Chapter 4

The next day, I called my lawyer. "I want to file for divorce."

Casey didn't take it well. Her father called me, his voice booming with threats. "You try to divorce my daughter, Miller, and you'll be out of Seaboard so fast your head will spin. You'll never work in this industry again."

I met Casey and her father at their lawyer's office. Ethan was there too, looking smug.

"You should be grateful for the ride, Alex," Ethan said, leaning back in his chair. "The Thornes gave you everything."

"I gave them my best work," I said, my voice steady. "Including a new brewing process that would have secured Seaboard's future."

Casey scoffed. "Your little experiments? They're niche, Alex. Quaint. Ethan is bringing in a game-changing European technique. Something truly revolutionary for Seaboard."

My stomach dropped. My process. The one I' d been perfecting for years, the one I' d kept under wraps, intending it to be my legacy, Daisy' s legacy. They planned to steal it. Or something very much like it.

I stood up. "We're done here."

I walked out, my mind racing. As soon as I was clear of the building, I pulled out my phone.

"Sarah? It's Alex Miller. I need you to expedite those patents. The brewing process, the yeast strain. Everything. And set up a new company. In my daughter's name."

A pause. "What name, Alex?"

"Daisy Chain Brews," I said, a lump in my throat. This was for her now. Only for her.

My secret weapon wasn't just the innovation itself, but that I had already taken steps to protect it. The provisional patents were filed. They thought I was a fool. They were about to find out how wrong they were.