Chapter 1

"What, did my husband show off your wife in front of the whole company again?" Sabrina Ruth inquired.

I crouched down on the steps in the emergency exit with my back against the wall and tugged at my collar, which was stained with alcohol.

"He crossed the line today, Sabrina. He displayed surveillance footage screenshots on the big screen at the annual company party—black stockings, office desk and all. All 300 employees in the company saw it."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone before Sabrina guffawed. "Let me guess, you bowed, scraped, and clapped for him as usual?"

"Not only did I clap, I even went up on stage to accept the 'Most Selfless Employee' title."

"I don't know how you stomach him, James."

"Like I have a choice." I stubbed out my cigarette butt and lowered my voice. "The hook's been set for half a year now. If I blow my top now, won't all our efforts go down the drain?"

Sabrina didn't respond. I could hear her fingernails tapping against the desk on the other end of the line.

"Alright." When she broke the silence, her tone dropped. "I want the complete paper trail of all his offshore transactions by the end of this month, at the latest. Have you prepared what I asked for?"

I felt the USB drive in my pocket and curled my lips. "I've had it prepared for a while now."

"In that case, go back and play his loyal little hound."

With that, she hung up on me.

I dragged my hands down my face, forced a smile, and pushed open the heavy doors of the banquet hall.

My boss, Zachary Trent, was lounging on the couch at the head of the table, his suit jacket open and three buttons undone. Hanging around his neck was the towel my fiancée, Scarlett Blair, had just used to wipe his sweat.

Scarlett was sitting on his lap, wrapping one arm around his neck while holding a peeled grape in her other hand, popping it into his mouth.

When I walked in, Zachary didn't spare me a glance as he jerked his chin toward the coffee table. "Don't just stand there like a statue, James. Go to the front desk and get the keycard for Room 702. Have them send up a bottle of their best red wine while you're at it."

He fished a keycard out of his pocket and casually tossed it onto the floor. The card landed on the carpet right beside my feet.

I bent down to pick it up. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Scarlett leaning down and whispering something into Zachary's ear. Then, the two of them burst into laughter.

I tightened my grip on the card until my knuckles turned white. "Mr. Trent, I'll... take care of it right away."

At last, he lifted his gaze and sized me up. He reached out and smacked Scarlett's rear. "By the way, your wife says she wants that La Perla set. Pick it up for her when you pass the boutique in the lobby and bring it up to our room later."

La Perla, where a single lingerie set cost several thousand dollars. It was enough to pay my rent for two months.

Scarlett finally shifted her gaze toward me. She tilted her head and knitted her brows. "Don't complain about the price, okay, James? I'll pay you back as soon as I get my commission next month."

I smiled and nodded, tightening my grip on the keycard in my hand. "It's not expensive. It's the least I can do." I turned on my heel and left.

When I walked past the restroom, I went inside, turned on the faucet, and plunged my entire face into the water. The rushing water made me choke, and I broke into a coughing fit.

I pulled the pinhole camera chip out of my inner jacket pocket, wiped the water off my face, and walked into the boutique in the lobby, where I picked out a black La Perla set.