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.


Three job interviews were scheduled for today, and I had mapped out every minute with military precision while Joy was still home with me. The universe, however, seemed determined to throw obstacles in my path.


The traffic was absolutely brutal, worse than anything I had encountered in recent memory. Every route I attempted was plagued with accidents, endless construction zones, or traffic lights that seemed to stay red for eternity. After struggling through my first two company meetings, I found myself in a desperate race against time to reach my final appointment.


This last company represented my best shot at success: Spike Enterprise Corp. I abandoned all dignity and sprinted the remaining blocks, my lungs burning and perspiration soaking through my clothes. My appearance was probably a disaster, with disheveled hair and a blouse clinging uncomfortably to my back, but missing this chance was absolutely not acceptable.


Chapter 35 - Chapter 35 Racing Against Time