His Secretary Got My Ring, So I Sold the Company Novel – Chapter 1 The day before the company went public, I agreed to the rival firm’s buyout terms for my shares. He asked me why I’d throw away an empire I’d built with my own two hands. “Because tomorrow’s an unlucky day.” Tomorrow, I was supposed to ring the opening bell at the Nasdaq alongside my fiancé. Instead, he’d swapped my plane ticket for his little secretary’s. “The girl’s been pestering me to no end. She just has to see the world for herself. I really couldn’t say no.” “You’ve worn yourself out getting us to the IPO. Let her take this last stretch for you.” “Aren’t you always complaining your stomach hurts? This is the perfect chance to rest up and take care of yourself.” I frowned and opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off again. “Oh, and Anna’s measurements are about the same as yours. Those new gowns that just got delivered? I took them all.” “And that blue-diamond ring. You hardly ever wear it anyway. Let her borrow it to look the part.” He’d probably forgotten that the diamond was our engagement ring. I’d never been able to bring myself to wear it. I’d planned to announce our wedding date tomorrow, when we rang the bell. But it seemed tomorrow wasn’t such an auspicious day after all. Fine.
We just wouldn’t ring that bell. —— When I hung up, Gavin Gilbert was still chatting away on the phone with his little secretary. “Anna, don’t you worry. Whatever I promised you, I’ll make it happen. Eunice Stephens has already agreed not to go!” “Did you see the dress I sent? Wear that one tomorrow, pair it with the blue diamond, and you’ll be perfect on camera.” I watched him carefully tuck the gown and the blue-diamond ring into a gift box. Then, with a smile tugging at his lips, he tied a pretty bow around it. Only when he felt my eyes on him did he end the call. He reached out to pull me into a hug, but I stepped away. His hand froze midair, full of confusion and hurt. “Eunice, you used to cling to me every single time before a business trip!” I gave a faint tug at the corner of my mouth, a little surprised he even remembered the way we used to be. Eight years together, after all. I refused to let him be the one who got to feel wronged, so I spoke. “Gavin, I walked with you from a basement all the way to the Nasdaq.
And the last step, you’re letting someone else take it for me?” His hurt curdled instantly into impatience. “Why are you so petty? It’s just ringing a bell. Who goes makes no difference. Can’t you be a little more big-hearted about it?” So that was it. Sending another woman to ring the bell in my place was called being big-hearted. I stared at him for three seconds. Then I nodded. “Fine. I won’t go.” Gavin breathed out in relief and bent down to press a kiss to my forehead. “Good girl. My Eunice always knows how to be reasonable.” “Don’t bother going in to the office today. Stay home and rest. I booked a private chef for tonight, that home-style place you love.” With that, he carried the gift box off to the office. I got up and went into the study to boot up the computer and sort through some files. That was when I noticed he was still logged into his messages. I opened them. The first contact pinned to the top was his assistant, Anna Ball. Saved under the name “Sweet Anna.” I was pinned second. Notifications muted.
I opened their thread. The two of them had something to say every single day. From work to personal matters, Gavin always answered within seconds. Nothing like the way he replied to me, always after a long delay. And when he did reply, it was always a clipped ‘Mm,’ ‘Oh,’ ‘Fine,’ ‘Whatever’… I scrolled up through their history. Starting half a year ago, every time Gavin mentioned me, it was already nothing but complaints. “Honestly wish I could work around the clock and never go home. The second I’m home there’s homework to turn in. So exhausting.” “She went on about getting married again today, nagging like she’s running out of time. Is she really that desperate to be a wife?” … At first Anna would still offer him some polite comfort, saying I was, after all, his first love, that they’d been together so many years, that he ought to cherish me.