Half a month I'd gone without rest, revising that proposal dozens of times until I was finally satisfied.
Bella wasn't just my closest friend—she was my assistant. However late I stayed up, she stayed up with me.
And Ezra had voluntarily stepped aside from this bid entirely.
Now the two people I trusted most had joined hands to set me up.
Bella walked over, eyes rimmed red.
“Lexi, you're my best friend. I never meant to steal him from you.”
“But I really do love him. I couldn't stand watching him lose. You can punish me however you want—even if it means I never see him again……”
She sobbed like her heart was breaking, and Ezra pulled her into his arms, his expression full of tender concern.
“Alexis, look what you've done—you've scared her half to death. This was all my idea. A woman should be soft and supportive like her, not competing with her own man at every turn!”
“You know exactly how much the Henson family sank into landing this project. A loss that size—Henson Corp is going to need Stephens Corp's backing going forward.”
“Just accept what Bella and I have, let the wedding go ahead tomorrow, and I might even consider giving the Hensons a cut of this project. That's better than losing everything, isn't it?”
Listening to him, I laughed.
He knew perfectly well the Stephens family would never accept someone of Bella's background.
He just wanted me as a shield.
I stood up, unhurried.
“No need. The project and you—I don't want either.”
I looked at Bella. Still that same pitiful, fragile act.
When she first joined the company, she was being bullied by a senior manager.
I fired him on the spot, transferred her to my side, taught her to read financial statements, to build proposals from the ground up.
When a client tried to grope her at a business dinner, I smashed a bottle over his head and tore up a contract worth millions.
Bella had cried so hard she couldn't speak：
“Ms. Henson, I'll work so hard for you. I'll help you land more projects. I won't let you down.”
Now she called me Lexi. Said I was her best friend.
Then conspired with my fiancé to steal my proposal and let the whole world think I was the other woman.
My voice came out flat and quiet：
“All these years, I was blind. Your man—take him back.”
“You're fired. Next time we meet, call me Ms. Henson.”
The color drained from Bella's face.
I walked past her without a second glance.
It was raining outside. I stepped straight into it.
I hadn't gone more than a few steps before Ezra's message came through.
“Who said you could leave? You made Bella cry. Get back here and apologize to her!”
The first time he'd ever had a high fever, back when we'd just gotten together—I'd rushed over to take care of him.
I tried to make him a bowl of porridge and nearly set the kitchen on fire.
Watching him drag himself out of bed—still sick—to clean up my mess, I told him I was sorry.
He took my face in both hands, his gaze steady and serious.
“Lexi, with me, you never have to say those three words.”
“You make a mess, I'll clean it up. You make a mistake, I'll make it right.”
“But watching you bow your head and apologize—I can't take it.”
And now he wanted me to apologize to his mistress.
At some point, an umbrella appeared above my head.
Ezra held out a handkerchief, his expression soft and helpless.
“You and that stubborn streak. If you don't want to apologize, don't. No need to punish yourself over it.”
“The bid thing was my fault. I shouldn't have hidden what was going on between me and Bella either. If you hate it, I'll hand the development rights back to you and cut contact with her. Here, dry off before you catch a cold.”
The truth was, Ezra Stephens was never supposed to be on my list of arranged marriage candidates.
