The Stolen Pitch

My boyfriend's first love accused me of stealing her strategy pitch.

At the company's year-end gala, he publicly demanded that I apologize to her in front of everyone.

If it doesn't belong to you, why won't you just give it back to her? he sneered.

Fine. I'll give it back.

I threw the engagement ring into the trash, blocked him on every platform, and walked away for good.

I handed him right back to his precious first love.

I thought our paths would never cross again.

But nine years later, at an international corporate summit, he spotted me in the crowd talking to my date.

In front of the world's elite, the man they called the "Iceberg CEO" broke down in tears.

"Did you leave me just to be with him?" he sobbed.

......

When I walked into the gala, the way my colleagues looked at me had turned from cold to outright disgusted.

They steered clear of me as if I were a pile of toxic waste.

In their eyes, that's exactly what I wasDa nepo baby who had faked her way in and stolen a talented woman's hard work.

Before this, they usually just ignored me, treating me like I was invisible.

But everything changed the second Seraphina Moore reported me to the board for plagiarism.

They didn't hesitate to believe her. To them, Seraphina was the office darlingDbrilliant, kind, and almost too sweet for her own good.

I, on the other hand, was the outsider who had supposedly used my connections to skip the line and snatch the best projects.

They loathed me for it.

But the real reason they hated me was because I was dating Victor Vance, the department's ultimate heartthrob.

In their minds, I was the only thing standing in the way of Victor and Seraphina's fairy-tale reunion.

I was the villain who had torn the golden couple apart.

Under their judging glares, I clenched my fists and swallowed my rage.

These people were just being played, and I didn't have the energy to argue with them.

The only opinion that mattered to me was Victor's.

Just then, Victor and Seraphina walked in together, wearing matching charcoal-gray outfits like a coordinated power couple.

When Victor saw me, a flicker of irritation crossed his handsome face.

Seraphina turned to our colleagues with a saintly smile.

"Alright everyone, the party is starting. Let's just have fun tonight," she said softly. "I'm sure the board will clear everything up soon."

Her words were a death sentence; she was acting like my guilt was already a proven fact.

She shot me a tiny, mocking smirk that screamed, "You never stood a chance."

Suddenly, Victor reached out and pulled Seraphina close by her waist.

She looked startled for a second before leaning her head shyly against his shoulder.

The sight made my blood boil, and before I could think, I stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

"Sylvia White! Are you out of your mind?" Victor yelled, clutching his cheek.

I let out a harsh, cold laugh. "You're basically cheating on me in public, and you're asking if I'm the one with a problem?"

Victor rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with impatience.

"Seraphina and I are just friends. I look at her like a sister. Stop being so pathetic and insecure."

"I haven't even brought up the fact that you stole her pitch yet! What right do you have to be angry?"

His words felt like a bucket of ice water over my head.

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. We had grown up together; he should have known my character better than anyone.

Was he really so blinded by her that he wouldn't even let me explain?

My hand brushed the small velvet box in my pocket. Inside was a diamond ring.

I had planned to clear my name tonight and then propose to him.

Looking at him now, I realized how delusional I had been.

His heart had never truly been mine.

I turned on my heel, ready to walk out of his life forever.

"Stop right there," Victor barked.

"Since everyone is here, you're going to apologize to Seraphina right now. Do it, or we're over."

2.

Victor's demand made me shake with pure fury.

"Apologize to her? She's a homewrecker who's trying to ruin my life. She doesn't deserve a word from me!" I snapped.

Victor lunged toward me and delivered a stinging slap to my face.

"Watch your mouth!" he roared. "If anyone is the homewrecker here, it's you. You knew exactly what you were doing when youD"

He caught the hungry, gossiping looks of our coworkers and cut himself off.

"Are you going to apologize or not?" he asked, his voice cold and hard.

I looked at him, feeling a pain in my chest so sharp I could hardly breathe.

"Are you really that certain I'm the thief?" I asked quietly. "Did it ever occur to you that Seraphina might have stolen from me?"

Victor didn't even blink. "Seraphina is brilliant. You're just a connected hire who got in through the back door. You don't have half her talent."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he cut me off again.

"Enough. If it's not yours, why won't you just give it back?"

I stared at him as he stood as a shield for Seraphina. The sight was a dagger to my heart.

I couldn't even remember when he had stopped seeing me and started only seeing her.

He was willing to destroy me just to keep her happy.

After the plagiarism accusation went public, Victor had been relentless.

He had called me disgusting and a low-life thief in front of the entire office.

It was a sick joke. The one person who should have had my back was the one leading the witch hunt.

"You want proof?" I said, my voice eerily calm. "Fine. I'll show everyone the truth."

I pulled a USB drive from my bag and plugged it into the nearest laptop, projecting my files onto the big screen.

I showed them the initial drafts, the research logs, and the final iterations from months ago.

The room went silent as they saw the complexity of the dataDstuff you couldn't just copy-paste.

Seraphina's face drained of color, turning a sickly shade of white.

"Do you believe me now, Victor?" I asked, looking him straight in the eye.

Victor let out a mocking snort. "Sylvia, what is this supposed to prove? I didn't think you could be this shameless."

"I gave that USB drive to Seraphina myself," he continued. "If you don't believe me, look at the bottom. My initials are engraved right there."

