Chapter 3

I started putting together my handover files.

Grayson’s firm had offered me a design partner role, leading next year’s historic building conversion projects across North America.

I’d started out in spatial design. Over the years at Apex Group, besides the home goods line, I’d worked on commercial projects too. But Grayson’s firm had always done the work I truly loved: bringing old buildings back to life.

They’d tried to poach me three years ago. I’d turned them down flat.

Back then, Preston had just taken over Apex Group. The supply chain had collapsed, the flagship store expansion had failed, and the company had six months of cash left at most.

The design team and I worked ourselves into the ground for four months to get the product line back on its feet.

Preston held me in his office back then. “Sera, once the company’s through this, I swear you’ll never regret staying.”

Before I could formally resign, something happened at work.

After the new collection took off, marketing planned a national pop-up tour.

At the meeting, Vanessa presented a proposal.

Halfway through, I realized it was built almost entirely on an early concept I’d killed three months earlier.

Even the copy I’d scribbled in the margins of that draft showed up word for word in her slides.

After the meeting, I stopped her. “Vanessa.”

She was still smiling when she turned around.

“Where did that proposal come from?”

Her smile faltered for a second, then snapped back. “I made it.”

I didn’t let her off the hook. “That first draft was in my personal cloud account. How did you get it?”

Two seconds of silence.

Finally she said, “Preston gave it to me.”

My heart gave a dull throb. “How did he have it?”

“Didn’t you leave your laptop in his car a while back? He said he saw this version and thought it was good, and since you weren’t using it anyway, I could use it for reference.”

“Reference?”

The corners of her mouth turned down. “Sera, don’t make it sound so ugly. You weren’t using it.”

“Not using it doesn’t make it not mine.”

“But Apex is Preston’s company.”

She said it like it was obvious. I suddenly lost all interest in arguing and turned to go.

Vanessa stepped in front of me, sounding wronged and righteous at once. “What is going on with you, Sera? You used to be so easygoing. I borrow one of your old drafts and you’re making a federal case out of it?”

She took a breath, and her eyes suddenly welled up. “Is this because Preston’s been looking out for me lately? So you’re picking on me at work?”

Right on cue, the double doors of the conference room swung open.

Preston stood in the doorway, frowning.

His eyes went to Vanessa’s face, on the verge of tears, before they came to me. He sounded thoroughly impatient. “What’s going on?”

Vanessa immediately stepped back and softened her voice. “Nothing, Preston. I shouldn’t have used Sera’s old file. If she minds, I’ll just redo it.”

Preston barely hesitated. “It’s a rejected draft. That’s all.”

I laughed. “You gave my file to Vanessa without asking me?”

Preston’s jaw tightened. “Sera, the proposal is a company project asset. You’re an Apex designer. There’s no need to draw such hard lines around work.”

“Then why is Vanessa the only name on it?”

Vanessa went pale. Preston said nothing.

I smiled and walked out.

Preston called after me. “Sera. On the tour, Vanessa handles marketing execution and you handle design. You’re one team. Don’t turn a byline into a scene.”

I looked back at him once and said nothing more.

At four that afternoon, I emailed my resignation to Preston and HR.