Cecelia checked into a motel, dropped off her luggage, and took Candy to enroll in a summer daycare program. Once that was done, she planned to spend the evening apartment hunting.

But before that, she had something important to do.

At three o’clock that afternoon, she was scheduled to sign a major contract.

She had spent months cultivating this client. If she successfully closed the deal, she would undoubtedly become the month’s top salesperson. As her manager had promised, she would then be promoted to team leader.

Cecelia had worked in sales for three years, but her performance had always been average. Most of her time and energy had gone into raising Candy, leaving little room to focus on her career.

Now, Candy would be starting kindergarten soon, and they had finally moved out on their own.

It was time to build a better future.

For Candy’s sake, she was determined to secure that promotion.

At exactly two o’clock, Cecelia arrived at Stratton’s office building and checked in at the front desk.

To her surprise, the receptionist informed her that the purchasing manager’s entire afternoon schedule was already booked.

"Someone from your company made an appointment earlier," the receptionist said. "Her name is Vivian Mason. Didn’t you know about that?"

No. She didn’t. But she knew exactly who Vivian was.

Desperate to improve her sales numbers and secure the same team leader position, Vivian had been eyeing this contract for months. Cecelia had always been careful to protect her client information and avoid revealing too much.

Unfortunately, taking half a day off had given Vivian the opportunity she had been waiting for.

Cecelia immediately called the purchasing manager.

No answer.

She called again.

Still nothing.

Then she called Vivian. The call failed instantly. She had been blocked.

A surge of anger shot through her chest. Without hesitation, she headed toward the elevators. But the receptionist stepped in front of her. "I’m sorry, but you can’t go upstairs without an appointment."

At that very moment, Damien’s motorcade pulled up outside the Stratton office building. Across the plaza, Cecelia was being escorted out by two security guards. Unfortunately, one of them shoved her harder than necessary.

Smack!

Cecelia stumbled and fell to the ground. One of her heels flew off. Her laptop slid across the pavement and stopped beside Damien’s car. Her document folder burst open, scattering contracts and paperwork in every direction.

The scene was humiliating. Yet what hurt more than the embarrassment was the frustration.

For this contract, she had made countless trips to Stratton. She had spent months building relationships, maintaining goodwill, and carefully nurturing the account.

And now, at the very last moment, everything had gone wrong.

But there was no time to dwell on anger or disappointment. She wasn’t going to let the contract be stolen from her. She would find a way to turn things around.

Her elbow burned where it had scraped against the pavement, but she pushed herself upright without hesitation. She slipped her shoe back on, gathered her papers, and called her manager while organizing the scattered documents.

Inside the car, Damien watched quietly. His gaze lingered on her calm expression and efficient movements. His brows furrowed slightly. Wasn’t that the woman he had just married this morning? What was she doing here?

So she worked in sales.

What exactly had happened that resulted in her being thrown onto the pavement in front of an office building?

Yet despite the scrape on her arm and the humiliation she’d just endured, she showed almost no emotion. It was as though she had long since grown used to handling problems like this.

To make a good impression on Damien, the president of Stratton, Jordan Hayes had personally come out to welcome him and accompany him on the company tour before the contract signing.

So when Jordan spotted the scene unfolding outside the building, his face immediately paled. He reached for the door handle, intending to rush out.

"Stay where you are."

Damien’s calm voice stopped him.

Jordan froze. Forcing an awkward smile, he said, "I’m terribly sorry you had to see that, Mr. Vaughn. You know how salespeople can be these days. Some of them are incredibly persistent. If you’re not careful, they’ll sneak into the building. The security guards probably didn’t have much choice."

Damien’s eyes remained fixed on Cecelia. "A salesperson?"

"Yes."

"She doesn’t work here?"

"Absolutely not. We don’t even use uniforms like that. Besides—"

Normally, Damien wouldn’t have paid attention to a scene like this. But today was different. Perhaps it was because he recognized the woman. Or perhaps because Jordan’s explanation sounded increasingly unconvincing.

