He Tested My Obedience, So I Married His Boss

During the seventh year of my secret relationship with Brandon Vance, we attended our firm's annual ski retreat in Aspen.

During the team lottery, he cheated so he could pair up with Hailey Thorne, his first love who had just returned to the country.

In front of everyone, he handed my custom heated gloves to Hailey and said softly, "You get cold easily. Put these on."

The crowd went wild, cheering about how they were "meant to be."

I didnt say a word. Instead, I quietly accepted the blue draft card handed to me by Julian Sterling, a man notorious in the venture capital world for his ruthless, cold-blooded tactics.

Late that night, Brandon sent me a text: "Dont throw a tantrum. This is just a test to see if youre mature enough to handle being Mrs. Vance."

At that exact moment, I threw the seven-year anniversary watch I had custom-ordered for him straight into the deep snow.

If anyone wanted to be the future Mrs. Vance, they could have the job. I was officially done.

The snow in Aspen was heavy, but the heating inside the luxury chalet was so intense it made my skin itch.

I stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, watching Logan Miller carry a raffle box to the center of the grand hall.

"Alright, everyone! The rules for this year's backcountry ski rally have changed!" Logan yelled excitedly, scanning the room. "Co-ed pairs, blind draw! If you pull the same color, youre locked in. For the next three days and two nights in the wilderness, you survive together!"

Whistles and cheers immediately erupted throughout the hall.

The investment banking world is small. These men and women, usually suffocating in tight suits, loved nothing more than a little forced proximity and thrill in the wild.

Hailey Thorne, wrapped in an expensive white mink coat, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold, shrank timidly behind Brandon.

The corner of Brandons mouth ticked upward. His tall frame shifted subtly, shielding her from the draft near the door. "Don't worry," he murmured, his voice deep and reassuring. "Ive got you."

"Oh, look at Brandon already playing the knight in shining armor! The rest of us better watch out on the slopes. Don't run into his princess, or Brandon will have our heads!"

The teasing grew louder and louder.

I lowered my eyes, my hand stuffed deep into my coat pocket. My fingers tightly gripped the blue plastic card I had just drawn.

No one knew that ten minutes before the game started, I had been standing near the second-floor stairwell. I had heard Logan whisper to Brandon:

"Brandon, I marked the red cards. They're at the very bottom right of the box. I kept them special for you and Hailey. That's the best I can do for you, man."

And Brandon had merely given a casual, confident grunt in response.

In our seven years of dating, he had never once acknowledged my existence in public.

Before this trip, he had even asked me to book economy class while he flew first class. His excuse? "People at the firm talk too much, Chloe. For our future, we need to keep our distance."

And I had believed him.

I genuinely thought that once this retreat was over and he was officially promoted to Managing Partner, he would fulfill his promise from seven years agoto make our relationship public and propose to me.

But now, he was walking toward the raffle box.

His long fingers reached in, pulling out the marked red card with absolute precision.

A second later, Hailey "coincidentally" pulled out a red card as well.

"Oh my godred! A perfect match!" Logan clapped, and the entire room erupted.

Haileys face flushed red. She looked up at Brandon with watery, sparkling eyes. "Brandon, it looks like Im going to be a burden to you for the next three days. Im still such a terrible skier..."

"It's fine," Brandon said, his voice softer than I had ever heard it. He untied his cashmere scarf and wrapped it gently around her neck. "Ill teach you. Just follow my lead."

At that moment, my heart felt like it had been plunged into the freezing Colorado snow.

That scarf... I had spent three months knitting it for him, stitch by stitch.

I took a deep, shaky breath, pushing down the bitter taste in my throat, and raised my blue card.

"Who has the blue card?" I asked. My voice wasn't loud, but in the suddenly quiet room, it carried perfectly.

Everyones eyes snapped to me.

Logan blinked, trying to laugh it off. "Chloe, tough luck. Blue is the extreme backcountry route. It's the most dangerous. Want me to swap it for you?"

"No need," I cut him off, my gaze sweeping the room.

Hearing my voice, Brandon raised his head. Our eyes met through the crowd.

His brow furrowed, his eyes flashing with a familiar, warning look that said: "Don't start acting up now."

Just then, a cool, deep voice drifted over from the corner sofa.

"I have it."

The crowd turned, gasping collectively.

