I had just finished attending the AI Ethics Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when my mentor, Dr. Alistair Finch, video-called to inform me he'd arranged a marriage for me. My intended groom was the son of an old friend: Caleb Vance, the CEO of Vance Industries.

The "Prometheus" project, Vance Industries' latest venture, was built entirely around my AI algorithm.

After wrapping up my work, I dressed in a simple yet elegant gown and headed to "The Empyrean," a private club on a Manhattan rooftop, for the engagement party.

But Caleb's executive assistant, Tiffany Blair, stopped me at the reception desk.

She was dressed in flashy luxury brands, looking more like the star of the evening than I did.

"Well, look what we have here. Some girl trying to use a project to social climb," she sneered. "Doesn't she know her place? As if she's good enough for our CEO." She flashed her phone's lock screen, a picture of her and Caleb looking intimate on a yacht.

Infuriated, I called Caleb directly.

"If your idea of hospitality is having your fiancée barred from the door, then I can only return the favor. I'll let you watch me sell 'Prometheus' to Sterling Dynamics. How does that sound?"

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1

I grew up in the foster care system. I owed my entire education and my career as a top AI ethicist to the support of my mentor, Alistair. He treated me like his own daughter.

So, when it came to the fiancé he'd chosen for me, I was willing to cut him some slack.

If Caleb Vance could offer a reasonable explanation and resolve the situation, I was willing to give him a second chance.

"Willow? What's wrong?"

It was noisy on Caleb's end, the chatter of guests surrounding him. He offered a few perfunctory replies to someone else before finally putting the phone to his ear, clearly having missed every word I'd said.

"I'm at the entrance. Could you come get me? Your assistant—"

Before I could finish, he clicked his tongue. "Who do you think you are, a princess? You have legs, don't you? Talk to a waiter. I'm busy with guests and don't have time to fetch you. Figure it out."

With that, he hung up, leaving me with a dial tone.

Tiffany covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes filled with contempt. "Everything I'm doing has Caleb's tacit approval. If you want to get in, figure it out yourself—if you have what it takes."

I could navigate the most complex ethical dilemmas in algorithmic theory, but this kind of petty drama just gave me a headache.

"Miss Blair, are you that secure in your position? Is blocking your boss's fi-an-cée at the door a good career move for you?" I asked.

"Too bad for you, you're all talk. Mr. Vance despises a pretty face with nothing to offer, especially compared to a professional like me," she retorted.

I looked at her coldly. "A professional? A 'professional' who's possessive of her boss? Does Caleb know his assistant follows him around all day, wagging her tail like a bitch in heat?"

The words stung Tiffany. Her face flushed red with a mixture of anger and humiliation. She raised her hand to slap me.

I stepped back, dodging her palm. "Can't win an argument, so you resort to violence? Is this how you handle a business deal gone south? Wow. Such a top-tier professional."

"Get her out of here!" Tiffany's voice was so shrill it cracked, her composure shattered.

She gasped for air, glaring at me and pointing with a trembling finger.

The security guards, who had been enjoying the show, heard her command and began to close in on me.

"Are you going to be as stupid as Tiffany? Do you know who you're about to lay your hands on? I am Caleb Vance's fiancée!" I snapped, trying to reason with them.

The guards exchanged a look. The leader apologized, but his eyes were full of mockery.

"Miss Hayes, we're just following orders. Please don't make this difficult. Miss Blair is clearly in Mr. Vance's favor, while you're... well, you're not on the list. I guess if it turns out you're some secret heiress, we'll owe you an apology then."

I was wearing an elegant gown and high heels for the engagement party. I managed to dodge them twice, but they quickly grabbed my arms, trying to force me toward the service elevator.

Tiffany's expression darkened as she watched me, then a vicious smile spread across her lips. She took out her phone, ready to film my humiliation.

I closed my eyes.

"Let her go!"

A low, angry voice rang out. Tiffany's hand froze in mid-air.

Caleb strode toward me. He was tall, with the sharp, striking features of a man born to power—even more imposing in person than in photos. His disdainful gaze raked over my gown before finally landing on my face. "This is our engagement party. What do you think you're doing, making a scene out here? It's humiliating."

I wrenched myself free from the guards' grip, stood up straight, and sneered. "Isn't it obvious enough? Tell me, Caleb. Is having your security guards rough me up at the door your idea of hospitality? Do you have any idea what your assistant just—"

He cut me off with a frown before I could finish. "Enough! You're late, and now you're causing a scene at the door. Or should my security have just let you in to start biting my guests like some rabid dog?"

"You've wasted my valuable time. I have no idea why my father is so insistent on this engagement with a pathetic orphan like you."

