Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40 The Boss Steals Her Credit

Eduardo turned his attention to the idling transport trucks. The exhaust fumes curled into the hot summer air. “Tristan Johnston finalized the acquisition of the Port Sterling Shipping Hub six months ago. He absorbed three regional logistics firms. He dominates

the coastline now.”

The name sent a familiar, dull ache through my chest, but the terror was gone. Tristan owned the harbor. He controlled the massive freighters and the international trade routes. He built an empire of steel and capital mere miles from where I stood.

He searched for me during the first few weeks. Mateo Castillo’s black SUV haunted my old neighborhood. They bribed landlords and intimidated local business owners. But Eduardo Valdez possessed forty years of experience hiding assets. He secured a ghost apartment under a shell LLC. He routed my payroll through three blind accounts. I vanished into the concrete jungle of Port

Sterling.

Tristan eventually stopped looking. The high-society wedding of the decade consumed the media. The Johnston-Whitmore union dominated the financial blogs. He married Celeste. He secured his legacy. He stopped hunting the ghost.

“Let him dominate the coastline,’ I said. I tucked the thick envelope into my blazer pocket. “We control the boutique supply lines.

We operate beneath his radar.”

“For now, Eduardo cautioned. “A shark does not ignore a feeding frenzy, even a small one. Valdez Elegance is drawing attention. Your routing maps are too efficient. Competitors are starting to ask questions.”

“I will manage the competitors.”

“I know you will.” Eduardo turned back to me. “But you manage them from the shadows. You built this success, Minerva, but the company ledger still lists Sienna Navarro as the Director of Operations.”

My jaw tightened.

Eduardo fired Sienna from the main warehouse seven months ago, but the corporate paperwork remained complicated. To protect my identity from the Johnston Group algorithms, Eduardo kept Sienna’s name on the official state filings for Valdez Elegance. I held the power, I managed the floor, and I negotiated the contracts. But on paper, Sienna Navarro received the credit.

“It is a necessary shield, Eduardo reminded me, sensing my frustration. “If your name hits the state registry, Tristan’s automated sweeps will flag it in an hour. You are safe as long as Sienna acts as the figurehead.”

“A figurehead implies she stays out of the way,” I countered. “She returns tomorrow from her mandatory ‘leave of absence’.”

Eduardo sighed. He leaned heavy on his cane. “The board required her reinstatement. She possesses connections with the garment union. I need her to keep the union leaders complacent. Manage her, Minerva. Do not let her disrupt the floor.”

I will handle Sienna.

1 left Eduardo by the loading docks and walked back to the management office. The glass walls offered a clear view of the entire

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Chapter 40 The Boss Steals Her Credit

operation. I sat in my leather chair. I pressed a hand against my stomach. A sharp kick answered my touch. My child was strong!

I needed this job. I needed the quarterly bonuses to build my private capital. I needed the shadow identity to keep Tristan blind.

The next morning, Sienna Navarro returned to Valdez Elegance.

She walked onto the concrete floor at nine o’clock. She wore a tailored white suit and designer heels. She carried a massive leather handbag. She looked around the synchronized, efficient warehouse with an expression of supreme arrogance.

I sat at my desk inside the glass office. I watched her approach.

Sienna pushed the office door open. She did not knock. She walked straight to the center of the room and dropped her handbag

onto the small conference table.

“Miss Hayes, Sienna greeted. Her voice dripped with condescension. “I see you managed to keep the lights on while I was away.”

I did not look up from my monitor. I kept typing. “The Q3 metrics are finalized. The boutique owners signed the revised contracts. The spoilage rate remains at zero.

“Excellent, Sienna said. She walked around my desk and leaned against the glass partition. She crossed her arms and offered a thin, malicious smile. “I will be sending the quarterly report to the executive board this afternoon. I drafted the executive summary highlighting my new coastal routing strategy and my successful negotiation of the twelve percent rate increase.”

My fingers stopped typing.

Mooked up. I stared at her flawless makeup and her expensive suit.

She was stealing it. She planned to take my routing map, my negotiations, and my absolute dedication, and present it to the board as her own triumph. She knew I could not fight back. She knew my true identity was a liability. She viewed me as a trapped animal, forced to produce gold while she collected the crown.

“You drafted the summary?” I asked. My voice was calm.

“Of course, Sienna replied. She picked at an invisible piece of lint on her white sleeve. “Eduardo might let you play manager in the shadows, but I am the Director of Operations. The board expects results from me. You are just the data entry clerk who inputs the

numbers.

She leaned closer. The scent of her heavy floral perfume invaded my space.

“Do not forget your place, Minerva,” Sienna hissed, her eyes narrowing. “You hide in this warehouse because the real corporate world spat you out. You are a disgraced Johnston Group reject. Eduardo pities you, but I do not. If you try to claim credit for my department’s success, I will make sure the board audits your background. I wonder what they will find?”

She smiled, a venomous, satisfied expression. She thought she held the ultimate leverage. She thought the threat of exposure would force me back into the corner.

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