Almost the exact second the words left Raelynn's mouth, the heavy office doors swung open. Even in her peripheral vision, the man's towering, commanding presence was impossible to ignore. Raelynn turned, her expression turning into a mask of pure ice. Her gaze slammed directly into Sebastian's bottomless dark eyes. Standing right beside him, looking elegant and beaming with triumph, was Seraphina. Behind them, Leo was casually chatting with a middle-aged man in a pristine white lab coat. The entire group looked thoroughly pleased with themselves, their laughter echoing loudly in the quiet hallway. Sebastian's long strides slowed slightly as his eyes locked onto Raelynn. Director Lowell, the head of Gracefield, finally noticed Raelynn standing there. He had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable. "Ms. Ortiz. My deepest apologies. Something urgent came up. Have you been waiting long?" The fake sympathy in his voice was sickening. Raelynn stared him down. "Are you available to discuss our contract now?" She already knew the answer. Director Lowell shifted awkwardly. "I'm incredibly sorry, but regarding the integration of your company's surgical robots... we've decided to hold off for the time being. The board has opted to move forward with Ms. Vance's Intelli-Cure System instead." Raelynn didn't even flinch. She just shot a venomous glare at Sebastian. She had a rock-solid appointment with Director Lowell. The deal had been all but finalized over the phone. But today, she had been left rotting in the waiting room only to be dismissed entirely. There was zero doubt in her mind. Sebastian had personally stepped in and crushed the deal. Seraphina, practically glowing from Raelynn's obvious fury, offered a condescending smile. After all, it wasn't every day you got to watch your rival sit in a waiting room for over an hour just to get rejected. "Director Lowell and I have already reached a finalized agreement. I'm afraid Gracefield won't be looking at any other medical tech at this time." NexusMind's biggest client had just been stolen and handed directly to Seraphina. That was the brutal reality. Gracefield was the absolute crown jewel on NexusMind's target list. Securing them was vital for market penetration and guaranteed massive sales numbers. And Sebastian had casually ripped that foundational pillar away from Raelynn just to pad Seraphina's resume. If this had been a fair fight in the open market, Raelynn would have swallowed the loss. But it wasn't. Sebastian had weaponized his limitless power and connections to obliterate a deal NexusMind had spent weeks cultivating! It was blatant robbery. "If you had already decided to cut NexusMind out of the deal, you could have just told me and saved me the trip," Raelynn said, her voice dropping to a dangerous chill. Canceling a meeting took one phone call. Instead, they had forced her to sit there like a fool. Director Lowell frowned, clearly disliking Raelynn's aggressive tone. Just as he opened his mouth to reprimand her, Sebastian spoke up, his voice a lazy drawl. "If you're that desperate for a client, I can pass a few other medical institutions over to NexusMind." The sheer condescension in his voice was suffocating. He sounded like a billionaire tossing spare change to a beggar, silently warning her to take the scraps and shut her mouth. Raelynn stared at the face she had loved for seven years, feeling completely alienated. A bitter laugh clawed its way up her throat. "I see you know exactly what you're doing, Mr. Croix." Everyone in the industry knew how lucrative the Gracefield contract was. He had violently stolen her golden goose to feed Seraphina, and now he was offering her breadcrumbs as compensation? Sebastian seemed entirely unfazed by her hostility. He stepped directly into her space and casually slipped a sleek business card into the front pocket of her bag. "Call them if you need a lifeline." It was a masterclass in humiliation. He was treating her like a charity case, expecting her to roll over and play dead. Seraphina was practically vibrating with joy. She had secured the Gracefield contract, guaranteeing her Intelli-Cure System would launch flawlessly, while Raelynn was being tossed the table scraps of some no-name clinic. She looked down her nose at Raelynn. "Look, I get it. You were banking on this deal to secure your little promotion at NexusMind. But business is business. You just need to admit you don't have what it takes to close the deal." Raelynn's eyes went glacial. The sheer audacity of the woman was laughable. Gracefield had already verbally committed to NexusMind. Seraphina had swooped in and hijacked the contract, yet she was standing there acting like a self-made genius.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Boss, Your Wife Signed the Divorce Agreement Before the Wedding
This author is not letting her FL win. haha Such a rage bait! But I keep on reading anyway! Urgh!...