Chapter 1: Introduction
Amelia Parker didn’t need to take the 47th floor conference room just to “talk” to the board members of her beloved corporation. She took it because she was CEO, and she was about to remind these corporate snakes exactly who sat at the tip of the food chain.
Her lush green eyes bored into those of the board chairman, Hank Wallace—they were the color of moldy two-week-old lettuce. Thin lips turned down, a deep crease pulled at the bridge of his bulbous nose.
“Amelia, we’ve been your colleagues for quite a while now,” he began, hands clasped together in submission. “The market is changing, and we’ve decided to take the company in a different direction.”
Amelia narrowed her gaze, senses on high alert at the stench of betrayal. “Right. And what does this new direction entail exactly? I’ve been here since the beginning—you know damn well my devotion to this company.”
Wallace glanced at his lap, fidgeting with the edges of his shirt cuffs.
His attempt to avoid eye contact only infuriated Amelia.
“Pardon me for being forthright,” she retorted sarcastically, “but I’d very much like to understand why you’re taking this company I built from scratch and flushing it down the toilet. I believe that’s the least you could do.” Amelia crossed her arms, pushing her full chest up, exposing a generous amount of cleavage. The tension in the room crackled. Pure fury filled her, fueled by the indignity of being canned.
Wallace cleared his throat. “Of course, Amelia. The thing is, we have decided to appoint your subordinate, Tom Johnson, as the new CEO.” He motioned to Tom, who stood stoically by the door.
A ripple of disbelief coursed through Amelia. Tom, a man she’d trained, mentored, and fostered, had turned into a backstabbing nemesis.
Every cell in her body vibrated with anger. This was what she had worked so hard for? To be chewed up and spat out by the very people she thought were on her side? Goddammit! She’d show them.
Amelia Parker swallowed her pride and spoke up, “Well, congratulations, Tom.
I never expected to train my own replacement.” She forced a tight smile, feeling every inch of her heartache reflected in her dark eyes.
Tom looked pained, but it was short-lived as Amelia swiftly moved on and continued her verbal assault. “You know, as the CEO of this company, I could have sworn that none of my so-called colleagues would ever think to betray me like this. It’s beyond the pale, frankly.”
The board members exchanged nervous glances around the conference room table. The blinds were shut, muffling any sounds from the nearby offices, but the tension in the air was unmistakable.
The urge to claw Tom's eyes out was powerful, yet Amelia had no plans for such a dramatic scene.
Instead, she'd unleash her wrath elsewhere, away from the office—and away from this rat bastard.
"I hope you rot in hell, Tom," she uttered as she brushed past him, feeling his presence just inches behind.
For a moment, she considered stopping, unfastening her blouse and letting him take in the lacy red bra underneath; a bra she'd bought just for this occasion. Maybe it'd make him feel like the shittiest bastard for betraying her.
But as her hand reached for the doorknob, she restrained herself.
She couldn't let him see how much he'd gotten to her.
The elevator doors slid open and the building's opulent lobby came into view.
It was a scene she'd witnessed countless times before, but today the sight struck her as repulsively ostentatious. The grandeur of polished marble under bright recessed lights, the monstrous display of flowers that populated every corner, it all seemed to mock her burning humiliation.
Amelia's blood boiled, coursing fiercely with adrenaline. She stepped into the empty elevator with purposeful strides, just before the doors were about to close.