Chapter 1

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that the boss’s wife sitting right there?”

My ears heard those words despite the loud music playing while I sat still with my glass of champagne in my hand. Honestly, it took a lot for me not to turn my head in their direction.

I sat alone at one of the VIP tables watching camera flashes booming all around. Waiters moved like robots, balancing trays as they served the guests who were present to celebrate with my husband.

Everyone who knew me and stopped by to say hello, complimented the diamond necklace resting on my collarbone. It was the only gift I had received from Daniel since we got married five years ago.

Across the room, I watched him laugh like a child. This was something I had not been able to accomplish but I was watching his secretary, Chloe,  do it effortlessly.

No one seemed to be bothered that they stood too close to each other, locking her hands in the arms of a married man as she leaned in closer to whisper something into his ear.

My fingers tightened around the stem of my glass.

“Smile,” I murmured to myself. “You are his wife. You made him who he is today.”

A waiter approached. “Another drink, ma’am?”

“Yes,” I said. “Thank you.”

As he poured, I watched Daniel grab Chloe’s waist and guide her through a circle of investors.

“Have you met Chloe? She’s the reason my calendar makes sense every day I get to the office.”

Chloe smiled modestly. “Oh, stop with the lying. I just keep him in line.”

“Trust me,” Daniel said, squeezing her elbow lightly. “That’s a full-time job.”

I was just a few tables away from them and could hear their conversation and that of others around me. A woman at the next table leaned toward her companion.

“Isn’t that the secretary he’s always with?”

“I heard she practically runs his schedule and his life.”

A pause.

“So who’s the wife everyone claims he is married to?”

I lifted my glass which was now filled and took a sip that sent me down memory lane.

Many didn’t know this but there had been a time when I had been the one standing beside Daniel at every introduction.

Before the Armani tailored suits, the press, the office tower with his name etched in glass. Back when his “company” had been a borrowed desk in my parents’ home.

I could still see it clearly as the champagne moved in my system. The chipped wooden table, my laptop pushed aside so he could use it, pizza boxes stacked in the corner with spreadsheets open at 2 a.m.

“You’re better at this than I am,” Daniel had said once to me, rubbing his eyes as I reorganised his presentations. “You see patterns I miss.”

“That’s because you’re emotional about it,” I had replied, nudging his shoulder. “You’re building your dream. I’m just protecting it for you.”

“For us.” He had kissed my forehead. “You’re like a secret weapon that I’d always keep hidden from the world.”

For someone who was working in a marketing firm, I should have picked up on those words. My career was slowly climbing when my boss offered me a promotion the same week Daniel’s first investor pulled out.

“Nina, you can’t take that job,” Daniel had said, sitting on the edge of our bed. “If you leave the country, who’s going to help me prep for these meetings?”

I had stared at the email on my phone for days because it had been everything I’d worked toward.

“Another will come when our family has stabilized.” he had added. “Nina, I can’t do this without you.”

I had believed him and I had chosen to stay by his side.

“Fine. I’ll decline it,” I’d said.

He had pulled me into his chest. “When we make it,” he’d promised, “I’ll make sure you never regret this.”

Now? That memory stung like hell. Because there I was at an event to celebrate Daniel, and all he was doing was frolicking around with his secretary.

“Nina?”

I looked up.

Amanda stood beside my table, holding a glass of white wine in her hand.

“Amanda,” I said, standing to give her a hug. “You look beautiful.”

“You do too,” she replied quickly. “This gown...It’s really beautiful.”

“Thank you. My maid picked it.”

She glanced across the room, then back at me.

“Why are you all alone?”

“He was supposed to be with me,” I replied. “But he got pulled away.”

“Let me guess. By his secretary, Chloe,” she answered before she could stop herself.

“Hold on. Is that… normal?” I asked, keeping my voice steady. “The way they’re interacting with each other?”

Amanda hesitated.

Music swelled from the string quartet. Applause erupted somewhere near the stage.

“Amanda?”

“I didn’t know how to bring it up to you,” she blurted as my heart dropped to the ground.

“Bring what up?”

She leaned closer. “They’re always together in the office. And you know how gossip and rumours fly in the office environment, Nina.”

“So people always talk about them?”

“Yeah, they do.” She responded slowly.

