Chapter 1: The Blistering Deception

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This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series CEO Discovers Fiancée Sabotaging Stepdaughter's Career With Blistering Tasks — Until a Forgotten Contract Voided Her Future

CEO Discovers Fiancée Sabotaging Stepdaughter's Career With Blistering Tasks — Until a Forgotten Contract Voided Her Future

Chapter 1: The Blistering Deception

Chapter 6: The Forgotten Precedent

Chapter 8: The Calculated Withdrawal

Chapter 9: The Board’s Discretion

Chapter 10: The Quiet Ultimatum

Part 1

😤 **My Fiancée Forced My Stepdaughter To Work Until Her Hands Bled And Threatened Her Career — But My Forgotten Camera Caught Her Every Word.**
I just wanted to surprise my stepdaughter at the office, bring her a late dinner as she worked on her internship project. Instead, I found her hunched over a workbench, her hands red and blistering from the faulty circuits she was forced to re-wire.
My fiancée, Serena Holloway, stood over her. Her voice was a cold whisper, threatening to destroy Lily’s scholarship and reputation if she dared breathe a word.
Unbeknownst to Serena, a security camera I’d installed earlier for a data breach scare had captured everything.

The scent of burnt electronics hung heavy in the air as I rounded the corner into the Horizon Dynamics innovation lab. I clutched the takeout bag, ready to tease Lily Adams about her dedication.
But the sight that greeted me froze me in my tracks.
Lily was hunched over a soldering station, her usually nimble fingers caked with grime. Her hands were raw, angry red blisters rising on her knuckles as she struggled with a tangled mess of wires.
Serena Holloway, my fiancée and VP of Marketing, stood over her. Serena wasn’t helping; she was lecturing.
“This project needs to be functional by morning, Lily,” Serena stated, her voice tight and low. “Or your scholarship to the university is gone. And your reputation here? It will be nonexistent.”
Lily flinched, pulling her hands back slightly. “But Serena, these circuits were faulty from the start. I’ve been trying to salvage them for hours.”
“Excuses,” Serena snapped, leaning closer. “You think you can make excuses in the real world? This is your chance to prove you belong, not to whine about a challenge.”
A knot twisted in my stomach. This wasn’t “tough love.” This was cruel.
I backed away silently, my heart pounding, the takeout bag forgotten in my hand. I couldn’t confront her now, not without making things worse for Lily in that moment.
Instead, I detoured to the main security office, my mind racing. I needed proof.
The security monitor flickered to life, showing the exact scene I’d just witnessed. The timestamp confirmed it.
I watched as Serena continued her verbal assault, her face contorted in a sneer I’d never seen before. Lily’s shoulders trembled.
“And don’t even think about running to David,” Serena warned, her voice dropping to an almost inaudible growl. “He thinks you’re a capable intern. The moment he learns you can’t even handle a simple re-wire, he’ll drop you so fast your head will spin.”
My jaw clenched. My own fiancée, talking about my stepdaughter like this.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, the betrayal a bitter taste. The video played on.
Serena stepped away from Lily, pulling out her phone. She started talking to someone, oblivious to the camera still recording.
“Yes, it’s all set,” she murmured into the phone, walking towards the lab’s main door. “The Q3 projections reflect the adjustments. Lily’s project will be squarely to blame for the shortfall. It’s perfect.”
My breath hitched. Lily’s project? The budget shortfall?
I leaned closer to the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs, watching Serena’s cold, calculating smile as she sealed Lily’s fate. She had already manipulated the company’s Q3 financial projections, making Lily’s project appear solely responsible for an upcoming budget shortfall, setting her up to be publicly disgraced.

Part 2

I burst into the lab, the takeout still in my hand. Serena spun around, a startled look on her face.
“What in God’s name, Serena?” I demanded, holding up my phone, the damning video playing. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the footage of herself.
She didn’t deny it. “Lily was struggling. It’s just business, David.”
“Business? Sabotaging a project and framing her for it?” My voice trembled with rage.
Serena shrugged, a cold, indifferent expression on her face. “Lily wasn’t fit for corporate pressure. This was a mercy.”
Then a chill ran down my spine. “Besides,” she added, a faint smile playing on her lips, “that project’s IP assets have already been transferred.”
I felt a wave of nausea. “Transferred? To where?”
“A shell company. Controlled by a proxy.” She chuckled softly.
My mind reeled. Her ambition was far deeper than just humiliating Lily. I couldn’t immediately see a way to legally challenge the IP transfer without exposing Lily to more scandal.