The Promotion Built on My Broken Hands

Julia is a design director whose executive boyfriend, Marcus Winters, wants the regional president seat. When his protégée Sophie Moresby complains that Julia always takes the spotlight, Marcus sabotages her car; the crash breaks both her hands and costs her the design contest that could decide the board vote. He hands her entry slot to Sophie, strips her of her title and docks six months of pay.

Julia stays silent, then tells him they are done and that she has already resigned. What Marcus does not know is that the board agreed to make regional president whoever she names if she wins the championship and secures the decisive vote. He has also encouraged Sophie to submit a fraudulent design, and he takes Julia's draft by force, fracturing her hands again while the department turns on her.

Leaving the office, Julia calls an old mentor, the Dean, and asks whether his offer still stands.