His Double Standards, My Final Goodbye Chapter 03

His Double Standards, My Final Goodbye Chapter 03

As it turned out, Dominic really did know how to keep Vance family business separate from his private life.

The next afternoon, just before our bid rehearsal, my assistant rushed over with a revised presentation schedule, looking stunned.

“Ms. Sterling, why did they change the lead presenter?”

I took the schedule from her.

The slot that had belonged to me now had Chloe De Santis’s name across it.

I’d spent six months leading my team through every part of the residential and security design, from the first concept to more than three hundred key drawings. Chloe had sat in on exactly two meetings. I gripped the schedule and walked straight into the conference room.

“Dominic. Explain.”

He was leaning over to adjust the projector for Chloe. At the sound of my voice, he barely glanced up.

“Last-minute change. Chloe presents. You handle the Q&A.”

“She’s the marketing director. She’s a stronger presenter than you are.”

I set the schedule on the table.

“The core concept, floor plans, and models are mine. Chloe hasn’t even checked the dimensions on the drawings. What makes her qualified to lead the presentation?”

Chloe closed her laptop and said softly, “I wasn’t trying to take credit for your work. Dominic said you haven’t been yourself lately, and he was worried you might lose control in front of the investors.”

“When have I ever lost control?”

Dominic answered for her.

“Last night. You questioned me about our relationship in front of the entire team and disrupted a business dinner.”

Dominic pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit.

“Astrid, I know you don’t like how close Chloe and I are. But this is a €200 million project. I’m not using it to manage your feelings.”

His voice stayed perfectly calm.

Every word still chipped away at my professional credibility.

“So you handed my work to her?”

“She’s only presenting it.”

“And the credit?”

I flipped to the last page of the schedule.

The Lead Designer line had been changed too. It now read Chloe De Santis.

No one in the conference room said a word.

Several members of my team lowered their eyes, refusing to look at me.

Dominic rubbed between his brows.

“The investors and senior stakeholders trust the De Santis name. Putting her name on the project improves our chances of winning the bid. Once we land it, you won’t lose a cent of your bonus or profit share.”

Chloe held out a cup of warm water to me.

“Don’t be upset. If we win, I’ll make sure to mention you at the celebration.”

I didn’t take it.

“Have you even seen the first draft of this design?”

Chloe had no answer.

Dominic finally ran out of patience.

“Starting today, you’re off the presentation team. Turn the rest of your materials over to Chloe. You don’t need to attend any more meetings.”

My chest went tight.

“Dominic, what gives you the right to remove me?”

“I’m the final decision-maker on this project.”

“I own the rights to the design.”

“The contract is clear. Any design work produced during the project belongs to the joint team.”

He knew me too well.

He knew that when I’d agreed to work with him, I’d trusted him enough not to read every line of that endless legal agreement.

When he handed it to me, all he’d said was, “I won’t let you get screwed.”

So I signed it.

Chloe came over, her voice gentle.

“Astrid, please don’t let relationship problems hold everyone else up. Dominic is only trying to protect the project.”

I pulled the cable from the projector.

The screen went black.

Dominic caught my wrist. His grip was controlled, but firm enough that I couldn’t pull free.

“Stop. Plug it back in.”

“When the project is over, I’ll make this up to you.”

“Chloe needs this project to establish herself. You already have two awards. You don’t need this one.”

I stared into his eyes.

“She needs it, so I’m supposed to give mine up. Is that it?”

Dominic didn’t answer the question.

“Why are you competing with her?”

All at once, I lost the will to argue.

I stopped resisting, and he loosened his grip.

I handed the projector cable to Chloe.

“Fine. You present it.”

Dominic’s expression softened slightly.

“I’ll come by after work. We can talk then.”

“No need.”

I turned and left the conference room.

Just before the elevator doors closed, the project assistant ran after me and pressed a manila envelope into my hands.

“Ms. Sterling, Mr. Vance asked me to clear out some old files. These were supposed to be shredded, but I thought there might be something of yours in here.”

I opened the envelope.

On top was the plagiarism complaint I’d filed in the European Emerging Architects Competition three years earlier.

The accused was Chloe De Santis.

The complainant’s signature was mine.

Tucked behind the final disposition page was an encrypted internal Vance family email bearing Dominic’s signature.

The subject line was a single sentence.

“Plan to Approach Astrid Sterling and Persuade Her to Withdraw the Complaint.”