Chapter 2

As soon as I said this, the private dining room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Robert was stunned. Gina was dumbfounded.

They probably never imagined that a low-level new hire would dare say something like that to a division chief.

The on-screen text floated by again.

[Hilarious. Robert thinks he's starring in his own courtroom drama. Little does he know the main character is the actual grim reaper sent to investigate him.]

[Gina's acting is so bad she can't even line up a watermark. Trying to pull a reverse frame job in front of an Internal Affairs big shot? She's just handing herself over.]

[Can't wait for the smackdown. I'm dying to see them both begging for mercy.]

Gina recovered first. She pointed at me and shrieked like I'd just told the funniest joke in the world, "Clara, have you lost your mind? Who do you think you are? You want Uncle Robert to 'explain himself'? You're just a staffer who barely passed probation!"

Robert snapped out of it too. He shook with rage, jabbed a finger at my face, and roared, "This is mutiny! Absolute mutiny! You ungrateful little brat! You're about to be destroyed, and you're still running your mouth! Have you gone completely insane?"

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

A young man in a sharp suit, his hair slicked back with gel, walked in quickly.

As soon as he entered, he put on a big smile and hurried over to Robert. "Chief, so sorry I'm late. An urgent matter came up at the agency."

The newcomer was my fiancé, Zack Neeman, Deputy Director of the agency's office.

Zack had barely gotten through the door when his initially warm expression changed completely at the sight of the classified documents scattered all over the floor and Gina sitting there crying.

He hurried over, helped Gina to her feet, and patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"Gina, what happened? Who did this to you?"

Gina leaned into Zack's arms and pointed at me, her eyes full of tears.

"Zack, Clara snuck out the agency's confidential construction bidding documents to get a bribe.

"When I caught her, not only did she deny it, she said I was the one who altered the files. And then she threatened to report Uncle Robert to Internal Affairs..."

Zack's head whipped toward me. His eyes were full of disgust and disbelief.

"Clara, are you insane?!"

He strode over to me, wearing an expression of wounded righteousness.

"I can't believe you'd sell out national interests for money! What have I always taught you? Stay grounded and work hard. And instead, you go and commit federal crimes!"

Looking at this sanctimonious man, I felt nauseous.

The only reason Zack had gotten his Deputy Director position was because I had stayed up night after night writing his core reports and policy briefs.

He took my work to impress his bosses, then turned around and treated me like dirt.

Now that he saw Robert coming after me, he didn't hesitate to throw me under the bus to save his own skin and curry favor with the division chief.

"Zack, you haven't even looked at the files. How can you be so sure I'm the one who leaked them?" I said coldly.

Zack snorted. "Do I need to look? The chief and Gina saw it with their own eyes. You think they'd both lie about some low-level staffer? Clara, I'm deeply disappointed in you."

He turned to Robert and immediately switched to a fawning tone.

"Chief, please calm down. Since Clara did this, even if she is my fiancée, I won't cover for her.

"Effective immediately, I'm officially calling off the engagement. My family will never accept a woman with a criminal record."