During a company retreat in the remote mountains of Alaska, a sudden avalanche trapped my team in an isolated cabin.

The bidding project meeting, crucial for the company's future, was imminent, and I was more than prepared. I held the confidential proposal—the very document our future depended on.

But when I opened my briefcase, my fingers found only a single USB drive. And when I plugged it in, the proposal was nothing but a garbled mess.

I was about to contact headquarters via the satellite phone.

Just then, my CEO fiancé, Caleb Vaughn, grabbed my wrist.

"Easy there, darling. No need to get worked up. I gave your proposal to Sienna. She's a promising newcomer who needs this break more than you do."

I clutched the USB drive, fury coiling in my gut, hot enough to burn through my composure.

"Are you kidding me? This is junk! Presenting this is the same as forfeiting the bid!"

He frowned, showing no hint of shame. "Camila Ashford, you're going to be my wife, the first lady of this company. Your role is to support promising newcomers, not to act like a spoiled brat."

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"I'm the Chief Architect, not a walking ATM. And that proposal cost me weeks of sleepless nights."

I didn't waste another breath arguing with him. I pulled out my phone and called my private attorney.

Then, I turned to my assistant beside me and gave a crisp order.

"Get my lawyer on the phone. I want an agreement drafted—effective immediately. Freeze all my capital investments in the Vaughn Group and dissolve our joint trust."

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1

Caleb's expression instantly soured.

He pointed a finger at me, hissing, "Have you lost your mind? What will our colleagues think when they hear this?"

He bent down to pick up the coat I had thrown on the floor. The Patek Philippe on his wrist—my engagement gift to him—caught the light, flashing brilliantly.

The other sycophants on the team quickly swarmed in, each one jumping to Sienna Clarke's defense. She was Caleb's latest favorite, and they were all desperate to curry favor.

"Camila, you're overreacting. Caleb was just trying to help. What's with the temper?"

"Exactly. This is Sienna's first time on such a major project. As the future wife of the CEO, you should be mentoring her."

I opened my mouth to argue, but a knot of stress tightened in my stomach, sending a stabbing pain through me that stole my words.

Just then, Sienna peered out from behind Caleb, her eyes red-rimmed and glistening.

"Camila, please don't be angry with Caleb. How about… I give the USB drive back to you? My proposal… it's just not ready. I can pull an all-nighter to finish it..."

The moment she finished speaking, Caleb pulled her protectively into his arms.

"Don't be ridiculous! She's just pulling rank to bully a newcomer. She wasn't this fragile when she was leading the charge in Europe to win the 'Skyline' project."

"Win the project?" I stared at him in disbelief, an invisible hand squeezing the air from my lungs. "When I went up against three top international firms to win 'Skyline,' who was I winning that glory for?"

Caleb's face twisted into an ugly sneer.

"That was your choice. I never forced you. Besides, it was your duty as my fiancée. What, were you expecting a thank-you note every morning?"

After a pause, he lifted his chin, his arrogance on full display.

"Sienna saved my life. If her career is ruined because of this, could you live with yourself?"

It was utterly preposterous.

He was willing to sacrifice me for his so-called savior. What kind of debt could possibly be worth more than our five-year engagement?

The snowstorm raged outside, and the edges of my vision began to blur. My legs threatened to give out, and I had to brace myself against a rough wooden table just to stay upright. The knee I’d injured years ago while skiing to entertain his clients throbbed in the drafty cabin, a dull ache seeping deep into my bones.

I stared at them, wanting to rush forward and tear them limb from limb, but all that escaped my throat were pained gasps as my stomach seized.

A female colleague theatrically mimicked my pained gasp, then burst into laughter.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Weren't you so sharp-tongued during the last board meeting with Director Thorne?"

A wave of snickering rippled through the crowd.

Caleb stood there, arms crossed, watching me with cold detachment, as if I were nothing more than a hysterical fool.

"That's enough. Stop embarrassing yourself."

He grabbed the belt of my trench coat and began dragging me toward the cabin door.

"Go cool off outside. We'll talk when the snow lets up. Otherwise, you'll just keep making a scene and embarrassing all of us."

"Outside… It's a blizzard out there…" I clutched his sleeve, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

He yanked his arm away. The metal edge of his watch scraped my skin, leaving a cold, sharp sting.

"Stop the act. How long are you going to play the victim? You think I can't see right through you? I'm not one of your fawning subordinates. I won't go easy on you just because you're pretending to be sick."

With a groan of protesting wood, he pulled open the door, shoved me out, and bolted it behind me, trapping me in the heart of the raging storm.

Their voices drifted from the cabin. Caleb laughed as he handed Sienna a mug of hot cocoa.

"Don't mind her. She's been on that high horse for so long, does she really think the Vaughn Group would collapse without her?"

"Caleb, will she be okay? I heard these blizzards are incredibly dangerous…" Sienna's voice dripped with saccharine concern.

"What could happen? She once did a week's worth of work for an entire project team in three days. What's a little snow to her?"

