Saved the Company, Left It to Crash Chapter 1

After a drunken night with my best friend's older brother, I became his secret, off-the-books girlfriend.

For eight long years, I lived in the shadows. Finally, my family handed down a harsh ultimatum: I had to marry this year, or they would arrange a match for me.

"Austin," I told him, as we lay in the quiet dark of our bedroom. "My parents gave me an ultimatum. I need to get married this year."

He paused, his body tensing, before he pressed a soft, distracting kiss to my forehead.

He gave me the same old line he always did. "Just wait a little longer."

But the very next day, I opened my social media and saw a post from our new office intern, Lily.

It was a photo of her and Austin holding up a fresh marriage license outside the city courthouse.

Her caption read: Got the handsome CEO locked down.

Eight years of begging for a crumb of commitment, and she got the whole damn loaf in three months.

Swallowing the bitter lump in my throat, I tapped the heart icon.

Then, I left a comment: Congratulations! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

Within the hour, I called my mother and accepted the match they had arranged for me.

My phone rang almost immediately.

For the first time in eight years, Austin's voice sounded panicked.

"Sydney, don't get the wrong idea. It was just a stupid dare. I lost a bet with the guys, and Lily and I went to the courthouse as a joke..."

I cut him off.

"Austin, I'm getting married."

* * *

There was a sudden, heavy silence on the line.

Then, Austin's voice returned, laced with his usual irritation. In the background, I could hear a girl's soft, playful giggles.

"Here you go again," he sighed. "Are you really that desperate to walk down the aisle? The company's cash flow is practically dry right now, Sydney. Can you please stop making a mess of things?"

I stood on my balcony, watching the city lights flicker in the cool evening wind. My voice was flat, empty of the warmth I used to give him.

"I'm not making a mess. I'm actually getting married."

He let out a sharp, mocking laugh, as if I had just told the most ridiculous joke.

"You don't even have a guy in your life. Who are you marrying? The wind?"

I opened my mouth to say Nate's name, but he was already in a hurry to end the call.

"Look, I have to take this. I'm telling you, the license was just a stupid dare at a party. Don't overthink it."

The line went dead, replaced by the cold drone of the dial tone.

Eight years.

He had spent eight years telling me to "don't overthink it" while I quietly withered away in his shadow.

The next morning, I walked into the office carrying two boxes of luxury, imported wedding chocolates.

The open-plan office was buzzing with noise. A crowd of colleagues had gathered around Lily's desk, and her face was flushed a deep, self-satisfied pink.

"Lily, you are unbelievable! Austin is always so cold, and you managed to lock him down in three months?"

"Does this mean we have to start calling you the boss's wife? You have to look out for us now!"

Lily covered her face with her hands, giggling. Her voice was just loud enough to carry across the entire room.

"Oh, stop it, guys! It's not like that. We just got hitched on a silly dare during a game. Please don't spread it around."

I felt a cold sneer tugging at my lips.

She had already broadcasted the marriage license to her entire social network, yet she wanted people to "not spread it around"?

Her sharp eyes caught sight of the chocolate boxes in my hands. She practically bounded over in her designer heels, wrapping her arm tightly around mine.

"Sydney! Are these the wedding chocolates Austin asked you to prepare for us? Thank you so much for the hard work!"

Before I could open my mouth to correct her, she snatched the boxes right out of my grip. She tore open the expensive gold packaging and began stuffing the truffles into our coworkers' hands.

"Everyone, try some! Austin went out of his way to get these imported chocolates for the celebration!"

The office erupted into cheers, praising Austin for being a romantic, attentive husband.

Right on cue, Austin stepped out of the elevator.

The crowd immediately started chanting, "Thanks for the wedding chocolates, Boss!"

Lily looked up at him, her eyes wide and glittering with girlish adoration.

Austin froze for a fraction of a second. Then, his lips curved into a smooth, easy smile. "I'm glad you all like them."

"The chocolates are mine," I said.

My voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the room like a blade.

The entire office fell into a dead, suffocating silence. Every single pair of eyes pinned themselves to my face.

Austin's expression darkened instantly, a flicker of panic darting through his eyes.

"Sydney, this is a place of business," he muttered, his voice dropping into a harsh warning. "Don't start acting out here."

"I'm not acting out," I replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I bought those chocolates. I am getting married next Saturday."

His face turned so dark it looked like a thundercloud. He took a predatory step toward me, his voice a low, furious hiss.

"Do you really have to push me like this?"

Beside him, one of the junior marketers scoffed under her breath.

"Honestly, Sydney, we've never even seen you with a guy. Who are you marrying? Are you just so jealous of Lily that you're losing your mind?"

Lily's eyes welled with tears on command. She bit her lower lip, looking incredibly wronged.

"Sydney, I know you used to have feelings for Austin. But he never felt that way about you. He even cleared up those rumors privately, telling us that you two were strictly professional colleagues."

The moment those words left her mouth, the collective gaze of the office shifted.

They were looking at me like I was a desperate, pathetic side-piece who had tried and failed to home-wreck her way to the top.

I looked at Austin.

He turned his head away, staring out the window, refusing to offer a single word of defense.

During our eight years in the shadows, I had ruined my liver drinking with clients to secure his contracts. I had pulled his company back from the brink of bankruptcy more times than I could count. When people whispered that I was desperately throwing myself at him, he had stayed silent.

And now, he wouldn't even grant me the dignity of the truth.

"Seriously, Sydney," another coworker chimed in, eager to please the new boss's wife. "Austin and Lily are legally married now. If you keep throwing yourself at him, you're just a homewrecker. If clients hear about this, it ruins our reputation."

"Exactly. Trying to steal your own intern's husband? Have some self-respect."

I looked at these people, most of whom I had personally trained and mentored. A bitter laugh bubbled up in my chest. I had originally planned to invite them to my wedding, but now I realized they didn't deserve to breathe the same air as my fiancé.

I squeezed my phone in my hand and swept a cold glance over the room.

"Since everyone is so desperately curious, I suppose I should introduce my fiancé."

I tapped my screen, preparing to pull up the photo of Nate and me.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my wrist.

Austin snatched the phone out of my hand, his face pale and twisted with rage.

"Everyone, get back to work!" he roared.

He gripped my arm tightly, dragging me toward his private office. Behind us, I could hear the team instantly whispering comfort to Lily, paired with the disgust they threw at my back.