Dumping the Gold Digger for the Billionaire Boss

A new girl joined our department, and her lifestyle was insanely extravagant—she only ate Alba white truffles flown in by private jet for lunch.

She was erratic and domineering, smashing laptops the second things didn't go her way.

On top of that, she was a total nepo baby, yet she clung to me all day like a cat in heat, constantly flirting.

I went to Todd, our manager, and told him I wanted her transferred out. He slammed his palm onto his desk. "What do you mean, nepo baby?

Astrid's family literally bought this entire building!" Chapter 1 Thursday evening, I was packing up my desk. Astrid walked over and slammed a bag onto my workstation.

It was an incredibly rare Himalayan crocodile Birkin bag, reeking of old money. "Saw it while shopping," she said. "Thought it suited you." I didn't answer. I didn't even touch it.

Astrid scoffed. "You couldn't afford something like this with a whole year's salary. Anyway, I'm craving seafood tonight. You're coming with me." I looked up at her. "No.

My girlfriend is in town.

I'm spending the evening with her." The smirk vanished from Astrid's face. "Rowan, do you not remember what happened the last time you told me no?" The last time was Valentine's Day.

I had been in a rush to get home to FaceTime my longdistance girlfriend, so I turned down Astrid's dinner demand. The result?

My fully spec'd out, brandnew MacBook Pro ended up drowned in a venti iced Americano.

I checked the office security cameras the next day, but conveniently, a "power blip" had knocked the system offline. Nobody knew who did it.

The day after the incident, Astrid leaned against my desk, her tone light and breezy. "Such a shame.

All that code you stayed up all night writing, totally ruined." As she spoke, she was casually swirling a fresh iced coffee in her hand.

But today, I stood my ground. "I'm staying with my girlfriend." Astrid let out a cold laugh, the lethal spike of her stiletto grinding into the carpet. "Fine.

Go see your pathetic little Cinderella. But I'll make you come crawling back to me on your knees!" Piper and I had been doing longdistance for two years.

She was finishing her master's down south, while I was working up here in the city. The plan was simple: once she graduated, we'd get married and settle down here.

But ever since Astrid joined the company, management had handed me a special "assignment." Every month, a hefty bonus was quietly deposited into my paycheck.

The condition was simple—keep Astrid happy and comfortable in our department. I needed the money for the ring and the wedding. So, I gritted my teeth and put up with her.

Today was my birthday. Piper had flown in just to see me. I picked her up at the airport.

She threw her arms around my neck, her grip tight, a bright smile stretching across her face.

A second later, her expression shifted. "Rowan, why do you smell like perfume?" "Probably just rubbed off from a coworker," I said.

She leaned in closer, taking a deeper sniff. "That's Baccarat Rouge, isn't it?

It has that distinct cold, sweet scent." I forced a laugh. "How do you even know that?" "I tried a sample at the department store once," Piper said softly. "I loved it, but there's no way I could afford a full bottle." I ruffled her hair. "I just got paid.

I'll get you a bottle." She hesitated, then smiled and shook her head. "No, it's okay.

Just take me somewhere nice for dinner." I had booked a highlyrated, reservationsonly Italian place downtown I found on Yelp. We had barely sat down when my phone buzzed.

It was Todd, my manager. "Rowan, do you want to keep your damn job or not?" he barked through the speaker. "Do you have any idea who Astrid is?

We pay you that extra allowance for a reason. You don't just get to take the money and brush her off!" My jaw clenched. "That money is dirty," I muttered into the receiver.

Dead silence on the other end for two seconds. "Fine. Don't bother showing up tomorrow." The line went dead. I slowly lowered the phone and slipped it back into my pocket.

Piper looked at me, her eyes wide. "What happened?" "I think I just got fired." She froze for a moment, then the tension visibly drained from her shoulders, a wide smile spreading across her face. "It's okay.

Maybe this is a sign. I'm so tired of doing longdistance anyway." "Why don't you just move down to my city?

You can find a job there, and we can finally get married!" Chapter 2 I stared at her innocent smile, a knot tightening in my chest.

I wanted to give her a proper wedding and a stable home. If I moved down south now, I'd have to start from scratch. Seeing my silence, Piper only grew more attentive.

She piled some of my favorite foods onto my plate. "No matter what happens, let's just eat first!" I picked up my fork, just about to take a bite.

Suddenly, Astrid walked through the restaurant doors. She was dressed in a pristine white Chanel suit, a delicate chain bag hooked over her arm.

The maitre d' immediately rushed over, bowing and scraping as he spoke to her. Astrid strode straight toward our table and extended a hand to Piper. "Hi, I'm Astrid.

You must be Rowan's girlfriend.

You're so cute!" I slammed my hands on the table. "How did you find me?" Astrid offered a sweet smile. "I saw you booking a table here yesterday…" She cast a disgusted glance at the cheap pasta on the table, her face full of disbelief. "You refused to join me for Michelin threestar white truffles, just so you could eat this garbage at a cheap diner?" Piper froze. "Miss, do you need something from my boyfriend?" Astrid turned to her, the smirk on her lips deepening. "My mistake.

