Chapter 2

The press would later reduce Stellark's collapse to ninety seconds of shaky footage. The clip began when I walked onto the stage at the pre-IPO signing in the same work clothes I had worn while steaming Rachel's dress. Damp marks from the iron still darkened one sleeve.

A murmur moved through the audience. Then the camera flashes began.

Noah leaned close, his jaw clenched. "Have you lost your mind? Do you know what kind of event this is?"

"A pre-IPO funding event," I said. "Which is exactly why the ownership of the company's assets should be clear."

Rachel reached for the microphone. "Stella, we are family. Whatever misunderstanding this is, we can discuss it privately."

"Noah and I signed a divorce settlement today."

That killed whatever speech she had rehearsed.

The host's smile froze. A representative of the lead investor stood immediately.

"Mr. Archer, we are suspending the closing process. Before our firm advances another dollar, we will need to verify the founding team, ownership of the core intellectual property, and the accuracy of the company's disclosures."

Noah's face went gray with rage. The event ended within minutes.

Before the guests had finished leaving, he seized my arm, dragged me into a greenroom, and locked the door.

"Do you have any idea how important this financing round is?"

"Of course I do. I prepared the materials."

"Then why would you sabotage me in public?"

"I told the truth."

"The truth?" His laugh was cold. "I raised the money. I negotiated distribution. I brought in the clients. You mixed a few drums of liquid in a lab and think that makes you a cofounder?"

I stared at him and remembered the worst year of the company.

We had run out of cash. The factory lost power. More than twenty workers had crowded into the office demanding three months of unpaid wages.

Noah had sat in his car, too afraid to come inside.

I had sold the small condo my mother left me, paid the wages, and personally guaranteed Stellark's debt to its suppliers.

That night, Noah had held me and whispered, "When the company survives this, everyone will know you are the star in Stellark."

The company had survived. Then he had erased my name one line at a time.

"Why did we call it Stellark?" I asked.

He froze.

"Stella for me. Ark for you, Noah. You said it was our company."

"That was something I told you when we were starting out."

The answer came too quickly, as if he had been holding it in for years.

"You have no business judgment. You look uncomfortable on camera. You do not understand capital markets. Putting you out front would hurt the brand. Rachel is a better fit. She has followers. She creates attention. Investors like her."

"So you get to erase me from the company's history?"

"A company needs a good story."

I nodded.

Ten years of marriage and ten years of building at his side had come down to one thing: I did not look good enough in the version he wanted to sell.

I took my security badge and employee ID from my bag and placed them on the table.

"Effective today, I am withdrawing from all Stellark research, quality review, and supplier approvals."

His expression changed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if you want to tell your own story, you can make your own products."

I opened the door.

He shouted after me. "Do not come crawling back, Stella. Without this company, you are nothing."

I paused but did not turn around.

"You may have forgotten something."

"Without me, the company will finally have to prove what it is."