"You know exactly who he'll choose. That's why you always cry at precisely the right moment."
The color drained from her face.
"I don't."
A little way off, Denys came toward us.
"Hailey, come here."
His eyes on me were like ice.
"Don't interrupt her work."
Hailey lowered her head and went to his side.
In that moment, the whole thing struck me as absurd.
I was the one who'd been hurt. Yet in Denys's eyes, the one wronged was always her.
That evening was the final review for the Southgate Hotel project.
As lead designer, I was responsible for the entire scheme.
Ten minutes before the presentation, Denys informed me: "Hailey will open."
I frowned. "She doesn't know the figures."
"She's our promotional partner. She needs visibility."
"This is a final review, not her livestream."
His face went dark.
"Sally, don't drag your personal feelings into the work."
I nearly laughed out loud.
The meeting was already underway.
Hailey took the floor, her voice tight.
The first half went smoothly enough, until the client asked:
"The fireproof paneling for the family-care floor. Which version are you using?"
Hailey had the wrong document open.
"Standard wood veneer."
My stomach went cold. That was Class A fire-rated paneling.
The family-care floor fell under safety compliance. There was no room for error.
I was on my feet at once.
"Excuse me, let me add something here—"
"Sit down."
Denys's voice came cold, and I froze where I stood.
The client's representative had already darkened.
"Standard wood veneer?"
"Is James Group joking around with safety on a family-care floor?"
After the meeting, only the three of us were left in the room.
Denys shut the door, and his first words were:
"Sally, is this how you do your job as lead designer?"
I stared at him, unable to believe it.
"Hailey was the one who got it wrong just now."
"You were in charge of the materials."
"I gave her the correct version."
Hailey's tears spilled over.
"Denys, I didn't mean to. I was just so nervous."
He didn't so much as glance at her. His eyes stayed fixed on me.
"You knew it was her first time in a room like that. Why didn't you walk her through it beforehand?"
Something in me cooled, inch by inch.
"So you want me to take the fall."
He pushed an incident statement across the table.
"Sign it."
I looked at the page.
It read: Lead Designer Sally Fox failed to verify materials, resulting in an inaccurate presentation.
I lifted my head.
"Why?"
His tone was level. "Hailey's commercial contract went public today. She can't have anything go wrong right now."
"And me?"
He was silent for a second.
"You're different."
"Different how?"
He said, "You're my fiancée."
I looked at him, and the last bit of warmth in me went cold too.
So a fiancée wasn't the one you protected. She was the one best suited to be sacrificed.
