I was devoted to Tom Collin, a man whose ambition I once admired. I gave up my career, my future, my entire identity for him. I was the perfect wife while he built his empire. But when he reached the top, I became invisible.
Then I found him with her—his college ex, the woman who’d abandoned him when he had nothing. When I confronted him, the man I married vanished, replaced by a monster whose hands left bruises on my skin.
I was finally ready to leave. But I never got the chance. He left our five-year-old daughter, Joy, alone for his mistress. And in his absence, my baby was murdered.
I buried my child, and with her, the weak woman I used to be. In a haze of grief, I let a handsome stranger hold me for one night in Italy—a single moment of oblivion.
Five years later, I live for one purpose: Revenge. Tom Collin will pay for what he did. He has no idea the woman now standing before him. But my new boss… he might. The magnetic CEO of our rival company is the stranger from that night. And he doesn’t know he’s the father of my secret daughter.


The boardroom door clicked shut behind me, finally releasing me from another grueling day. Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, that bone-deep weariness that comes from pushing yourself beyond your limits. All I wanted was to escape to my sanctuary at home and let a scalding shower wash away the remnants of corporate warfare.


I barely made it several steps down the corridor before a voice cut through my mental retreat.


I spun around, my professional mask snapping back into place. The branch manager approached with measured steps, his leather shoes creating a rhythmic percussion against the polished floor. I straightened my spine and summoned what remained of my energy for one more performance.


"Excellent work on today's presentation," he said when he reached me, extending his hand. His tone carried genuine approval, a stark contrast to the ice-cold dismissal I used to endure from the headquarters manager.


Chapter 81 - Chapter 81 Racing Footsteps