Chapter 2

The next morning, Adrian had his assistant deliver a necklace.

The assistant set the velvet box on my desk and smiled. "Mr. Hale said it's an anniversary gift. He hopes you'll cool off and be at the launch rehearsal this afternoon."

The pendant was shaped like a silver snowflake.

Identical to the one I'd received on my birthday three years ago.

How lovely. A recycled birthday present.

I flipped over the box and saw the duty-free receipt taped to the bottom.

Purchase location: Iceland airport.

Quantity: two.

I pushed the box back.

"Please thank Mr. Hale for me. Tell him to give this to someone more suitable."

The assistant's face went awkward.

"Ms. Sinclair, Mr. Hale also said the Aurora project is at a critical stage. It would be best if you didn't bring personal feelings into work."

I lifted my eyes.

"Pass one on for me, too. Tell him not to bring someone else's hard work into pleasing his first love."

That afternoon, I went to the office.

A massive poster stood outside the launch hall. Adrian's name was at the very top. Celeste stood beside him, credited as the creative originator of the Aurora system.

My name was gone.

Joss was directing staff to rearrange the seating cards. The moment she saw me, she pulled me aside.

"Why are you here so early?"

"If I hadn't come early, how would I have known someone else was already sitting in my seat?"

She lowered her voice. "It's just a PR strategy. Celeste is an avalanche survivor—using her story makes the press pay attention."

"So you erased my name."

"Adrian said people who actually accomplish things don't need to fuss about credit."

I looked at the friend I'd known for twelve years.

Back when her old company had wrongfully fired her, I was the one who brought her into Hale Group. I begged Adrian to give her the position of PR director.

The first time she got her bonus, she'd hugged me and cried, swearing she'd never let me down.

Now she was using the crisis PR I'd taught her—to handle me.

The big screen suddenly lit up.

Adrian was joining a video conference from Iceland.

He was wearing a black windbreaker. Behind him was a snow-covered cabin. Celeste, wrapped in his scarf, was sitting by a fireplace.

"Let's start the rehearsal."

I stepped in front of the camera.

"Who approved the poster?"

Adrian saw me. His brow furrowed slightly.

"Celeste's story has more media value. After the launch, I'll acknowledge your contributions in an internal memo."

"I don't want an internal memo."

Celeste rose from the sofa and cut in gently.

"Nora, don't blame Adrian. I just thought 'Aurora' was such a lovely name, so I agreed to help promote it."

She raised her hand to adjust the scarf, and her wrist emerged from the sleeve—a leather cord bracelet on it.

I had braided that one myself, for Adrian.

Woven into the knot was an old chip—the processor that had burned out the first time the Aurora system successfully ran.

Adrian once said it was proof of everything we'd endured together.

I asked, "Who gave you what's on your wrist?"

Celeste instinctively looked at Adrian.

Adrian said flatly, "Just an old string. She liked it, so she took it."

"That's mine."

"Nora." His tone hardened. "Don't make a spectacle of this in front of the staff."

Whispers were already rippling through the room.

Mia had shown up at some point. She was standing in the front row, waving at me.

"Nora, come down. Celeste is just borrowing it. You don't need to nitpick something like this."

I didn't move.

"The core module of the Aurora system belongs to me. As of today, I'm revoking the license."

The room went silent.

Adrian's gaze darkened.

"Every piece of your development was completed at Hale Group. The intellectual property belongs to the company."

"The original version was written before I joined Hale Group. I hold the original code and copyright registration."

Joss's face changed.

Mia hurried onstage and grabbed my arm.

"Nora, are you insane? The company poured hundreds of millions into this project. If you revoke it now, you're just trying to force Adrian to come back and coax you, aren't you?"

I pulled my arm free.

"I'm just taking back what's mine."

Adrian stared at me for a moment, then let out a small laugh.

"You can't bring yourself to do it."

"What?"

"You spent four years grinding through this with me. The Aurora system is like your child. You won't actually destroy it."

He was so certain.

Certain I couldn't let go of the project, or of him.

"Continue the rehearsal," Adrian instructed his assistant. "Suspend Nora's backend access for now. Restore it once she's calmed down."

The screen went dark.

Security walked over to me and politely asked me to leave.

Just before the elevator doors closed, I saw two staff members carrying cardboard boxes out of R&D.

Inside them were my original manuscripts.

Taped to the top: an international express shipping label.

Delivery address: the Iceland cabin where Adrian and Celeste were staying.