Chapter 2: Lies

Melody's POV

Standing outside Adam’s office door, I inhaled a sharp, steadying breath. I was on the verge of breaking down, of collapsing onto the floor in a puddle of tears.

But something inside of me held me back.  

I blinked back the tears that had threatened to spill from my eyes, drying the moisture. I swallowed back the nausea rising in my throat. I relaxed my jaw and unknotted my eyebrows, willing my racing heart to slow to a calm and steady pace.

I counted to ten. Then to twenty.

And then, when I was nice and calm, I opened the door.

Their heads whipped towards me.

“Hello,” I said with a fake, convincing smile.

Their conversation instantly died.

Adam sat behind the desk. Lily stood by the window, holding a tablet. They both froze, their muscles taut, and exchanged a worried glance.

"Melody!" Adam said, recovering from my unexpected intrusion first. His smile was smooth and practiced, without even the flicker of sincerity. "I didn't expect you. What a surprise!"

Lily gripped the tablet. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. "Hey, Melody. Adam and I were just discussing some new marketing tactics."

Liar.

There was ice in my veins, but I ignored it. Instead, I strode across the room, over to Adam, and placed my hand on his shoulder. It took everything I had not to dig my fingernails into his skin.

"I know you're busy," I smiled, my voice light and airy. "But with the company going public soon, I wanted to see if there were any loose ends I could help tie up."

“Actually, there is,” Adam replied, his eyes lighting up, not from joy, but from greed. “Your timing is perfect, actually.”

He could say that again.

“Is that so?” I asked, feigning innocence.

“Yup.” Adam pulled a folder from his desk drawer. He slid it across the surface to me. "Since we’re going public, we need to secure the executive team. As you know, Lily has been indispensable as our Marketing Director. So I’d like to offer her a 5% equity option as a bonus."

An equity option? Was he for real?

Glancing down at the document, my hands remained steady as he passed me a pen.

“Sure,” I said. Then I pretended to sign it and closed up the file before they could see.  

Lily blinked, clearly delighted that she and Adam had managed to pull the wool over my eyes. Or so they thought.

"Thank you, Melody. This means the world to me."

“Don’t mention it,” I quipped back, the fake smile plastered on my face while they exchanged a gloating look.

“Actually," I said, looking at Adam. "Since we’re on the subject of bonuses, I wanted to run something by you."

Adam leaned back into the wall, and folded his arms casually over his chest. "What’s that?" he asked.

"Well, it’s about the villa," I said. "The one on the mountain. With the company going public, I’m not sure the villa is portraying the right image. It’s a bit small, don’t you think? Maybe we should sell it? Buy something bigger? An estate maybe? Something more fitting for the new CEO of Sunkey Group. Consider it a five-year anniversary gift. Or a bonus."

The villa was in his name, but we’d used my money to buy the villa.

I wanted my assets back.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Sell the house?" he repeated.

"I found a buyer," I lied smoothly. "It’s a generous offer. All cash. Well above market value. If we accept, the money will be in our account next week."

I could literally see the gears turning in his head. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

If he sold the house now, he’d have liquidity. Once the IPO launched and he dumped me, he wouldn’t have to worry about dividing real estate. He could take the cash from the sale and  buy a new house for him and Lily.

"That does sound appealing," he replied. “I suppose you’re right. We’ve outgrown the villa. We deserve an upgrade."

He opened a drawer and pulled out a general power of attorney form—a document I’d asked him to keep years ago for "emergencies." He signed at the bottom, authorizing me to fully liquidate the property.

"I’m too busy with the company’s IPO right now. Handle it." He pushed the paper toward me. "Make sure you get the best price."

I picked up the paper, the ink still glistening; it was beautiful.

"Don't worry, Adam," I said, slipping the document into my bag. I suppressed a wry smile. "I always do what’s best for us."

I turned to leave.

"Melody?" Adam called out just as my hand touched the doorknob.

I paused, my back to him.

"Make sure you come home early tonight," he said. His voice dropped to a seductive whisper.  "We have a lot to celebrate, if you know what I mean."

His seductive whisper was a lie. He was baiting me, pretending that he wanted an intimate night alone with me. His audacity made me sick.

I glanced back over my shoulder and flashed him a shy, adoring look.

"I wouldn't miss it," I whispered.

Then I walked out and gently closed the door. The moment the latch clicked, my smile vanished.

Whipping out my phone, I dialed my lawyer.

"Mr. Vance, proceed with the inheritance. You are correct. I am not married. As such, I will be the sole inheritor of the 120 billion dollars."