Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24 Blacklisted By My Husband

A spark of hope ignited in my chest. A manager position would pay enough for a better apartment. It would pay for a doctor.

Ten minutes later, a woman in a sharp navy suit emerged. Her name tag read Isabella Cortez. She led me to a cramped office

overlooking the shipping yard and gestured for me to sit.

“Your experience is substantial,” Isabella began, folding her hands over my resume. “Strategy consultant, vendor negotiations, suppl

line optimization.”

‘I streamlined their regional distribution network,” I said, my voice steady despite the hammer of my heart. “I cut overhead costs by fourteen percent in my first year.”

Isabella nodded and reached for her mouse. “I always run a standard background search on management candidates. Just a

formality.”

I froze. I felt the blood drain from my face as I watched her monitor. I heard the click of the mouse. The silence stretched until it felt like a wire winding around my throat.

Isabella stopped scrolling. Her mouth formed a hard line, and the professional courtesy drained from her face. She leaned back and looked at me, her eyes dropping to the scar on my cheek.

“I see,” she murmured.

“My work speaks for itself,” I said, panic threatening to break through. “If you look at the metrics-

“The Johnston Group released a public statement three days ago,” Isabella interrupted, her voice turning to ice. “They terminated you for corporate espionage. They accuse you of stealing proprietary data.

“Those accusations are false. It’s a narrative designed to protect their executive interests.”

Isabella let out a harsh, disbelieving breath and turned the monitor toward me. The headline on a major financial blog blared in bold letters: Minerva Hayes Fired for Corporate Espionage. Beside it was the photograph from the gala-Celeste striking me while Tristan watched in the background.

“They say you tried to blackmail the CEO, Isabella noted with absolute disgust. “They say you slept your way into their executive circles, and when they threw you out, you tried to steal from them.”

“That is a lie, I stated. My voice shook with the weight of the injustice. I earned my position.”

“We run a respectable business here, Miss Hayes, Isabella said. She picked up my resume and dropped it into the metal trash can. “We do not hire corporate spies. And we do not hire women who use their bodies to climb the ladder. Get out of my office.”

I stood up. I didn’t defend myself further. It was a waste of breath to argue with someone who believed the media machine Tristan

controlled.

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Chapter 24 Blacklisted By My Husband

I had to walk back through the open-plan bullpen to reach the exit. The news had already spread. Dozens of employees stopped’ typing and answering phones just to watch me. The whispers started before I was halfway to the door.

“That’s her.”

“The Johnston girl.”

‘I heard she stalked him for a year.”

“Look at her clothes. She thought she could trap a billionaire and ended up with nothing.”

The words struck my back like stones, but I kept my head high. I fixed my eyes on the glass doors and refused to let my shoulders

slump. I refused to give them my tears.

I pushed through the doors and escaped into the freezing wind. I walked until my legs gave out, finally collapsing onto a wooden bus bench a mile away. The rain began to fall again, an icy mist that soaked my sweater.

I opened my bag and pulled out a sleeve of saltine crackers, forcing myself to eat two to settle the nausea. I looked at the nineteen remaining resumes in my folder-nineteen useless pieces of paper.

Tristan had ensured I would starve. He didn’t just fire me; he branded me a thief and a whore so no legitimate company would touch me. The fight drained from my body, and I rested my head in my hands.

A sharp buzzing noise startled me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the cheap prepaid phone I’d bought two days ago. An unknown local number flashed on the screen.

I pressed the button and held it to my ear.

“Hello?’

Is this Minerva Hayes?’ a crisp female voice asked.

“Yes, this is she.” “This is the human resources department at Kensington Logistics. We received your resume this morning for our

strategy coordinator role.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Kensington Logistics was a massive firm. “Yes, I managed to say. “I dropped it off earlier.”

“Your operational background caught our attention. We’d like to bring you in for an interview tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.”

“I will be there,” I promised. “Thank you. Who should I ask for?”

“You will be meeting directly with our new regional director, the woman explained. “He just transferred from the capital to oversee

the coastal expansion.”

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