The guests who had come out to watch the commotion started pointing and whispering about me. Their condescending gazes made me feel like a clown on display.

He wasn't the only one whose time had been wasted. I'd spent hours getting ready, even postponing a crucial data analysis—time I could have spent refining my algorithm.

"What a coincidence. The feeling is mutual. Since we clearly can't stand the sight of each other, let's just call off the engagement," I said calmly.

Caleb narrowed his eyes, clearly not expecting me to say that. "Are you threatening me? Making a scene wasn't enough, now you're trying to threaten me by calling off the engagement? You think that'll scare me?"

The look on his face filled me with a sudden wave of futility. It was like talking to a brick wall—a very smug, conceited brick wall.

Beside him, Tiffany practically melted against his side. "Oh, Mr. Vance, if she dares to cause such a fuss at the engagement party, imagine what she'll be like after you're married. She'll turn the world upside down!"

"Just now, the moment she realized I was your assistant, she saw my face and went wild with jealousy. She tried to hit me! If security hadn't protected me, she would have."

Caleb stared at me in disbelief. "Tiffany has been my assistant for two years and has handled countless matters for me. Do you think she’s just some pretty trophy on your arm? What right do you have to be jealous of her?"

I smiled, but the smile didn't reach my eyes. "I'm curious why you're so quick to believe her word, yet you assume I'm just a trophy? She was the one who—"

He interrupted me again. "Should I believe a lunatic like you over Tiffany?"

Tiffany raised a hand to hide her triumphant smirk. She blinked, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Mr. Vance, my heart breaks for you. A man as prominent as you, being controlled by his father, forced to marry a lunatic."

Caleb had only taken over Vance Industries two years ago, and his father, Harrison Vance, still interfered heavily in the company's affairs. He had built up a lot of resentment over Harrison's constant meddling.

At Tiffany's words, the atmosphere grew even more tense.

Caleb growled, "You'd better apologize and make this right, Willow. Otherwise, not even my father will be able to save you."

I understood now. Tiffany was less Caleb's capable assistant and more someone who knew precisely how to flatter him. She knew exactly which buttons to push.

He thought I was just a pretty face, probably because she'd been whispering poison in his ear. In that case, I might as well play the part.

I glanced at him, feigning helplessness. "And how would you like me to make it right?"

Caleb scoffed. "Call my father and tell him you're the one who wants to call off the engagement."

I nodded readily. "Fine."

With that, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts.

Caleb shot me a surprised glance, his lips tightening. "You'd better think this through. Once you make that call, the wealth and power of Vance Industries and the Vance family will have nothing to do with you."

I didn't respond, instead finding Harrison's number and dialing.

"That's not enough! I want her to bow and apologize to me in front of everyone!" Tiffany shrieked, her voice turning shrill. "Mr. Vance, I've worked for you for so many years, and everything I have, I've earned. I can't accept the way she humiliated me. If she doesn't apologize, I will never forgive her!"

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. The security guards were standing right there. Who was humiliating whom? I asked, "Tiffany, do you think everyone here is blind? You think they'll believe your twisted version of the truth? You ordered security to rough me up and even tried to hit me, and now you're claiming I'm the one who humiliated you."

Caleb stepped forward, shielding Tiffany behind him. "You must have provoked Tiffany. She was only defending herself. If you have any decency, you will apologize to her now. If you refuse, I'll have security escort you out."

He glanced at the security guards, who glared at me, ready to act on his command.

"I can assure you, Willow is extremely well-mannered. If you ask me, you and your assistant have just proven how shameless you both are."

A smooth, refined voice sounded from behind Caleb. It was Jasper Sterling, the CEO of Sterling Dynamics. He approached with a disarming smile, the small mole beneath the corner of his eye glittering under the lights.

Sterling Dynamics was Vance Industries' biggest rival, their businesses overlapping in many areas.

Jasper had taken over his family's business early on and had run it exceptionally well—so well that he and Caleb had always kept a respectful distance to avoid direct conflict.

But because of my AI algorithm, Vance Industries' latest "Prometheus" project had started to pull ahead of Sterling Dynamics.

Caleb was surprised to see Jasper at his engagement party. Then, his brow furrowed in displeasure. "Mr. Sterling, you've got a lot of nerve. Not only crashing your rival's engagement party, but now meddling in my private affairs."

I stood there in equal shock. I stared at Jasper's broad back as he stood protectively in front of me.

We had worked together once before, and it had been a pleasant collaboration. What I hadn't expected was that after the project's celebration dinner, he had suddenly tried to kiss me. It had scared me so badly that I fled back to my university lab that very night.

I had licensed this particular algorithm to Vance Industries solely because Alistair and Harrison were friends of several decades.

I never thought Jasper would still be willing to stand up and protect me like this.