Chapter 1
I never imagined my wife of five years would give away the creative proposal I’d worked on through the night.
Hand it over, completely untouched, to an intern who’d only been with the company for half a month.
When I saw Caleb, standing on the stage at the company’s monthly report meeting, confidently presenting the brand proposal I’d spent three sleepless nights on, I felt utterly sick.
The icy chill of betrayal drenched me from head to toe.
Colleagues in the audience cast admiring glances at Caleb. The department manager nodded repeatedly.
Some even whispered about how remarkably talented this newcomer was.
I sat in the last row of the conference room, watching the young man, seven years my junior, in a perfectly tailored suit.
He gracefully pointed at the projector screen, showcasing my hard work, introducing “his” creative concepts to everyone.
Sarah sat at the head table, her eyes filled with pride and satisfaction, as if she’d discovered some extraordinary talent.
She even praised Caleb publicly, calling him a rare creative star the company had seen in years, worthy of everyone’s admiration.
My fists clenched into tight knots under the table, my nails digging hard into my palms, almost breaking the skin.
After the meeting, I blocked Sarah’s office door.
When she saw me, her face still glowed with excitement from before, her eyes bright and sparkling.
She had absolutely no idea how serious the problem was.
“Alex, you saw it, didn’t you? Caleb really is talented. That proposal is just amazing.”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Sarah, that was my proposal.”
She paused, then waved a dismissive hand, her tone light.
“Oh, you mean that. I thought Caleb just joined the company and needed a chance to prove himself, so I let him use your proposal just to cut his teeth on.”
Cut his teeth on.
My three days and nights of hard work, in her mouth, became a mere tool for an intern to practice with.
“Do you know what that proposal means to me? It’s my submission for this year’s International Creative Awards.”
A hint of awkwardness finally crossed Sarah’s face, but she quickly reverted to her usual self-righteous demeanor.
“You win awards every year anyway. What’s the big deal if you let him have it just this once? Besides, this was just an internal report, not an actual competition entry.”
A burning inferno raged in my chest, and my blood boiled with pure fury.
“Sarah, what do you take me for?”
She seemed startled by my sudden serious tone, a flash of panic in her eyes.
“Don’t be like that. Caleb is just a kid, fresh out of college. I was just trying to help him grow quickly.”
I turned and walked away, not wanting to hear any more of her explanations.
Her voice calling my name echoed behind me, but I didn’t have the strength to turn back.