I Left My Engagement, Now I’m His Boss

Chapter 2

That seemed to satisfy my parents. They smiled and launched into wedding talk with Corbin.

Without asking me a single question, they set the engagement party for this weekend.

I stood off to the side, feeling as though I had been transported back to childhood, turned once again into the girl who never knew what to do with herself while everyone else was busy.

Only this time, I knew I would never again reshape myself to match someone else's expectations.

That night, back in my room, I submitted a transfer request to headquarters.

The approval process would take three days. If everything went smoothly, I could leave this place by then.

*****

A few days later, Corbin and I were supposed to attend a college reunion together.

Right before we left, Julia called in a panic.

"I mixed up the contract for the new business partner. Corbin, what do I do?"

I looked at Corbin. It was after hours. According to his own schedule, everything he had planned for Julia that day was already done.

But he didn't hesitate. He grabbed his laptop.

"I'm heading back to the office. Go to the hotel on your own. Once I've sorted out Julia's thing, I'll come find you."

I watched him leave in silence. Only after the door closed did I unclench my fists, nails leaving raw crescents in my palms.

The reunion lasted three hours. Corbin didn't show up until it was nearly over, and when he did, Julia was right beside him.

Seeing the smiles they couldn't quite hide when they looked at each other, I asked, "This is my reunion. Why did you bring her?"

Corbin glanced at me as though the answer were obvious.

"After the contract thing was done, I was supposed to drop Julia off at home first. She said she wanted to see your reunion, so I brought her along."

In his mind, anything involving Julia, no matter how trivial or urgent, naturally came before me.

I looked at Julia's smug face, and felt my heart slowly going cold.

When you're used to being set aside, even the pain starts to go numb.

Julia dove straight into conversation with my classmates, casually letting slip how unwelcome I was at home. I turned away without a word.

Corbin quickly squeezed in next to Julia and joined their circle. When the mood struck him, he even pulled out a photo of me as a child, right after I'd been brought home, and passed it around for laughs.

"Look, this is what Federica looked like as a kid. Compared to Julia, not even close."

Julia was delighted. Corbin watched her with soft eyes, his gaze full of undisguised tenderness.

I had once imagined Corbin and me sharing that kind of effortless connection.

But in reality, Corbin had never once patiently sat beside me and talked with me in front of friends. Every day, his time went to Julia. What I got were the leftover scraps.

We didn't have that easy rhythm. We didn't have those shared stories.

A sharp ache shot through my chest, and I found myself thinking of the Corbin I had known as a child.

Back then, I had just been brought home to the Ferraro family, and everything about that world felt foreign. It was Corbin who, when I felt most helpless, had reached out and taken my hand. He had told me I would be his one and only fiancée.

I had believed he truly cared about me.

But looking at it now, maybe he had chosen me simply because I was the real Ferraro daughter.

His heart had already gone to Julia, long before either of us had noticed.

My phone buzzed.

A new message in my inbox. My transfer request had been approved.

Below that, a string of digits and a line from HR.

HR: The CEO reviewed your résumé and is very interested. Here's his contact information. He'd like to connect with you to discuss a few things. Also, when are you planning to start?

I thought of the engagement party next week. I lowered my head and typed.

Federica: This week. I won't be staying here much longer.