Chapter 1
The day before the company’s transfer request deadline, I discovered a pending application transferring me to a branch office
thousands of miles away.
The applicant is Liam Carter, who was my career mentor as well as my boyfriend.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. My fingers trembled as I dialed his number.
He sounded casual, almost amused.
“Oh, Chloe submitted it. She said she was just messing with you.”
“You can just cancel it yourself.”
Chloe Mason, the intern who insisted on calling Liam her mentor.
I held the phone in silence for a full minute.
So, the career I had worked tirelessly on for five years could be turned into someone’s joke.
I didn’t argue.
I simply packed my things and reported to the new branch as scheduled.
That was when Liam panicked.
“I told you to cancel the request. You didn’t?”
“No,” I replied.
***
When I first saw the transfer notice, I froze in front of my computer.
Liam and I had agreed weeks ago that I’d stay on his marketing team, as his second–in–command.
It was a plan we’d mapped out three years ago.
But now, the system said I was being sent to the London branch.
If I hadn’t logged into the system to check, I would’ve missed the deadline to cancel -no second chances.
I took a deep breath and called him.
He picked up like it was nothing.
“Oh, that? Chloe thought it’d be funny to see if you’d notice before the deadline.”
“There’s still time. Just cancel it.”
His tone was light, indifferent.
I tightened my grip on the phone. My voice cracked.
“You really think this is a joke?”
“You’re being dramatic again?”
His voice grew annoyed.
21
“Seriously, what’s the big deal? Just cancel it. Chloe’s just a bit playful, she was messing around.”
I stared at the transfer notice on my screen, my throat dry.
“What if I hadn’t seen it in time? She abused her access. I could report her.”
Chapter 1
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His tone turned cold in an instant.
“Ava, you’re being ridiculous.”
“It was just a prank, and now you’re talking about reporting her? Can’t you cut her some slack?”
He grew more agitated.
“I’ve explained this a hundred times. She’s a fresh graduate, new to the job, has no one in the industry. What’s wrong with me helping her out a little?”
“Go ahead and report her–might as well report me while you’re at it.”
Then he hung up on me.
I sat there in silence, unable to form a single word.
It felt like all the blood in my body had run cold.
Liam and I had known each other, for seven years, been together for five.
He was my boyfriend, and in many ways, my professional guide.
I thought back to my first year on the job.
When I nearly tanked a major project, he stayed up all night helping me fix it.
I remembered the annual party that year, when someone tried to take advantage of me after a few drinks, and he twisted the guy’s wrist until he begged for forgiveness.
Then he gently draped his jacket over me and asked if I’d be his girlfriend.
For five years, I had gotten used to having him in my life.
Everyone said we were perfect together.
We had even met each other’s families and started talking about marriage.
Everything was supposed to be smooth sailing from here.
And yet, staring at the screen, my hand hovered over the cancel button.
One click was all it would take.
But all I could hear was his voice, “It was just a joke.”
A crushing exhaustion rose up from deep inside me.
And suddenly, I was just so tired.
Chapter 1
