Chapter 2

The moment those words left my mouth, the private dining room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Leonard froze.

Finn looked stunned too.

They probably never imagined that a low-level new hire like me would dare speak to a director that way.

More floating comments drifted across my vision.

[This is killing me. The uncle really thinks he’s playing the righteous judge, but the male lead is literally the grim reaper sent to investigate him.]

[Finn’s manipulation game is so weak. He couldn’t even line up the watermark, and he still tried to play mind games in front of an oversight boss. He’s basically handing over his own head.]

[Waiting for the face slap. I can’t wait to see them on their knees begging.]

Finn was the first to snap out of it.

He looked as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world and pointed at me.

“Ethan, have you lost your mind? Who do you think you are? You want Uncle to explain himself to you? You’re nothing but a junior staffer who barely passed probation!”

Leonard finally came back to his senses too. He was shaking with rage as he jabbed a finger in my face.

“How dare you! You arrogant little punk. You’re already finished, and you still have the nerve to run your mouth here. I think you’ve completely lost it!”

Just then, the door to the private room was shoved open from the outside.

A young woman in a tailored work suit strode in, her makeup flawless and her expression polished.

The second she entered, she hurried toward Leonard with a bright, apologetic smile.

“Director Hale, I’m so sorry. Something urgent came up at the department, so I was delayed.”

It was my fiancée, Claire Lawson.

Deputy Director of Administration at the city government office.

The pleasant look on Claire’s face lasted only until she saw the classified documents scattered across the floor and Finn sitting there like an innocent victim.

Her expression changed at once.

She rushed over and helped Finn up, then patted his shoulder with concern.

“Finn, what happened? Who did this to you?”

Finn immediately pointed at me, still playing the wounded victim.

“Deputy Director Lawson, Ethan… Ethan secretly brought out confidential files from the department’s urban development bidding project for a broker’s fee.”

His voice trembled.

“When I caught him, he not only refused to admit it, he accused me of tampering with the files. He even threatened Uncle and said he was going to report him to the State Office of Ethics and Oversight…”

Claire whipped her head toward me, her eyes filled with disgust and disbelief.

“Ethan, are you insane?”

She strode up to me, looking as if I had broken her heart.

“I really never thought you’d be the kind of man who would betray the public trust for money. What have I always told you? Keep your feet on the ground and do things the right way. But you went and committed a crime instead!”

I looked at the righteous woman in front of me and felt sick.

Claire had only become Deputy Director because I had stayed up night after night writing her key reports, policy briefs, and research materials.

She had taken my work, claimed the credit in front of the leadership, then turned around and treated me like I was beneath her.

Now that Leonard was coming after me, she didn’t hesitate for a second.

To protect her own position and stay close to a powerful department chief, she chose to kick me while I was down.

“Claire,” I said coldly, “you haven’t even looked at the file. And you’re already sure I leaked it?”

Claire gave a sharp laugh.

“Do I need to look? Director Hale and Finn saw it with their own eyes. Are you telling me they would frame a junior staffer like you? Ethan, you’ve disappointed me more than I can say.”

Then she turned to Leonard, and her face instantly changed into something eager and flattering.

“Director Hale, please don’t be too angry. Since Ethan did something like this, I won’t protect him, even if he’s my fiancé.”

She took a breath and lifted her chin.

“Starting now, I’m officially ending our engagement. The Lawson family will never accept a man with a criminal record.”