The man sitting in the corner stood up. He wore a minimalist black ski jacket. He was tall, with sharp, striking features, and carried an aura of absolute authority that warned everyone to stay away.

It was Julian Sterling.

The youngest, most ruthless venture capital titan on Wall Street, and the primary sponsor of this entire retreat.

He walked over to me, opening his palm. A blue card lay quietly in his hand.

"Looks like we're partners, Chloe."

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned tense.

Nobody expected a mid-level investment director like me to be paired with a cold-blooded industry giant like Julian.

Brandons face darkened visibly.

He took a step forward, as if to say something, but Hailey gently tugged at his sleeve. "Brandon, my head hurts. I think the altitude is getting to me."

Brandon froze. His attention was instantly pulled back to Hailey.

"Let me take you upstairs to rest."

Watching their retreating backs, I let out a mocking laugh.

This was the man I had loved for seven years.

For seven years, I had stood by him when he was just a broke kid, fighting alongside him until he secured his VP position.

I had taken the fall for him in corporate politics, stayed up countless nights writing his due diligence reports, and even drank myself into a bleeding stomach ulcer at client dinners just to save his projects.

Back then, he had held my hand by the hospital bed, his eyes red as he swore, "Chloe, once I make it to the top, Ill give you the most beautiful wedding in the world."

But the moment Haileythe college sweetheart who had dumped him for a rich guy, only to return now that she was divorcedreappeared, my seven years of devotion became nothing but a joke.

That night, everyone gathered around the outdoor fire pit for a game of Truth or Dare.

Hailey had changed into a form-fitting sweater, leaning closely against Brandon.

The empty beer bottle spun, pointing directly at Hailey.

Logan smirked. "Hailey, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she said with a gentle smile.

"What is your biggest regret in life?"

The entire circle fell quiet.

Hailey lowered her head, her eyes welling with tears. She stole a quick glance at Brandon.

"I regret being too young and foolish... and letting go of the boy who loved me more than anything."

A collective, knowing sigh rippled through the crowd.

Brandons grip on his glass tightened, his knuckles turning white.

He didn't look at Hailey, but the storm in his eyes was impossible to hide.

The bottle spun again. This time, it stopped right in front of me.

"Chloe, your turn!" Logans eyes gleamed with mischief. "Truth. Do you have a boyfriend?"

I raised my head.

Brandons gaze finally locked onto me. He was tense.

He was terrified. Terrified that I would lose my mind and expose our seven-year relationship in front of everyone, ruining his touching reunion with his first love.

Looking at his handsome, selfish face, a wave of nausea hit me.

I picked up my glass of ice water, took a sip, and said calmly,

"No. I'm completely single."

The second the words left my mouth, I clearly saw Brandons tense shoulders relax.

But then, his brows knit together again, seemingly annoyed by how easily and cleanly I had denied him.

"Single is great!" Logan quickly filled the silence. "Julian is single too. Sounds like the blue team might have some sparks flying!"

Julian, who had been sitting quietly beside me playing with his lighter, let out a soft chuckle.

"I certainly hope so."

Those five simple words were like a boulder dropped into a quiet pond.

Brandon's face turned completely black.

When I got back to my room that night, my phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

It was a barrage of messages from Brandon on Snapchat.

"What the hell was that tonight?"

"Why are you getting so close to Julian Sterling? Do you have any idea how ruthless he is in this industry?"

"Hailey just got back to the States and her mental state is fragile. Im only looking after her because of our history. Stop acting like a bitter housewife."

Looking at the gaslighting texts on my screen, I didnt even have the energy to reply.

A few minutes later, another message popped up, his tone softening:

"Chloe, be good. Just put up with it for a few days. Don't throw a tantrum. When we get back to New York, Ill buy you that Chanel bag you wanted."

A slap in the face, followed by a sweet treat.

For seven years, he had trained me like a dog with this exact method.

Whenever I complained, he would say, "Youre going to be my wife, Chloe. You need to look at the bigger picture. Don't be petty like other girls."

I shut my phone off completely and tossed it onto the nightstand.

The next morning, the backcountry ski rally officially began.

The Aspen backcountry was steep, and the temperature had plummeted to negative twenty.

Before heading out, I realized I hadn't packed enough hand warmers. My hands were already stiffening.

Brandon walked over holding two pairs of high-end heated ski gloves. We had bought them together before the tripone pair for him, one for me.