Let me reintroduce myself." "I'm Rowan's girlfriend here in the city.

For the past two years while you've been doing long distance, I've been the one taking care of him…" I shot up from my chair. "Astrid, what the hell are you talking about!" Astrid gave an exaggerated shrug, her tone dripping with vicious innocence. "Come on, you guys are so far apart.

Him finding a backup sweetie he can sleep with anytime in my city is just common sense, isn't it?" "Oh, right—" She unclasped her bag and pulled something out, her voice dropping into a teasing pout. "Rowan, you were way too rough last night.

How did you manage to get this tangled in my hair?" "I didn't even notice it until I was in the shower. It almost scratched my hand…" She opened her Frenchmanicured hand.

Resting in her palm was a custom silver tie clip. Engraved on it were my initials. All the color instantly drained from Piper's face.

That was the gift she had bought me with her very first scholarship check. I remembered what she said. "Silver tarnishes, but I had this specially coated so it'll last for years.

You have to wear it every day!" And now, that same tie clip was resting in the palm of another woman. It took me a second, but then it hit me.

I had stayed up all night at the office a few days ago to rush a project, tossing my suit jacket and tie onto the sofa.

She must have sneakily unclipped the tie clip while I was asleep. I immediately turned to Piper. "I accidentally lost it at the office, and she must have picked it up.

I have absolutely nothing to do with her!" Piper stared at me like I was a complete stranger.

After a long moment, she lowered her head, her nails digging into her palms. "Even if you just lost it… I bought that for you with my scholarship money.

How could you be so careless with it?" I scrambled to explain. "I've just been so exhausted from overtime lately.

I didn't mean to." Astrid wasn't done adding fuel to the fire. "Rowan really has been exhausted lately.

Working all day, and then having to entertain me all night… Poor thing." By the end, her tone was dripping with sickening intimacy. My voice shook. I pointed at the door. "Enough.

Get out!" She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "I just dropped ten thousand dollars for a VIP membership here, and I haven't even had a bite yet." She elegantly slid into a chair at our table and draped a napkin over her lap. "You don't mind if I join you, do you?" Chapter 3 I grabbed Piper's hand. "Come on.

We're going somewhere else." But Piper gently slipped her hand out of my grasp. "Rowan, my head is a mess right now. I… I don't want to eat tonight." Pop.

Astrid uncorked a bottle of red wine. She rested her chin on her hand, watching me with a satisfied smile. Piper broke up with me. Six years of history, over at 1:20 AM.

All that was left were a few text messages. "Rowan, I know you didn't cheat on me. But I just can't do this longdistance thing anymore.

I can't stop myself from frantically stalking your Instagram, watching you live your life in that glamorous city, imagining you flirting with prettier girls in upscale bars." "That Astrid girl who came looking for you yesterday was so beautiful, and it just made me feel so incredibly ordinary.

I hate feeling like this." Reading that last sentence, my chest felt like it was caving in. I tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail. She had blocked me.

I knew she didn't hate me. She just didn't know how to fix this, so she was running away.

I lay on the lumpy mattress in my cheap apartment, staring blankly at the waterstained ceiling until my vision blurred. In a single night, I had lost my job and the girl I loved.

And it was all because of Astrid. Early the next morning, I went back to the office.

I walked over to my desk and started tossing my things into a box, getting ready to leave for good.

The sharp clickclack of stilettos echoed down the hallway, unhurried and confident. Astrid stopped in front of me, looking me up and down. "Rowan, why are you here so early?

Couldn't sleep?" I kept my head down, untangling my charging cables, and ignored her.

She slammed me against my desk, her face, painted with a bold red lip, closing in on mine. "What's wrong…" she taunted in a low voice. "Did that bland little country girl not satisfy you in bed?" I finally looked up, my voice dead. "We broke up." The corners of her lips twitched upward before she quickly forced them down. "Well, that is just… such a shame." I shoved past her and headed for the breakroom.

She trailed right behind me, her pace relaxed.

As soon as we were in the breakroom, she hit the button on the electric kettle. "You guys were apart for two years." "All that pentup frustration… It's probably for the best you split—" I reached back and slammed the door shut.

Click. She turned around, her voice softening. "Don't be mad. I'll make it up to you.

How about I buy you that manager promotion just for fun?" I closed the distance between us, leaning in until I was towering over her. "Astrid.

Are you in love with me?" She yanked my tie, pulling my head down toward hers until her warm breath brushed across my lips. "Take a wild guess, big boy." "I'm guessing," I whispered, "you just want to see me lose control." Astrid was pinned against the wall, her breathing suddenly jagged.

The kettle hissed as the water hit a rolling boil. Thick white steam quickly filled the tiny room. I took a step back, slowly pulling my tie from her grip. "Too bad.

You'll never see me lose control." A month later. Astrid and I were engaged. She had bought me out my boss's position.