"Find out exactly what happened," Damien said. Jordan immediately straightened. "If your company throws people out simply because they’re trying to do business with you, then I don’t think there’s any need for us to continue our deal."

After all, Vaughn Group employed salespeople too. He had no interest in partnering with a company that treated professionals this way.

Jordan immediately broke out in a cold sweat and practically leapt out of the car. Moments later, he was personally helping Cecelia gather her documents and escorting her back inside with extreme politeness.

When he learned that she had spent months negotiating with the purchasing manager, only to be shut out on the day of the signing, his expression darkened.

He led her directly to the purchasing manager’s office. The door swung open. Inside, Vivian was perched on the purchasing manager’s lap, kissing him passionately.

Jordan’s face instantly turned black. "Security!" The two people inside froze. "Get her out of this building immediately and blacklist her."

Vivian’s face was drained of color. "Mr. Hayes, I—"

"Out." Then Jordan turned toward the purchasing manager. "As for you, begin the handover process immediately." The man’s face turned pale. "And don’t bother coming back tomorrow."

By the time Cecelia left Stratton, the contract was signed and the deal was hers.

The afternoon breeze felt sweeter than usual.

She was only twenty-three years old, raising a child on her own. Every day came with enormous pressure and responsibility. It had been a long time since she had felt genuinely happy.

A smile spread across her face. Her steps were light as she walked away from the building, looking as though she might break into a dance at any moment.

From inside his car, Damien watched her leave. Her steps were quick and light, her happiness impossible to hide. Somehow, the coldness in his expression eased slightly as well.

When Cecelia returned to the office with the signed contract, the entire department erupted in celebration.

Just as her manager had promised, she would officially become Group B’s team leader starting the next day.

Everyone crowded around her desk.

"You have to treat us to dinner!"

"That’s right!"

"This is a huge achievement!"

Even Vivian joined the crowd as though nothing had happened earlier. "I think Valoria Gardens would be perfect," she said brightly. "As far as I remember, Cecelia hasn’t treated us once since she joined the company. I’ve already decided what I’m ordering."

At the mention of Valoria Gardens, everyone’s eyes lit up.

"I’ve always wanted to go there!"

"I heard it’s amazing!"

"Cecelia, please?"

With everyone looking at her expectantly, there was no reasonable way to refuse.

Cecelia nodded. "Sure."

But Vivian clearly wasn’t ready to let things go. "I heard you’re quite close with Mr. Hayes from Stratton." The office grew noticeably quieter. "After all, he personally helped you secure this contract."

Several people exchanged glances.

Vivian smiled sweetly. "No wonder we’ve never seen you with a boyfriend. Cecelia, you’ve come this far because of Mr. Hayes, haven’t you?" She tilted her head. "Why don’t you invite him to dinner too? It would be a great opportunity to introduce everyone."

At those words, several coworkers began looking at Cecelia differently.

Cecelia had always known Vivian had no shame. But she hadn’t realized she was shameless enough to throw accusations at someone else after being caught red-handed herself.

Did Vivian really think she would just stand there and take it?

Cecelia handed the contract to her manager. Then she turned toward Vivian with a cold smile. "Of course I don’t spend my time chasing boyfriends."

The office instantly fell silent.

"I’m married." She paused. "And I have a child."

Vivian’s smile stiffened.

Cecelia continued calmly, "Unlike you, Miss Mason, who seems perfectly comfortable sitting on any man’s lap you can find." Several people nearly choked. "Didn’t you get enough practice sitting on the purchasing manager’s lap today?"

Vivian’s face turned bright red.

"And now you want a turn with Mr. Hayes too?" A few coworkers burst out laughing. Cecelia folded her arms. "Unfortunately, I can’t help you there." Her smile widened slightly. "Because Mr. Hayes personally said your behavior was disgraceful and had you blacklisted."

The laughter stopped. Everyone stared at Vivian in shock.

Cecelia’s voice remained calm. "Or did you forget about that already?"