He Put Her First Until I Left

We're at a department dinner when Logan Gilroy tags me in the work group chat. We've been secretly dating for five years. "Everyone else already paid their share without me having to ask. Do I really have to chase you down for yours?" My best friend, Grace Hopkins, immediately posts a screenshot showing she's already paid. "Ashley, are you having money trouble or something? If you really can't afford your share, I can cover it for you." Within seconds, my coworkers start piling on. "I've never seen anyone so shameless. Mr. Gilroy actually had to call you out in the group chat just to get you to pay your share!" "If you can't afford to eat out, then don't come. She probably only showed up because she wanted an excuse to get close to Mr. Gilroy." "At least Grace knows what's appropriate. No wonder Mr. Gilroy always looks out for her." The boyfriend I've kept secret for five years is humiliating me in front of the entire department, and my best friend is right there backing him up. A new post pops up on my feed. Grace has posted a screenshot showing that Logan returned her payment. Her caption reads, "Dinner with him means I never have to split the bill." Logan likes the post almost immediately and comments, "You showed up, so there's no way I'm letting you pay." I swallow hard, my finger hovering over the screen for a long moment. Then Logan tags me in the work group chat again. "We're not close enough for me to be treating you to dinner, are we, Ms. Leith?" After a long moment, I open the shopping app and cancel the anniversary gift I ordered for him. Then I transfer him my share and post a screenshot in the group chat. Apparently, we're not that close after all. Our fifth anniversary hardly seems worth celebrating now. Chapter 1 When I came back to the table from the restroom, Grace Hopkins immediately linked arms with me. "I only posted my payment in the group chat to make things easier for Logan. If everyone did what you did and waited for him to ask, he'd have a much harder time!" I quietly pulled away and said evenly, "It's fine. I understand." Logan Gilroy tapped something out on his phone. A second later, mine buzzed. "You really should learn from Grace. Why am I always the one who has to be careful about how we act around everyone?" I didn't reply. My chest felt strangely heavy. Logan and I had started the company together. The business grew, and our team expanded. Somehow, fewer and fewer people knew we were a couple. I handled the technical side of the company, while Logan ran operations. He was always saying that office relationships got in the way of work and that, as CEO, he had to set an example. Looking back, I couldn't count how many times he'd deliberately kept his distance from me whenever other people were around. The company ordered dinner whenever we worked late. One night, I stepped out for half an hour to take a client call. When I came back, someone had already eaten my meal. I asked Logan if he could order another one for me. He replied coldly, "You missed dinner. Who else can you blame? If you don't like the food, then stop eating it. You really made all this up just to get special treatment?" After that, they deliberately left me off every dinner order. But the very next day, Grace complained that her meal came with onions. From then on, Logan spent a small fortune every day having a separate dinner prepared just for her, with no onions. He even made sure she got something different every day. People at work started saying behind my back that Logan couldn't stand me and only kept me around because I'd been with the company for years. Before long, they started shutting me out too. I said nothing. When Grace reached for me again, I moved her hand aside. She suddenly exclaimed, "Mr. Gilroy, you really do know me best! You ordered all my favorite dishes!" I looked at the table, every dish loaded with spice, and my heart twisted. Five years earlier, when Logan and I had just started the company, I'd been trying to land a major client who loved spicy food. I'd forced myself to eat a whole plate of spicy food to win him over and ended up with a bleeding stomach. After that, I couldn't touch spicy food again. Back then, Logan had clasped my hand and looked genuinely worried. "We're never having anything spicy at our table again." "Sorry, I can't eat spicy food—" I began, but someone beside me cut in. "Ashley, do you always have to ask for special treatment? We're just splitting the bill like everyone else. Why do you have to make a fuss every time?" I fell silent. Logan seemed to remember something. He glanced at me, then turned to the others. "Anyone else here who can't eat spicy food? I can order a few mild dishes." Grace grinned. "Mild food never looks appetizing anyway. And just so we're clear, I'm not paying for anything I'm not eating." Someone immediately chimed in. "Of course not. Why should you? If anyone wants something different, they can order it themselves." No one said anything, but their looks made it clear who they were talking about. My face burned. I grabbed my bag. "It's fine, Mr. Gilroy. Something came up at home, so I have to go." I hurried out of the private room with tears streaming down my face. From behind the closed door, it sounded like they were celebrating. Chapter 2 Compliments for Grace started coming from all around the table. "We have Grace to thank for tonight! If she hadn't said she wanted to eat here, we never would've known how good this place was!" "Seriously. We all owe Grace one tonight!" Grace answered like she was hosting the dinner herself. "I'm just glad everyone likes it. Eat up. If we go over budget, Mr. Gilroy can cover the rest. Sound good?" Logan smiled. "Sure." The teasing started immediately. "Wow, Mr. Gilroy really does spoil Grace. Is there something going on between you two?" Someone gave Grace a knowing look. "Come on, Grace. Spill. Are we going to have to start calling you Mrs. Gilroy soon?" Grace denied it right away, but she sounded shy. "Mr. Gilroy is just my boss! You guys are making it