I reached out to take them, but he walked right past me, straight to Hailey.

"Hailey, your hands get cold easily. Wear these. The heating chip inside lasts for eight hours."

Hailey looked up, pleasantly surprised. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. I run hot anyway," Brandon said, smiling as he ruffled her hair.

The colleagues standing around murmured about what a gentleman Brandon was.

I stood there, looking at my red, freezing fingers. The very last spark of affection in my heart died right then and there.

"Hands out."

A deep voice sounded from above me.

I looked up to find Julian standing in front of me.

Without waiting for my response, he took my freezing hands and pulled a pair of heavy, warm black professional ski gloves over them. They still held the warmth of his body.

"These are..."

"My spares," he said flatly, not even sparing a glance at Brandon. "I don't like my partner slowing me down because of frostbite."

Though his words were blunt, the warmth of the gloves made my throat tight with unshed tears.

Brandon noticed the exchange. His face darkened, and he strode over, grabbing my arm.

"Chloe, we need to talk."

He dragged me behind a large pine tree and hissed in a low, furious voice,

"Are you insane? Accepting things from another man right in front of me?"

I yanked my arm out of his grip and stared at him coldly. "Where were you when my hands were freezing to death?"

"I told you, Hailey gets cold easily!" Brandon said, completely righteous. "Youre tough, Chloe. What's wrong with making a small sacrifice? When did you become so selfish?"

I let out a bitter laugh.

Me? Selfish?

For seven years, I had poured my youth, my career, and my resources into him. And in return, I was called "selfish."

"Brandon," I said, my voice so quiet and calm it surprised me. "I don't want your gloves anymore. I don't want anything of yours."

Without waiting for his reply, I turned and walked back to Julian.

The backcountry route was far more grueling than I had anticipated.

Julian was an incredible skier, but he never sped ahead to leave me behind.

He stayed exactly three yards ahead of me, carving a path through the fresh powder, stopping at every dangerous turn to wait for me.

"Keep your center of gravity low. Don't be afraid," his voice came through the walkie-talkie, steady and incredibly grounding.

Meanwhile, the red team was a disaster.

Hailey screamed the entire way, constantly wiping out or getting her skis stuck.

Brandon hovered over her, even taking off his own outer jacket to lay it on the snow so she could sit and rest.

During our lunch break at the mid-mountain lodge, I was holding a mug of hot water to warm my hands.

Hailey walked over, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Chloe," she said, biting her lip with a victimized expression. "Im so sorry. I know you and Brandon are close colleagues. He's been so busy taking care of me that he ignored you. Please don't be mad at him."

On the surface, it was an apology. In reality, she was claiming ownership, while subtly reducing my seven-year history with Brandon to being "close colleagues."

Before I could speak, Brandon strode over, instantly pulling Hailey behind him.

"Chloe, Hailey is easily frightened. Stop giving her attitude."

Looking at Brandons protective stance, I found it utterly pathetic.

"Brandon, which of your eyes saw me giving her attitude?"

"Don't lie," Brandon said, his brow furrowed with deep disappointment. "I know you're upset. But Hailey just got back to the country. She has no one else here. As her old friend, its only right that I help her."

"As a senior director of the firm, you have no professional grace. You're behaving like a jealous child. Im truly disappointed in you."

I looked at him as if he were a stranger.

This was the man I had loved. To protect another woman, he didn't hesitate to drag my name through the mud in public.

"Are you done?" I set my mug down, not giving him another second of my time. "If you're done, get lost. You're ruining my lunch."

Infuriated by my dismissive tone, Brandon was about to snap when Julian walked over, carrying two plates of grilled steak.

He sat down right next to me, sliding one plate in front of me, his voice casual but dripping with authority.

"Eat up. You need to keep your strength. Don't waste your energy on irrelevant people."

"Julian, don't cross the line!" Brandon spat, his teeth clenched.

Julian didn't even look up. He cut a piece of steak, chewed it slowly, and then finally raised his cold eyes to Brandon.

"Aren't you overstepping, Brandon?" Julians voice was like ice. "You protect your ex, I protect my partner. We mind our own business. Or what? Are you trying to keep both?"

Brandons face went pale. Julian's sharp words hit him right where it hurt, leaving him completely speechless.

He glared at me one last time, grabbed Hailey's hand, and stormed off.