down beneath him, his burning lips trailing from my collarbone downward, sucking and biting hard, leaving behind a trail of bright red marks.

His long, strong fingers slid mercilessly under my skirt, rubbing my most sensitive spot through the thin fabric.

"Ethan, not here," I said, my body going weak from his touch as my legs instinctively wrapped around his firm waist.

Just as his hand was about to pull away the last bit of fabric covering me, his phone on the desk buzzed.

The message was clearly visible: [Do you think Sophie will still get the Sales Director position?]

I froze for a moment. Fighting back the wetness and emptiness building between my legs, I hooked my arm around Ethan's neck and laughed breathlessly, "The company announcement already went out. How could they even think something so ridiculous?"

Ethan paused for half a second. His eyes were dark with desire as he kissed me hard, his tongue forcing its way in and swallowing all my protests.

While roughly squeezing my breasts, he said in a hoarse voice against my ear, "I forgot to tell you. The announcement was pulled back. Nora said the Sales Director position sounds challenging. She wants to try it."

Chapter One

When I heard Ethan's words, my mind went completely blank. All the blood in my body seemed to drain away, leaving me ice cold.

My body, which had been lost in passion just a second ago, suddenly went rigid. My jaw clenched tight without thinking.

Until I tasted something metallic and sweet on my tongue.

Ethan let out a pained grunt and pulled back sharply, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. He frowned at me, the desire in his eyes instantly replaced by something harsh, "What's wrong with you? Are you crazy?"

His look was cold in a way I didn't recognize.

There I was, clothes in disarray, legs spread wide beneath him, looking like a complete joke.

I shoved hard against his hot chest and scrambled to pull up my fallen straps, backing away to put distance between us.

Even though I tried to stay calm, my trembling voice gave away my anger, "Promotions at this company are based on performance! Nora just got back—why should she get special treatment to become Sales Director? And you promised me! You said that position was mine!"

Ethan stood up slowly, casually adjusting his pants.

He picked up his wine glass from the desk and lit a cigarette in irritation. Through the gray smoke, his eyes swept over my reddened eyes and still-heaving chest without restraint.

"Sophie, are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

He blew out a smoke ring, his voice ice cold, "If we're being honest, Nora's been with the company longer than you. Even if she's coming back from outside, she's got more experience than you. Besides, if we're talking about special treatment, you didn't even qualify to get into Starshine Corp in the first place!"

After saying this quietly, Ethan looked at me without a trace of his earlier warmth.

My whole body shook.

He was right. Five years ago, I was just a college grad who couldn't find a job anywhere.

The person who interviewed me at Starshine Corp was Nora.

She wore a designer dress and looked at me like I was trash, mocking me for being a fashion-clueless hick.

People warned me not to cross her because she was Ethan's "sweetheart."

To make her smile, Ethan would bring in top-tier teams. Even the name "Starshine Corp" was something she came up with on a whim.

But when the company hit its crisis, Nora stole confidential information and jumped ship to a competitor!

I was the one who used my body and sweat to help Ethan get through his breakdown and darkest days. I was the one who begged people everywhere to bring in orders.

Everyone thought they'd never speak again.

But now, Nora was back.

Seeing my silence, Ethan took a deep breath, as if holding something back, "Her old company's boss ran off abroad with all the money. She's been through a lot. When I saw her a few days ago, I barely recognized her."

I bit my lip hard and laughed coldly, "So what? She got what she deserved! If that bitch hadn't—"

"Shut up!" Ethan completely lost it. He raised his hand and nearly slapped me across the face.

The force of the wind swept past as I froze in place, staring at him in disbelief.

His face was dark as he held his hand in mid-air, finally lowering it in frustration, "Sophie, I put you in a high position, not so you could become this kind of cold, bitter woman."

My chest felt tight and painful. With tears in my eyes, I shoved him away hard and grabbed the documents from the desk, running toward the door, "I don't care—I don't agree! The Sales Director position is mine. I earned it by letting clients pour drink after drink down my throat. I fought for it myself!"

I pulled open the door and ran straight into my assistant carrying a cake.

He was about to knock when the door suddenly opened. He looked at me in shock, "Sophie, I came to bring you and Mr. Ramirez a celebration cake. What's wrong?"

Following his stunned gaze, I realized how I must look right now.

Messy hair, a dress wrinkled all over, my collarbone to my chest covered in kiss marks Ethan had just left.

This was Ethan's nasty habit during sex.

He liked to leave marks in the most visible places, like a dog marking its territory to let everyone know I was his woman.

I used to think this proved I was special to him. Now it just felt disgusting!

I covered my neck in embarrassment, "It's nothing. I just have something to do."

That's when Ethan walked out.

He was in a suit and tie, perfectly put together, showing no sign of the passion from moments ago, as if he wasn't the one who'd just touched me until I couldn't breathe on that sofa.

He looked down at my exposed shoulders, his face darkening. He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around me, saying coldly, "Sophie, you're a woman. Do you really have to make yourself look like this—half-dressed and slutty—for other people to see?"

Before I could respond, he watched the assistant walk away, his thin lips curving into a cruel smile, "Even if I give Nora the position, it's just because I feel sorry for her. You're still the one moaning under me every night, aren't you? What are you unhappy about?"

My stomach churned. I ripped off his cologne-scented jacket and threw it at him, "Sorry, but I think it's dirty. I'm not interested in sharing a sex toy with someone else!"

As soon as I turned around, a strong force yanked my arm back!

I stumbled backward into his hard chest. He scooped me up and dragged me straight back into the office.

The door locked behind us.

Ethan's eyes burned with wild fury. He pinned me hard against the door, forcing one leg between mine. His hot, hard cock pressed against my stomach through the fabric.

"Sophie, have I been fucking you too well? Made you forget your place?"

He growled in my ear like a beast in heat.

My wrist hurt so much in his grip I thought it might break. I opened my mouth to argue back, but tears started falling like broken beads, out of control.

"Yeah, you've been good to me. So good I thought I could actually replace her."

My voice shook as I cried, "But the second she crooks her finger, you not only give her my position, you stomp on my dignity too!"

Feeling my warm tears hit the back of his hand, Ethan, who'd been furious, suddenly froze.

The violence in his eyes disappeared instantly. That terrifying hardness pulled back slightly.

He quickly released my wrist, his rough fingertips gently wiping away my tears, "Did I hurt you?"

I turned my head away, avoiding Ethan's burning gaze, and choked out, "Whatever. Starshine Corp can have her or me, not both."

Seeing me crying like this, he suddenly laughed low in his throat, both annoyed and amused, grabbing my chin, "You've been an executive for years now. So wild when we're fucking, but still acting like a child when we're not. Did you forget about that reception? If I hadn't burst in right then..."

I knew what he was talking about.

That time I was trying to close a deal and a client got handsy with me. Ethan rushed in like a madman and used his body to shield me. Someone hit him in the head with a bottle. He still has a scar on his temple.

The look in his eyes and the warmth of his palm finally broke down all my defenses.

The hurt inside me came flooding out like a tide. I finally couldn't help reaching out to wrap my arms tightly around Ethan's waist, pressing my face against his chest and crying, "I'm just scared she'll take you away. It's not that I need that director position—I'm just afraid I'll end up with nothing."

At the end of the day, I didn't even have the confidence to admit I was jealous. I could only hide my fear of losing him behind false bravado.

Ethan's hand pressed down hard on the back of my head. He sighed and lowered his head to kiss my swollen lips, his lower body pressing tight against me again.

"Stop crying."

His voice was terribly hoarse—that aggressive sound of arousal, "Everything's yours. Even I can only fuck you. No one can take that away."