creen, a steady, rhythmic p

fall of logic and precision that onl

ary, the place whe

d built

a platform so advanced it felt li

y life into its architecture,

rming smile of my live-in boyfriend,

, every seamless interaction, was born here, in this quiet

o I told myself. The code was

alert from the main server. Cri

e IPO, this was

y-five minutes later, the storm was calmed. I had single-handedly

ker of pride cutting

n the door

s at the pre-IPO party, soaking in

door to see

, my old college rival, the one who always prioritized schmoozi

ss. She stepped inside without an invitation, her eyes s

you doing h

ing her arms. "Your unconventional work hours, your lack of team sp

What are you talking about? I

But the IPO is tomorrow. We need team players, people w

ing the silence

ately, your contra

r at first. Fired? It wa

d, my voice quiet but firm.

ondescending laugh. "Oh

thumb hovering over Mark' s cont

d the ca

was answered. But it

oo loud, feigning distress. She was holding a

od ran

ne, her eyes locked on mine. "Ava is here, and she' s... well

doing?" I whis

n panic for her fake audience. "P

mirked at me. "H

with the force of a physical blow. The late night

desk and picking up a framed photo of me and Mark from happier tim

d you? You' re just some gold-digger who

mployees, drawn by the drama, were gathering on the sidewalk b

whispering

tion was becoming

"I am not a gold-digger. I am the architect of N

ughed, a crue

one Chloe had hired last month, pushed her way to th

ust a code monkey! Mark and Ch

cheered in

echoed in

mon

rything I