Chapter 1

There was a project at our company that promised a £50,000 bonus upon completion.

As the lead planner, I had worked my fingers to the bone for over half a year, pushing the project to 99% completion. Yet, just a week ago, right at the final hurdle, Charlotte—the daughter of the company’s largest shareholder—got jealous.

Eager to steal the ultimate credit, she forcibly parachuted into the project department, hijacked my position as the lead planner, and insisted on presenting the pitch to the client’s top executives herself.

Amateurs dictating to professionals—the outcome was entirely predictable.

Her arrogant, clueless micro-management completely infuriated the client’s Big Boss. They flipped out on the spot, threatening to terminate the contract and seek damages.

After causing this catastrophic disaster, the "princess"—who normally paraded around calling everyone her "bros"—played dead at the speed of light.

She ignored calls, left emails unread, and threw the entirely collapsed, hopeless mess right into my face.

For the sake of my team's blood, sweat, and tears, and even more so to prevent my boyfriend Bastian’s company from getting sued, I paid £24,000 out of my own pocket. I stayed up for three consecutive nights, scrambling to find a backup crew, booking restaurants to humbly appease the client, and ultimately breathed life back into the chaotic mess she left behind.

I thought that when I brought the receipts in for reimbursement, I would at least get a guilty "thank you." Instead, she flipped through the stack of invoices, let out a cold sneer, and smacked them right back into my face.

"Bella, after making such a massive compliance mess, you actually have the nerve to ask me for a reimbursement?"

Chapter 1

I was stunned by the slap of the papers, the smile freezing instantly on my face. "Compliance mess?"

"Unauthorized use of an extravagant £24,000 budget without going through the system's final approval!" Charlotte stood up abruptly, pointing her finger right at my nose and scolding me mercilessly. "Do you think the company's rules and regulations are just for show? I am absolutely not dirtying my hands by signing off on something that breaches protocol. You're going to have to swallow this cost yourself!"

We stared each other down for three full seconds.

Looking at her utterly shameless face, I was so furious I actually laughed.

"Charlotte, do you even hear what you're saying?" I stared her down, refusing to yield an inch. "If you hadn't hijacked my project to steal the credit and spouted pure nonsense in front of the client’s boss, would they have terminated the contract? When disaster struck, you turned off your phone and played dead for three whole days. If I hadn't used my own money to save this project, you would've already been kicked off the board by your own father! Now that the crisis is averted, you want to lecture me on protocol?"

"I... I only went there that day to elevate the commercial tone of the project!" Caught in her own lies, Charlotte's gaze dodged mine for a second before hardening into stubbornness. She rolled her eyes disdainfully. "No approval means no approval! You broke the rules, what does that have to do with me!"

"Fine. Suit yourself."

I didn't waste another breath on her. I turned around, strode back into the main open-plan office, and dropped into my seat.

There was zero point in arguing with someone who used "company policy" as a cloak to steal credit and shift the blame.

I booted up my computer immediately, created a new folder, and my fingers began flying across the keyboard.

I pulled up the email logs where she forcibly demanded presentation rights; I screenshotted her three-day gap in scheduled tracking where she went MIA after the disaster; I exported the client's furious termination warning, along with the legal clauses regarding my use of emergency mitigation funds.

Try to burn the bridge and make me the scapegoat?

With a cold expression, I gathered every single piece of evidence needed to defend my rights.

For the past three years, because my boyfriend Bastian and she were close friends from university, I had always yielded to this princess. Even though she constantly paraded around as Bastian’s "bro" and crossed boundaries with him, I swallowed it down and never caused a public scene.

Every time I brought it up with Bastian, he’d dismiss it, claiming I was making a mountain out of a molehill, being too jealous, and telling me not to stoop to her level.

For the sake of my boyfriend's feelings, I had always avoided a direct clash with her.

But this time, I decided to bypass them entirely. I was going to send this evidence straight to the HQ's Compliance Department and even get Legal involved, and we'd see who stood on higher ground!

