Chapter 3

The next day, Atlas put the final signing process on hold.

By the time the news reached Carter, I was reviewing the partnership agreement with Alex's attorney.

My move to Nova had not been announced publicly yet.

I thought Eric would at least ask Atlas why they had paused the deal.

Instead, that afternoon, I got a call from an industry contact I had worked with for years.

"Kate, are you under investigation?"

I frowned.

"What investigation?"

That was when I learned that ten minutes earlier, Carter's legal department had sent a legal notice to several partner organizations.

It said the company was investigating a former senior executive for possible misuse of confidential information and client solicitation.

The notice did not name anyone.

But I was the only senior executive Carter had fired the day before.

Anyone who knew the company knew exactly who they meant.

Less than thirty minutes later, an industry association that had invited me to speak at a roundtable the following week asked me to step back from the event.

Then a business partner I was supposed to meet about a new project emailed me to postpone our meeting.

In less than half an hour, that nameless email was already damaging the reputation I'd spent twelve years building.

Alex noticed my expression.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Eric."

He stood up immediately.

"I'm coming with you."

"You don't need to."

I picked up my coat.

"I want to ask him about this myself."

Forty minutes later, I slapped the legal notice onto Eric's desk.

"Who approved this?"

"I did."

The last bit of hope I had was gone.

"What evidence do you have?"

"Legal is investigating."

"So you have none."

Paige cut in coldly.

"You leave Carter, and Atlas pauses the deal the very next day. You don't think that's suspicious? Who knows whether you were already talking to other vendors and planning to take the project with you?"

I was shaking with anger.

"When did I ever ask Atlas to switch vendors? Do you have any evidence?"

She had no answer.

I glared at Eric.

"So you let Legal send this across the industry before you had any facts and before you even asked the client what happened?"

For a moment, he looked uncomfortable.

Then his expression turned cold again.

"Atlas paused the deal the day after you left. Of course that needs to be investigated. If you didn't do anything, the investigation will clear your name."

I thought I had misheard him.

"Clear my name? Just like that?"

I stared at him.

"Eric, once an email like this goes out, people won't forget it. From now on, when they hear my name, their first thought will be whether I stole a client, took confidential information, or got fired by Carter for misconduct."

He frowned.

"Kate, don't blow this out of proportion."

That one sentence stopped every angry word in my throat.

Paige gave a soft sigh.

"You can't really blame people for wondering."

When I looked at her, she deliberately paused.

"Atlas is a huge company. They know you've already left Carter, but they still refuse to do a normal handoff and insist on speaking only with you. That's unusual."

She looked at me.

"Especially since Daniel is single."

I understood exactly what she was implying.

Every project I had won, every city I had flown to, and every late night I had worked could be turned into something else with one cheap insinuation.

I looked at Eric and waited for him to say something.

All I needed was one sentence.

"That's enough."

But he said nothing.

He sat there with a hard expression and let her keep talking.

That was when I understood.

Paige was never the real reason I was hurt.

The real reason was the man I had been with for seven years.

He was willing to sit there, listen to her say those things, and let it happen.

"Eric, don't ever tell anyone you loved me."

His expression finally changed.

"Kate, do you have to mix our personal relationship into work?"

"I'm not the one doing that."

I looked straight at him.

"Every time you have to choose between my dignity and her, you tell me it's work."

Then I turned and left.

I didn't realize my hands were shaking until I walked out of the building.

It wasn't because I still wanted him.

I had finally understood that a man like him was not worth grieving over.

As soon as I got into my car, Alex's attorney called.

"Atlas responded. They confirmed that the decision to pause Carter's contract was made independently by the board."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"What else?"

"At the Global Partner Night in three days, they'll publicly announce the final partner."

I opened my eyes.

"Is Carter still being considered?"

"Yes."

I leaned back in my seat and laughed softly.

"Good."

Eric was so sure Atlas cared about the company.

Now he could see for himself who this $50 million client was really choosing.