Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 4

Sunforge Tech might still be in its early days, but with Duncan Corporation’s support, there was no shortage of money or talent. All it needed was a bit of direction to get on the right track. Its potential was huge, and honestly, it was only a matter of time before it left NovaStack Cloud in the dust.

Stephen smiled, his eyes warm and relaxed. “Right now, we’re a small team, just about thirty people. The product’s barely a prototype. If you’re interested, I’d like you to take the lead. The whole team will be yours to build.”-

Rebecca couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement. She pressed her lips together and admitted, “I really am interested, but things with NovaStack Cloud are… complicated. It’s not something I can walk away from overnight.”

Stephen nodded, his voice gentle and steady. “I get it. I can wait. However long you need, I’ll be here.”

Rebecca thought for a second. “How about this? I’m about to take a month off. I could try working at Sunforge Tech for that month, see if it’s a good fit. If everything works out, we can make it official after.”

That timeline lined up perfectly. In a month, she’d be ready to finalize her resignation from NovaStack Cloud and start fresh at Sunforge Tech.

Stephen’s eyes lit up. Things were going way smoother than he’d expected. He could tell something wasn’t right between Rebecca and Bruce. He quickly masked his expression. “Sounds good. You’ll get full benefits and pay during your trial.”

When Stephen slid the offer across the table, Rebecca was stunned. Three million a year, ten percent equity, annual dividends… She counted the zeros, heart pounding. She’d never seen numbers like these before.

Stephen cleared his throat and handed her a pen. “If there’s anything you want to discuss, we can talk about it.”

Rebecca shook her head, almost laughing in disbelief. “No, it’s perfect. Really.”

She felt a little embarrassed, remembering her years at NovaStack Cloud. Her base salary was still embarrassingly low. If it weren’t for commission, she would’ve had to skip meals. She’d watched Bruce stress over funding, knew how hard startups could be, and she’d never asked for a raise or equity. Now, staring at this offer, it all felt like some kind of sad joke.

Rebecca quickly signed her name and handed the agreement back to Stephen. She expected to start that very day, but Stephen told her to come in on Monday instead.

The mention of Bruce was almost too much. Rebecca’s tears finally spilled over. How was she supposed to tell her mom that Bruce didn’t love her, that he’d never care the way she hoped? But her mom already saw Bruce as part of the family, and with her mom’s surgery coming up, Rebecca decided to keep quiet. She’d wait until her mom was healthy before saying anything.

Rebecca looked up at her mom, her voice small and pleading. “Mom, can you make your chicken soup? I’ve been craving it.”

Samantha smiled. “Of course. I’ll get started right now.”

Once her mom disappeared into the kitchen, Rebecca let herself collapse on the sofa, her energy completely gone.

Meanwhile, at the top floor of NovaStack Cloud, Kane accepted a letter from a courier and stared at it, totally confused. Who could have sent this?