Just as I was dragging the attachments, a sharp ding! pierced through my computer.

In the company's 200-person Slack channel, an @All notification popped up from Charlotte, typed in bold, red font.

Charlotte: @Here Attention everyone! The company's compliance bottom line will absolutely not allow itself to be trampled by individual heroism. @Bella, although I've always valued you highly, I simply cannot protect you this time. Please proactively take the penalty deduction for the £24,000 in non-compliant expenses. Don't be stubborn when you make a mistake, and don't make things difficult for the rest of us.

The entire office instantly fell into a deathly silence. Countless eyes quietly peeked out from behind computer screens, ready for the drama.

Looking at that provocative, hypocritical phrase 'valued you highly', my eyes turned ice-cold. I typed a single line into the chat box and hit send—

Bella: @Charlotte According to your "rules", waiting for you to reply to that SOS text three days ago would have left the company facing a £2,000,000 breach-of-contract lawsuit. My only "mistake" was wiping the ass of someone playing dead.

Less than three seconds after the message went out.

Bang! The heavy doors of the CEO’s office at the end of the hall were shoved open.

Bastian walked out, his face as cold as ice.

His tailored dark grey suit wrapped around his tall frame, giving off the oppressive, ruthless aura of a superior.

I stopped typing.

Others might not know how I survived the past three days, but he was my boyfriend of three years. He had seen me every single late night in the kitchen, dry-swallowing stomach medication while revising proposals.

I fully believed that upon seeing the messages in the chat, he was finally stepping out to take my side and uphold justice.

Instead, he walked straight over to Charlotte and shot a freezing glare directly at me.

There was not an ounce of tenderness in his eyes—only the deep irritation of a man whose authority had been challenged.

"Bella, haven't you made enough of a scene?"

In front of the entire company, Bastian looked down his nose at me and scolded, "You make a mistake and show zero remorse, and now you’re being passive-aggressive in the company group! Charlotte is simply following procedure; failing to comply with the process is your responsibility. Retract that message immediately and submit a voluntary penalty report!"

The air in the room stopped flowing altogether.

I sat frozen in my chair, staring blankly at the man in front of me.

He knew exactly who the real culprit was. He knew exactly what it cost me to save this project for him!

Yet here he was, treating me like I was throwing an unreasonable temper tantrum?

I knew exactly why he was doing this.

Just like always, whenever Charlotte and I had a conflict, he would make me apologize first.

His entire motive was to kiss up to the largest shareholder's daughter to secure his throne as CEO!

This time, he didn't even hesitate. He took his girlfriend—who had dark circles under her eyes, who had worked herself half to death for him—and stomped her into the mud, nailing her directly to the pillar of shame.

Looking at Bastian’s self-righteous face as he forced me to admit a fault I didn’t commit, a wave of intense, sickening nausea suddenly churned in my stomach.

Was a man like this even worthy of my love?

In that fleeting second, my decision was made. I was done with Bastian.

There was nothing left to say. I gave a silent, tight nod, pulled my gaze back to my workstation, and cut off all eye contact with the two "bros".

"Inexplicable!" Bastian scoffed coldly, turning on his heel to head back to his office.

Charlotte aimed a mocking sneer at me, then chased after Bastian with her usual "tomboyish" swagger, hooking an arm around his shoulders. "Don't be mad, bro. Women are just like that!"

Everyone was watching me, but I simply stared coldly at my screen, quietly organizing my legal evidence.

Once I got my money back, I was jumping ship immediately!

It was only because of Bastian that I had previously turned down offers from top-tier companies willing to pay me several times my current salary.

But now? Anyone who wouldn't jump ship after this was an idiot!

While I was working, a new notification suddenly popped up on my screen—

*Ding! You have a new calendar invite.

Meeting Regarding Senior Planner Bella Nearly Causing Project Failure. Scheduled in one hour. Please be on time.*

Me causing the project failure?!

Looking at the email subject, I felt like I was going to lose my mind.