“Does he introduce her like that?” I asked. “As the reason he functions?”

“Yes.”

“And the awkward touching?”

“You helped me get this job, Nina. I didn’t know how to say anything to you.” Amaka whispered. “But I owe you honesty. It’s been like this for months.”

“Months,” I repeated after her.

Across the room, Daniel adjusted Chloe’s necklace in front of everyone like she was his bride.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

Her eyes filled. “Because I wasn’t sure anything was going on between them. I thought maybe we were all misreading it.”

I let out a soft, humourless laugh. “Seems like you weren’t.”

Suddenly, a burst of applause cut through the room and Daniel had stepped onto the stage. But this time around Chloe didn’t follow him up the stairs. She had gone behind my table to speak to some of the staff while Daniel gave his speech.

Chloe followed him up the stairs, stopping just behind the podium where no one could see her. But I could.

“Good evening!” Daniel boomed, voice amplified. “Thank you all for supporting this cause. Tonight isn’t just about years of innovation. It’s about impact.”

The crowd cheered while I stood beside my table like the others. His eyes swept the room and they passed over me.

“Building this company wasn’t easy,” he continued. “There were long nights. Many moments of doubt. Moments I thought I’d fail.”

“I wouldn’t be here without someone who stood by me. Someone who believed in me when I barely believed in myself.”

The audience murmured warmly and Amanda reached for my hand when Daniel smiled and looked in my direction.

“She’s been by my side through every major decision. She keeps me organised, grounded, focused.”

The crowd began to clap, already amused by who this mysterious woman was.

Finally, a moment where I would be recognised. A moment where the whole world would know that Daniel was the face and I was the brain behind his company. Our company.

“Chloe Jenkins!,” Daniel said, turning, “Come up here.”

The applause swelled.

I turned around to see this lady who looked like she was just a few years younger than me, walk up the stage with a surprised look on her face as the crowd continued to clap.

“She’s the engine behind this machine,” he announced with his hand on her back. “If you’ve ever gotten a timely email from me, thank her.”

There was laughter, clapping and whistles from the younger staff.

Chloe rested her hand on Daniel’s arm. Their bodies angled toward each other naturally, intimately.

As if this had been rehearsed.

Amanda whispered, “I’m so sorry. I should have told you earlier.”

My voice came out quiet but steady. “Don’t be.”

Deep down inside me, something had broken forever. I hated the fact that I had not shown my face regularly in the office and only a few members of the staff knew me. My husband had seen an opening and used that opportunity to give my flowers and accolades to a slut he had hired.

An hour later, Daniel was drunk with both wine and excitement. His tie hung loose and he could barely finish his sentences. He laughed too loudly, interrupting investors mid-sentence.

“You know what the real secret is?” he slurred, gripping a man’s shoulder. “Confidence. You just....” He nearly lost his balance.

Chloe caught his arm.

“Maybe some water?” she suggested sweetly.

“I’m fine,” he said, shrugging her off. “I’m celebrating my big win.”

An investor exchanged an uncomfortable glance with another before I stepped forward.

“That’s enough,” I cut in.

Daniel blinked at me. “Nina! There you are.” He grinned, overly bright. “Have you met my...”

“Yes,” I shut him down. “I’ve heard about Chloe. Really good things about her.”

She smiled back at me like she was an innocent child who was just being accused by her peers.

“You’re drunk,” I whispered to him.

“No, no, no. I’m networking.”

“You’re embarrassing yourself.”

He frowned. “Don’t start.”

“Start?” I echoed. “I’m preventing a scene.”

“There is no scene!”

He gestured too widely, knocking a half-full glass from a nearby table. It shattered.

Everyone around us stopped whatever they were doing and stared at us. I quickly slipped an arm firmly around his waist.

“We’re leaving,” I informed him.

“I have guests waiting for me.”

“I think they’ve seen enough.”

“There’s no need for your assistance,” I said to Chloe as she stepped forward to assist.

She opened her mouth, then closed it as she watched Daniel stumble as I guided him toward the exit.

Daniel pulled away slightly. “You’re overreacting.”

I turned him toward me as we were now outside and standing next to our fleets of cars. My voice, when I spoke, was no longer composed.

“Get yourself together, Daniel! What in God's name is wrong with you?”