sound like there's something between us!" A chorus of knowing oohs went around the table. Grace changed the subject. "By the way, Ashley barely ate anything before she left. Do you think she got upset?" The others immediately jumped in to reassure her. "She's just jealous because Mr. Gilroy treats you so well." "Exactly. Ashley seriously can't take a hint! Can't she tell Mr. Gilroy can't stand her?" "We should've just planned dinner in our other group chat, the one without her!" That was when I realized why the work group chat had gone so quiet. Back in the room, they were still fishing for praise from Logan. "Yeah, Grace was smart to think of that. Things have been running so much smoother since we started that group without Ashley!" "Ashley even got in trouble last time for falling behind on that project." My blood ran cold. A while back, Logan had spent half an hour chewing me out in front of the entire office for holding up a project. He'd even made me clean every restroom in the office as punishment. I'd tried to explain that no one had told me the project was urgent, but my coworkers all swore they had. They even pulled up the chat history to prove it. At the time, I'd assumed there was something wrong with my phone and that the messages hadn't come through. Now I knew the truth. Everyone had known what was going on, including Logan. I stumbled out of the restaurant. Before I knew it, I was standing outside a little diner. The couple who owned it greeted me warmly. "Ashley, where's Logan today? The usual?" When Logan and I first started the company, we were broke. Once, when we were down to our last few dollars, he spent what little we had on a bowl of chicken noodle soup for me. He waited until I finished eating, then drank the broth I left behind. But now, he wasn't just standing by while everyone singled me out. He was the one setting the tone. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and shook my head. "Just one bowl today." I picked up my phone and sent a message. "I'll sell my shares. I'll take the price you offered last time." There was nothing left for me to stay for. Chapter 3 When I got back to the apartment complex, I glanced up and saw warm light spilling from our windows. I opened the door to find Grace stretched out on the couch in my pajamas, a face mask on as she watched TV. She greeted me like I was the one who didn't belong there. "You're here, Ashley!" Logan came out of the kitchen with a bowl of plain vegetable soup in his hands. "Why'd you leave the restaurant so suddenly?" he asked casually, as if it were no big deal. I almost laughed. All the way home, I'd rehearsed countless different ways to ask him why he'd ordered a table full of spicy food when he knew I couldn't eat any of it. And why he'd still punished me when he knew the others had deliberately set me up. But now that I was standing in front of him, I no longer wanted to ask. I forced a small smile and gave him the first excuse that came to mind. "My mom called. She wanted to know when I was planning to get married." Grace burst out laughing and doubled over on the couch, clutching her stomach. "I told you I'd win, Logan! I knew Ashley would come home and bring up marriage again, using her mom as the excuse!" Logan shook his head with an amused smile. "Okay, enough. Eat your soup. You ordered all that spicy food just to win a bet, and now you've given yourself a stomachache. You're still laughing?" I stopped halfway to the dining table. So that was why he'd come home early. I'd thought he'd noticed I hadn't eaten and hurried back to make me something. Instead, he'd come home to cook for Grace because she'd made herself sick over a bet about me. The soup wasn't for me after all. Neither was the warmth I'd felt looking up at those windows. Logan frowned at me. "That's Grace's. I can make you some later if you want. Let her eat first. You can wait." Grace grinned, picked up the spoon, and took a sip. "Mr. Gilroy sure is generous." Then she snapped a picture and posted it on social media, captioning it, "Late-night snack made with love." That was when I noticed Grace was eating from Logan's bowl and using his utensils. Logan was a clean freak who hated sharing dishes or utensils with anyone. Even after six years together, he'd always insisted that we keep ours separate. I respected that. I'd even designed our tableware myself and spent a small fortune having the entire set custom-made. My fingers tightened around the hem of my shirt. After Grace finished eating, she kept admiring the bowl in her hands. "Logan, your dishes are so cute. Can I have one?" I spoke before I could stop myself. "Every piece in this set is one of a kind. They're not something you can just buy in a store." Grace let out a small "oh" and muttered, "But I really like it." Without a second thought, Logan got up, took the bowl and utensils from her, washed them, and packed them into a box. "If you don't mind that I've already used them, you can have them." Grace took the box with a grin. "Why would I?" Then she looked at me. "Ashley, you don't mind giving me one, do you?" I forced a smile. "Of course not." I was leaving anyway. It wouldn't be my problem anymore. I went to the bedroom in my slippers. Grace and Logan kept talking in the living room, but my head was pounding so badly I could barely think. It wasn't until I heard the front door shut that Logan finally came in. The moment he did, he started in on me. "Do you seriously not know how to treat a guest? Grace was leaving, and you couldn't even come out to say goodbye?" I didn't answer. Instead, I said, "Logan, I'm 28." He'd once promised that as soon as the company took off, we'd get married. But I waited year after year, and all he ever did was tell me to wait a little longer. Even in the dark, I saw him stiffen. He was quiet for a long moment before he finally answered in a hoarse voice, "Just give me a little more time, Ashley." Chapter 4 When I got to the office the next morning, my coworkers were still avoiding me like the plague. At lunch, Grace opened her lunchbox and