Chapter 4

"What are you doing here?"

Ethan stood in the corporate lobby of Golden Pot's downtown headquarters, dressed sharply in a tailored suit. He looked at me as if I were a stray cat wandering onto private property.

Chloe stood right behind him in a chic cream-colored pantsuit, cradling a presentation folder that clearly featured the layout template I had designed.

"I'm the one who negotiated this partnership with Golden Pot," I said evenly.

"That was the past." He stepped forward, dropping his voice to a hushed, exasperated tone, like he was explaining basic logic to a child. "You are no longer part of 'Savor & Spice.' Brands partner with the channel, not with you as an individual."

"The core dipping sauce and broth recipes in that pitch deck were created by me."

"You sent the doc to Chloe. The handover is officially done."

Last night before bed, I did email Chloe the recipe file. But it only contained the raw ingredients and rough ratios—the critical sautéing sequence, the temperature checkpoints, and the timing were completely omitted. Ethan wouldn't have a clue. He had never cooked a meal in his life.

"Ethan, we're gonna be late," Chloe murmured, gently tugging at his suit sleeve.

Ethan adjusted his silk tie, giving me one last cold glare. "Don't make a scene in a place like this. You're only humiliating yourself."

They turned toward the executive elevators.

I followed them.

Ethan whipped around, his brows furrowing deep. "What is your problem?"

"I'm sitting in on the meeting."

"Not happening."

"Mr. Zhou from Golden Pot was my direct contact—"

"Mr. Zhou isn't running today's pitch," Chloe cut in smoothly, offering a tight, polite smile. "It's Ms. Pei, the Chief Brand Officer. Ethan already prepped with her team."

Ethan glanced toward the lobby security guard and gave a slight nod.

"Excuse me, officer. This person isn't with our team."

The front desk receptionist looked between me and the official visitor clearance badge in Ethan's hand, looking uncomfortable as she stood up.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but if you're not on the approved guest list—"

"I'm leaving."

I didn't let her finish.

As the elevator doors slid shut, I caught a glimpse of Chloe leaning lightly against Ethan's shoulder, flipping through my printed recipe deck. Her baby-pink manicured nails flicked against the edge of the pages.

Outside the main glass doors, there was a row of concrete benches. The November wind sliced straight through my coat.

Our mutual group chat on Snapchat began pinging rapidly. Someone had leaked the story.

Marcus's text led the charge:

[Wait, did Avery actually show up at Golden Pot HQ to stalk Ethan??? Ultimate toxic ex behavior! Stalking him over a brand deal after getting dumped, is she for real???]

A string of laughing-crying emojis flooded the chat.

[Does she honestly think those recipes belong to her? Without Ethan giving her a platform, she'd be a nobody.]

[Just ignore her. Total sore loser behavior.]

I muted the group chat, leaning back against the cold stone bench. My fingers were turning numb and pale from the chill.

The heavy glass doors pushed open. Chloe strutted out in her pointed heels. When she spotted me still sitting there, she paused.

"Avery? Why are you still here?"

"Just taking a break."

She hesitated for a split second, then walked over and sat on the far edge of the bench.

"Look, Avery, I'll be blunt." She tilted her head, her pink nails tapping an idle rhythm on her knee. "It's over between you and Ethan. The content, the brand deals, the channel—none of it has anything to do with you anymore. Clinging onto this just makes you look desperate."

I said nothing.

She let out a soft chuckle, standing up and smoothing down her immaculate skirt.

"Ethan was right. You just don't know how to let go."

Her heels clicked rhythmically against the pavement as she walked away.

I sat on the bench for another three minutes.

My phone rang.

Not the group chat. Not Chloe. Not Ethan.

An unknown corporate number.

"Hello, is this Avery Vance?"

A woman's voice. Crisp, sharp, completely devoid of corporate fluff.

"Speaking."

"This is Victoria Pei, Chief Brand Officer at Golden Pot. A few issues came up during our presentation just now that raised serious red flags for me. I had our test kitchen immediately recreate the recipe pitch Chloe presented. The base ingredients and ratios were there, but crucial process steps were completely missing. The finished product tasted nothing like what was shown on your channel. When I pressed Ethan for answers, he couldn't explain."

My hand tightened around the phone.

"So, I took a look into the metadata of 'Savor & Spice's' early content library. The equipment profiles, the editing software licenses, the registered typography fonts—everything pointed straight to one single creator."

The wind swirled fallen leaves across the pavement.

"And it wasn't Ethan Miller."

A three-second silence hung on the line.

"Ms. Vance, are you free to meet tomorrow? Ten sharp, Golden Pot Headquarters, eighteenth floor. I'll make sure security has your name at the front desk."

I looked through the glass into the lobby, where the white directory board listed the day's registered guests.

My name hadn't been on it.

But Victoria Pei's call was about to put me at a much bigger table.

"I'll be there."