Chapter 2

I hardly slept that night.

My flight home to Sovereign Moon Territory was the next morning, and I still had unfinished business. I had spent a great deal of effort on this building, and even if I planned to leave, I still needed to hand over my responsibilities.

When I stepped outside, an assistant from the Council ran toward me with a pale face. “We are in trouble, Jade. Sapphire signed a purchase contract yesterday for a batch of medicine without prior approval.”

I stopped walking. The Council rules stated that any contract worth more than one hundred thousand dollars needed approval from the chairman and the finance department before it could take effect. Sapphire had signed it anyway because she believed Jonah would protect her.

“What is the update?”

Her voice trembled. “We lost contact with the company after the deposit was paid. The finance department found an anomaly this morning. Eight hundred thousand dollars were transferred, but no medicine was delivered.

“Law enforcement is tracking them, but there is no guarantee we will get the money back.”

The frustration felt familiar. It drained me. I took a deep breath and pushed open the doors to Jonah’s office. Sapphire sat on the sofa, pale and shaking, while Jonah held a glass of water to her lips. The sight struck me hard.

Jonah had bought that sofa for me when we first started dating. Whenever I worked late, he dragged me to rest on it. “This seat belongs to you.” His laughter still echoed in my memory. “No one else but you can touch it.”

Yet another woman sat there now.

Sapphire noticed me first. She sat up quickly with tears in her eyes. “It is not what it looks like, Jade. I passed out because I felt too guilty, and Jonah was only trying to comfort me.”

Did a superior need to feed his subordinate water with his own hands?

I stayed silent as I walked forward and placed the financial loss report on Jonah’s desk. “Eight hundred thousand,” I said in a flat voice. “Who will pay for this?”

More tears rolled down Sapphire’s cheeks. “This is my fault. I did not want to trouble Jonah with the approval because he looked tired yesterday.”

“So,” I cut in. “You decided to trouble everyone else instead and damage the reputation of the Werewolf Council. Do you feel nothing for the employees who must work the extra seventy‑two hours to clean up your mistake? Have you ever thought about any of them?”

Before Sapphire could answer, Jonah stopped flipping through the report and frowned at me. “Do you need to be so harsh with her, Jade?”

“Me? Harsh?” I pointed at the numbers on the page. “I have one question. How do you plan to cover the loss of eight hundred thousand dollars?”

Annoyance flashed in Jonah’s eyes. “If they cannot deliver the medicine, we will cancel our contract with the hospital.”

I let out a soft, empty laugh. “Do you remember how much effort I put into securing that deal? Do you know how many dinner events I attended and how many strangers’ hands I shook? Do you know how much alcohol I drank with a smile on my face?

“If you end the contract now, the Council’s reputation will not be the only problem. Have you thought about the patients waiting for that medicine? Are they supposed to wait for death? I hope you have not lost your judgment because she is crying.”

My words struck a nerve. Jonah pulled a card from his suit pocket and threw it at me. “It is only eight hundred thousand. I will compensate Sapphire’s losses myself. Now, can you be quiet?”

The solid card hit my collarbone and left a bright red scratch. The last of my feelings for him faded as I watched the card fall to the floor.

Jonah believed he could solve everything for Sapphire with money. The money might cover the loss, but it could never repair the crack in my heart.