She also promised that as long as I signed an ironclad prenup to be her husband in name only, she'd transfer 15% of the company's shares to me.

The afternoon I walked back into the office, heads snapped up to look at me. Everyone figured I had forgotten something and had just come back to grab it.

Todd, the manager, shoved his office door open, pitching his voice loud enough for the whole floor to hear. "Well, if it isn't Rowan.

Crawling back to see your old coworkers?" The second the words left his mouth, the HR director rushed in right behind me. "Todd, please step out here for a moment." Todd's brows snapped together, his lips pressing into a hard line. "Whatever it is, just spit it out here." Chapter 4 The HR director paused, her tone strictly business. "Todd, your employment with the company has been officially terminated.

All your previous duties will be taken over by our new Vice President, Rowan." Todd's face turned to stone. A second later, his head snapped toward me. "Rowan!

You set me up!" I walked over and straightened his tie. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance, boss.

And thank you for introducing me to my fiancée, Astrid." He glared daggers at me. He didn't start packing his things until HR threatened to call security.

Ten minutes later, he walked through the middle of the bullpen, clutching a cardboard box.

The rest of the floor stared at me, some actively glaring, others quickly looking away the second I caught their eyes. I sat down in the manager's chair.

I spun around to face the entire floor. "We used to be peers. As for who gets to keep their jobs from now on… we'll see." 7:00 PM.

A RollsRoyce Cullinan pulled up in front of the office building. The tinted window slowly rolled down. Astrid turned her head and flashed me a smile.

In that instant, she sucked all the attention on the street right into her orbit. And by extension, onto me. I ignored the stares and got in.

Astrid tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescents. "Did you have a tiring day at work, darling?" I subtly shifted away from her, laughing at myself. "How exhausting could it be to be a kept trophy husband?" She flashed a dazzling smile, her tone careless. "If it's too tiring, just quit.

You can manage my investments, or just act as my arm candy for a few events." "And then what?" I asked. "You kick me to the curb the second you get bored?" She tapped her Frenchmanicured fingers lightly against the steering wheel, her voice airy. "If that day ever comes… the payout you'll get will last you a lifetime.

Isn't this life so much better than coding until you bleed?" I turned to look at her, my voice dropping. "You have your pick of any man on earth.

Why did you have to destroy things between me and Piper?" At the mention of Piper's name, Astrid pressed her lips into a thin line, her jaw locking into place. "What is so great about her?" "She doesn't have my family's money, she's not as pretty as me, and even her body…" She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. "…doesn't compare to mine." I turned my head away, watching the traffic blur past the window. "She's nothing like you." She let out a mocking laugh. "You're right.

She isn't like me." "When I want something, I put it right out in the open, crystal clear. But a girl like her?

You're too stupid to figure out what she's really after." Astrid's long fingers dragged slowly up my thigh, a lethal, lingering tease. "Admit it, Rowan.

You love the feeling of me controlling you." Astrid drove us back to her family's estate. The sprawling mansion was ablaze with light.

A row of staff was already waiting by the entrance, standing at attention with their heads bowed. The second the car stopped, someone stepped up to open the door.

Astrid tossed them the keys without looking. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs. Her grip was unyielding. My new bedroom was inside Astrid's master suite.

When I suggested taking a guest room, Astrid arched an eyebrow. "Rowan, are you confused?" She took a step forward, closing the space between us. "This is my room.

It's also your room." "And you…" She casually untied my bowtie. "…will soon be mine, too." She pushed me toward the shower. Chapter 5 I walked into the bathroom without a word.

The sound of running water soon echoed against the tiles. Steam slowly filled the air. I looked up, tracing the blurry outline of the figure standing outside the frosted glass.

My nails bit into my palms until my knuckles turned white. Since it had already come to this, let's just see who was really playing who.

When I stepped back into the bedroom, it was completely empty. A maid knocked on the door, bowing her head. "Mr.

Rowan, the young lady is waiting for you in the study." The study was at the end of the hall. Astrid was sitting behind a massive desk.

She was carelessly twirling a fountain pen between her fingers.

She looked up as I walked in, a halfsmile playing on her lips. "All washed up?" she asked. "Then let's talk about that bet…" A month ago. Right after I was fired, Astrid found me.

She asked if I dared to make a bet with her. For the next year, I would act as her fiancé in name only and live with her.

I had to accompany her to every social event, playing the perfect partner to fend off her family and everyone else in her elite circle.

If, after a year, Piper believed I was innocent, I won. I'd walk away with 15% of the company's shares. But if Piper didn't believe me… Astrid won.

And if that happened… "…Rowan, you will be my property." Astrid had slid the contract across the table as she spoke. "If you really believe in that 'true love is priceless' fairy tale bullshit, I dare you to take my challenge." Her eyes were bright, dancing with provocation.

Piper's face suddenly flashed through my mind. She always looked at me with such unwavering certainty. Like I was the most trustworthy person in the world. So, I trusted her too.

I took the contract and quickly skimmed the terms. Then, I picked up the pen and signed my name