Chapter 3

The stage spotlight blinded me for a second. Down below, Sienna and Jayden stood shoulder-to-shoulder, looking disgustingly intimate.

I drew a slow breath, lifted the mic to my lips, and spoke clearly.

"Good evening, everyone. I’m honored to stand here one last time as Jayden’s mentor. And I’m thrilled he has mastered the art of backstabbing the person who taught him everything. It’s my absolute privilege that the massive client I personally brought in could serve as his stepping stone. Finally, I wish Director Miller and Manager Jayden a lifetime of happiness together."

Before the echo of my voice faded, Sienna charged up the stage.

Smack!

Her palm cracked violently across my face.

Her eyes burned with rage. "I know you're bitter about losing to Jayden, Logan, but I will not let you slander him! As your boss, I know exactly who works and who slacks off. Jayden pulled all-nighters at this office for weeks to close this deal! You don't get to erase his sweat with your cheap lies!"

I touched my throbbing cheek and laughed coldly. "Who actually pulled all-nighters doing the data analysis and replying to the client? Do you really not know, Sienna? Without me, would you even be standing in that Director suit right now?"

To make her the top sales director, I had slept less than five hours a night for an entire month. I ended up in the ER with acute pancreatitis because I skipped meals for days.

When I called her from the hospital bed, her voice had been dripping with annoyance: "I told you never to call me when I’m networking! What if people find out about us?"

She hung up before I could even tell her which hospital I was in.

Later that night, someone accidentally posted a five-second video to the company WhatsApp group before deleting it. In that video, Jayden wore a birthday hat, gently booping a dab of cake frosting onto Sienna’s nose.

And Sienna’s face had flushed pink with a shy, giddy giggle—an expression she hadn't shown me in years.

When I confronted her, she sneered: "He’s just a sweet coworker. Are you seriously that insecure?"

I had gaslit myself into believing I was just being paranoid.

Now, standing on this stage, every red flag clicked into focus.

Sienna snatched the mic from my hand, turning to the crowd with fierce conviction. "Logan and I have been at this firm since day one. I know his character better than anyone. He’s petty, narcissistic, and eaten alive by jealousy because a brilliant newcomer like Jayden bypassed him. That’s why he’s resorting to cheap defamation!"

"I put my entire corporate career on the line to vouch for Jayden’s integrity and talent!"

Her words boomed through the speakers, settling over the dead-silent room.

Then the gossiping exploded.

"Jesus, how pathetic. Getting publicly exposed like that."

"They started at the same time, yet she’s a Director and he’s barely clinging to a team lead job. How dare he claim her client as his?"

"Honestly, Sienna probably fed him pity accounts for years just to keep him afloat."

Jayden’s eyes watered up on cue. He walked up the stairs, gazing at Sienna like she was his savior.

He grasped her hand tightly, turning toward our colleagues.

"I know I’m young," Jayden choked out, sounding noble. "I know I don't have his years of tenure. He can insult me, he can trash my name, and I’d even resign if it made him happy. But I will never let him diminish Director Miller’s hard work. Because I know that as a woman in corporate leadership, she sacrificed more than any of us to get here!"

Thunderous applause tore through the hall.

"Kick Logan out!" someone shouted.

I looked at their intertwined fingers. The last lingering shred of feeling in my chest went completely numb.

I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit. As I brushed past Sienna, I dropped one final sentence.

"You got your wish. I’m quitting. The floor is all Jayden’s."

Sienna didn't even flinch.

Surrounded by cheering coworkers, she giggled as she held Jayden’s hand, cutting into the massive celebration cake together.

She honestly thought that once I cooled off, I would crawl back to her like I always did.

She had never been more wrong.

The second I walked through my apartment door, I emailed my official resignation to HR.

A strange wave of relief washed over me. I collapsed onto the sofa.

The sharp velvet box in my coat pocket pressed against my ribs.

Inside was an eight-figure pink diamond ring I had won at a private auction.

Sienna grew up poor. She constantly sighed about how she envied the billionaire heiresses on TV dramas.

I had liquidated my private holdings just to make her the envy of every woman in the city. And reality had just slapped me across the face.

I looked around the newly decorated luxury penthouse we were supposed to share. It felt like a monument to my own stupidity.

I pulled out my phone and contacted a premier real estate broker to list the property immediately.

If I was cutting ties, I was cutting every single thread.

I packed my bags. To my amusement, my personal belongings barely filled two suitcases. In a home we shared for years, my presence was practically invisible.

Just as I zipped the luggage shut, the electronic lock chimed.

"Logan, get out here and help me!"

Before I could even leave, Sienna delivered one final surprise.