mingled under crystal chandeliers, their voices a low hum of networking and self-congratulation. I stood near the back, a ghost in a

ns, designed the user interfaces for his projects, and made his ideas look brilliant. He was the charismatic face, the rising tech exec

n stage. He looked handsome, powerful, his smile r

nd practiced. "Tonight, we celebrate the future. We cele

ected him to thank his team

the crowd, "who is the true genius behind Aura. The vis

ll too well. Emily Chen. My junior colleague, the one who always seemed to be in the

k declared, his voice b

ite dress, put a hand to her chest. Mark walked off the stage, the spotlight following him as he moved

x. "Emily, you are the fu

sive diamond onto her finger. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. My lungs burned. My simple b

phones. I slipped away, my legs unsteady, and found a deserte

He looked annoyed, as if I were a

is tone flat. "Let'

oarse. "You just proposed to my co

ess, Sarah. Emily has the connections, the pedigree. She's what the company needs. You'r

cold, sharp, an

this, asserting his power. "I've arranged two options for you. You can stay at the company, of c

ething. Run by some nobody named Alex Turner. They need a designer, and I pulled so

placeholder, Sarah. I'm offering you a chance to stay relevant. Emily

. The humiliation burned away the shock, leaving behind a cold, hard clarity. My

demeaning job under his new fiancée. He expected me

nblinking. I cut him off befo

ke the s