I curled up under the eaves of the porch, too weak to even shiver. The ice and snow whipped at my face and neck like a thousand tiny razors. Earlier, I'd gotten a small flask of whiskey from a guide, along with a personal locator beacon for emergencies. The flask was just a few feet away, near the door.

But I didn't have the strength to even lift my hand.

The searing pain made my body convulse, and my vision dimmed. Inside, not a single soul cared if I lived or died.

After what felt like an eternity, a pair of expensive snow boots stopped in front of me. It was Sienna.

She dangled the USB drive in front of my face, her expression a mask of pure indifference.

She crouched down, a triumphant smile twisting her lips, her voice a low, venomous whisper.

"My dear Chief Architect, did you know? Caleb's been wanting to break off the engagement for a long time."

I stared at her, my eyes wide, wanting to curse her, but only a faint, rattling hiss escaped my throat.

Sienna's smile widened.

"He said the very sight of you disgusts him. If it weren't for the investments your family could bring, he never would have proposed to a headstrong, boring woman like you."

Seeing the smugness radiating from her, I wanted nothing more than to claw that hypocritical mask from her face. But on the verge of freezing to death, I couldn't so much as twitch a finger.

She suddenly produced a small knife from her boot and slashed open the sleeve of my coat. This was a limited-edition goose-down coat, a gift from my father, rated for polar expeditions. Now, a long gash split it open, and the icy wind and snow bit directly into my skin.

My vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges. With the last ounce of strength I had, I threw myself against the wooden door, stumbling inside.

"Are you insane? That was my last layer of warmth! People die of hypothermia in blizzards!" I shrieked, my voice raw and cracking as the sudden warmth of the cabin hit me.

Caleb and the others were laughing by the fireplace. Hearing the commotion, he stalked over, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

Sienna's eyes immediately welled with tears as she scurried to hide behind Caleb.

"Caleb, I was just trying to help Camila up, but she pushed me away! She even accused me of tearing her coat..."

Watching her flawless performance, I felt nothing but a surreal, chilling disbelief. The pain-induced fog in my mind cleared in an instant, replaced by a frost that went bone-deep.

Caleb glanced at my torn sleeve, his face grimmer than the storm outside.

"You're becoming unhinged. Sienna was kind enough to check on you, and you'd actually hurt yourself just to frame her? I never realized you were this malicious."

"It wasn't me. She cut it with a knife." I looked at Caleb, my eyes hollow. I had no more illusions about this man. That single explanation was for the last shred of my own dignity.

But Caleb wouldn't even meet my gaze. He stared past my shoulder, into the distance, and the indifference was suffocating.

The same female colleague chimed in, fanning the flames.

"She's obviously jealous that Caleb is taking care of Sienna, so she's making a scene. She's acting like a madwoman!"

"Looks like our Chief Architect isn't as tough as she seems. A little snowstorm and she's a total wreck. What a liability."

"And after all these years, all she cares about is work. No charm whatsoever. Caleb's a saint for not dumping her sooner."

"If you ask me, Sienna is a much better fit for the CEO's wife."

Accusations flew from all directions, each word a sharp blade stealing my breath.

I let out a cold laugh. Ignoring the fire in my stomach, I slowly, deliberately straightened my spine.

"A better fit? One is a useless parasite who owes her position to a man's charity, and the rest of you are a pack of hyenas who only have a job because of the capital I brought to this company. Who are you to judge me?"

The colleagues instinctively shrank back from the ice in my eyes, their arrogant smirks vanishing.

Caleb frowned, his patience worn thin.

"What is this? How long are you going to keep this charade up? Apologize to Sienna. Now!"

"Apologize? She doesn't deserve it," I hissed.

Sienna, pretending to be frightened by my tone, began to sob quietly.

Caleb gathered her into his arms, patting her back soothingly.

"Don't cry. She's just older and bitter. She's jealous that you're young and beautiful."

Leaning into Caleb's chest, Sienna asked through her tears, "Does Camila hate me that much? I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. When we get back, I'll resign immediately, so you two won't have to fight anymore..."

Caleb's eyes hardened, his words slow and sharp.

"You did nothing wrong. She's the one with the vicious mind. Don't worry, when we get back, I'll make this right for you."

I shook my head and laughed, a bitter, broken sound. I had fought tooth and nail to build this empire for him, and now he was publicly shaming me for another woman.

Buried in Caleb's embrace, Sienna shot me a triumphant smirk.

"Listen to me." Caleb looked down at me, his voice glacial. "You either kneel and apologize to Sienna right now and admit you had a breakdown and hurt yourself. Or, when this retreat is over, I will call a board meeting and have you fired for mental instability and deliberately framing a colleague."

I lifted my head and looked at the two of them, clinging to each other. I thought of the gala in Paris where I had shielded him from a rival's attack. I thought of all the times I had personally dragged his projects back from the brink of disaster.

And in his eyes, none of it mattered.

"I did nothing wrong. I will not apologize!"

As the words left my lips, a violent wave of vertigo washed over me.

Before my consciousness slipped away, I pressed the emergency locator beacon hidden in the lining of my coat, sending out my location.