I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

I looked down at the drive. I knew his initials were there.

I had found that diamond-encrusted drive at his place on my birthday. He told me then it was my gift.

I remembered the flash of panic on his face back then.

Now I finally understood. That gift was never meant for me.

Victor was right about one thing. If it wasn't mine, I should definitely give it back.

I finally accepted the truth: the man I loved was dead. This stranger was a monster.

Victor looked at Seraphina with a gaze full of pity.

"I helped Seraphina work on this pitch every single night. I watched her calculate every single data point herself."

"If you want a witness, here I am. I saw her do the work."

Seraphina's eyes welled up with tears, looking like a grateful victim.

"Sylvia might be my girlfriend, but I won't cover for a thief," Victor declared righteously.

The room erupted into applause for his integrity.

I stood there alone, feeling the warmth leave my body.

I finally knew what it felt like for your soul to turn to ash.

3.

The irony was unbearable. Victor always claimed to hate liars, yet he was lying through his teeth for her.

I couldn't fathom what kind of spell Seraphina had over him to make him abandon every principle he owned.

But I didn't want to understand anymore. I was just exhausted.

I tried to leave, but Victor grabbed my arm and dragged me into the hallway behind the stage.

"Sylvia, can you stop making such a scene?" he hissed, his face full of loathing.

I just stared at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.

He took my silence for submission, just like always.

"Why can't you be more like Seraphina? Why can't you be sensible for once?"

"I have a million things on my plate, and you're just making my life difficult."

I knew what he was talking about. Victor was up for a major promotion.

His mentor was retiring, and Victor was the top candidate to take over the firm.

I looked at him and realized I didn't recognize the man standing in front of me.

"Go back out there and apologize to her," he ordered. "Don't try to compete with her. You'll never be on her level."

I ripped my arm out of his grasp.

The pain in my chest finally boiled over into a scream.

"Victor, we've known each other for twenty years! How can you not trust me?"

He stayed silent for a long time before looking at me with equal disappointment.

"You missed your calling, Sylvia. You should have been an actress."

I let out a desperate, broken laugh. This was the man I had loved for a decade.

How had he become so incredibly hateful?

Maybe it started the moment he met her. Back then, when they first started dating, he pushed me away.

It hurt, but I tried to be the bigger person because she was his girlfriend.

Then they broke up, and he came crawling back to me in tears.

I knew he still had feelings for her, but I was so pathetic that I said yes anyway.

I thought if I just loved him enough, I could earn a place in his heart.

So I endured years of his coldness, watched him throw my gifts in the trash, and felt him drift toward her the second she reappeared.

I had swallowed every bit of disrespect just to keep him near me.

But today, I was done.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and took a deep breath.

"If you don't love me, why did you even bother being with me?"

Victor looked genuinely surprised by the question.

Before he could answer, Seraphina appeared in the hallway, walking slowly toward him.

Victor's expression softened instantly.

The sight was the final nail in the coffin. He had never loved me. Not for a single second.

I laughed at my own stupidity.

Seraphina stepped up to his side and touched his arm.

"The board members are here, Victor. Let's deal with this later."

She paused, looking at me with fake sympathy.

"I don't want you two fighting because of me. I'd rather take the blame than see you stressed, Victor."

Victor's eyes actually turned red with emotion.

I watched them play out their little drama and felt nothing but disgust.

As I turned to leave, Victor yelled after me.

"If it weren't for you, I never would have broken up with her! You used my parents to force me into this relationship!"

4.

I wanted to demand an explanation for that last comment, but the gala program was starting.

I had no choice but to return to my seat.

Victor and Seraphina emerged a few minutes later, sitting close together just a few rows away.

Watching them whisper to each other made my eyes sting.

I closed my eyes, trying to numb my mind before I had a total breakdown in public.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't erase the image of the tender smile he gave her.

It was the one smile I had spent years tryingDand failingDto earn.

Suddenly, the CEO's voice boomed over the speakers, calling my name.

He announced that I was the Employee of the Year and asked me to come up and accept my award.

The room went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

I glanced over at Victor. He was holding Seraphina's hand while she pretended to wipe tears from her eyes.

The CEO called my name again, snapping me out of my trance.

I stood up, but before I could take a step, Victor's voice rang out, full of venom.

"Sylvia White is a fraud. She stole a colleague's work. How can someone like that be Employee of the Year?"

"Sir, how much did she pay you to lie for her like this?"

The tension in the room was suffocating.

I'd had enough. I marched up to the stage and grabbed the microphone from the stunned CEO.

"Since the day I started here, there's been a rumor that I was a nepo baby who didn't earn her spot."

"I wanted to clear it up back then, but my boyfriendDVictor VanceDtold me that the truth didn't matter and that I shouldn't waste my time explaining."

I paused, watching Victor's face turn a nasty shade of purple.

"Well, tonight I'm setting the record straight."

"When Victor wanted to start his own venture, I didn't want him to struggle. I secretly invested millions into this firm to give him a safety net."

"Every 'stolen' project I took on was actually brought in by my own connections. I was the only one who could handle them."

"As for Miss Moore here? She's the real nepo baby. Victor is her only connection, and every single pitch she's submitted in the last three years was ghostwritten by him."