started sharing food with a few people she was close to. Then someone suddenly gasped. "Grace, am I seeing this right? Aren't those the same utensils Mr. Gilroy uses?" Everyone at the company recognized that pattern. Logan had it on all his personal things. He'd mentioned before that his girlfriend had designed it. She'd even designed the company logo, but no one had ever met her. So the moment they saw Grace using matching utensils, they all jumped to the same conclusion. Knowing looks passed around the table, and everyone started fawning over her even more. Grace ducked her head, blushing bright red. "Oh, stop. It's really not what you guys think!" I pressed my lips together and said nothing. That afternoon, Logan called an emergency meeting out of nowhere. Grace and I sat on either side of him. "The client's been pretty happy with the project so far. I also have an announcement to make. As of today, Grace will be replacing Ashley as the project lead." The room immediately broke into murmurs. But once everyone remembered how close Grace and Logan were, it didn't take long for the congratulations to start. "Grace is thorough and easy to work with. I think she'll do a great job leading the project." "Yeah. Honestly, some of us were already hoping for a change in leadership." I bit down on my lip, my nails digging into my palms. I stayed quiet for a long moment before finally asking, "Why? Why should I have to give up a project I've worked this hard on just because you decided to replace me?" Logan glanced at my red-rimmed eyes, and his expression froze for a split second. Then he hurled the project folder at my head. The corner hit me hard in the forehead, and blood started running down my face. I felt the warm trickle against my skin. "Mr. Gilroy, I asked you why," I said slowly. Panic flashed across his face. His hand came up instinctively, like he was about to wipe the blood away. Then he caught himself and lowered it. "Can you just go get that taken care of?" Grace stood nearby, clutching the first-aid kit to her chest, her eyes glistening with tears. "Ashley, you can disagree with the company's decision, but you can't use this to make Mr. Gilroy feel guilty!" Whatever concern had been in Logan's eyes vanished. He called me into his office, a vein throbbing in his neck. "Ashley Leith! Who do you think you are? This is the office, not home. Don't expect me to go easy on you here!" I suddenly thought back to the time Grace had misplaced a decimal point and cost the company 200,000 dollars. That had happened at the office too. Logan had chewed her out in front of everyone, but later I found out he'd already stocked his office with her favorite snacks and drinks. The whole thing had been an act for the other employees. When I'd gotten jealous, he'd tapped me on the nose. "I only look out for her because she's your friend. You're really jealous over that?" But this time, blood was still running down my face, and there was no mistaking the anger in his eyes. When I didn't answer, his voice softened. "Grace needs this project on her résumé. Can't you just let her have it?" I looked at him and suddenly didn't have it in me to argue anymore. If he wanted me to give it up for her, fine. She could have it. "Okay." Chapter 5 Once I handed off the project, I suddenly had almost nothing left to do. My share transfer would be finalized the next day. Grace, meanwhile, was clearly in over her head. She didn't have enough experience to manage the team or keep the project on track. At first, everyone held back because of Logan, but before long, their frustration with her started to show. At lunch, I stopped by the break room for some water and overheard Grace talking to Logan through tears. "Logan, can you talk to Ashley and ask her to help me? Everyone keeps saying I'm not qualified to lead the project, and it really hurts. I know she's only refusing to help because she's upset you put me in charge instead." Logan's expression softened as soon as he saw her crying. Without a second thought, he pulled her into his arms. "Okay. I'll take care of it." When they finally pulled apart, they noticed me standing there, watching them. Logan immediately started to explain, "Ashley, it's not what you think. I was just comforting her…" I shot back, my voice edged with sarcasm. "And what exactly do you think I'm thinking? Logan, do you even remember who your girlfriend is?" By then, the others had started gathering around, whispering among themselves. "Seriously? Why is Ashley acting like she just caught her boyfriend with another woman?" "Exactly. Who is she to question Mr. Gilroy like that?" That did it. "Logan, why don't you tell them what I am to you? Tell them if I have the right to question you!" His expression changed for a split second. His fingers tightened around the cuff of his jacket, bunching the fabric. Then he said, "There's nothing between us." I'd known he was going to say it, but hearing the words still made me take a step back. My forehead throbbed, but the ache in my chest hurt worse. I ripped off my employee badge and threw it at him. "Don't forget you said that!" I went home, packed everything I owned, and walked out of the place Logan and I had shared for years. Then I snapped my SIM card in half, tossed it in the trash, and got on a flight home. Watching the clouds drift past the window, I told myself Logan and I were done for good. Meanwhile, Logan thought I knew why he'd denied our relationship in front of everyone. As far as he was concerned, I was just mad and would cool off eventually. Then someone arrived with the paperwork for my share transfer. "Mr. Gilroy, we now own a controlling stake in the company. We're here to inform you that you've been removed as CEO." Logan immediately tried to have them thrown out. "What kind of joke is this? My fiancée and I own 60% of this company between us. The rest belongs to the original investors!" The man set the share transfer agreement down in front of him. "Ms. Leith has already transferred all of her shares to us. She's not even in Avermont anymore."