Chapter 2

The next morning, Alexander was gone early, but he'd left a paper bag on the table.

"For Joyce."

I opened the bag. Inside was a pink dress with lace, really pretty, except the size was wrong. The tag showed Joyce's size from last year.

I put the dress in the closet and went out to buy a pink one in the right size.

When Joyce woke up, I handed her the new dress. "Daddy got it for you. He asked me to give it to you."

Joyce hugged the dress, her eyes curving into little crescents. "Daddy's the best! He still remembers I love pink!"

Seeing her that happy, I didn't say anything else.

At ten in the morning, I got a call from Alexander's assistant, Leo. "The Alpha asked me to let you know you're needed at the company party next Wednesday."

"Is the Alpha so busy he can't even find a minute to call me himself?"

Leo paused, a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "The Alpha really has been busy lately. Especially since Lisa came on. He's basically with her every day."

Lisa. I'd been hearing it nonstop lately, and Alex really had been spending all his time with her.

"Irene, there's a dress code for the party. I'll send the file to your WhatsApp."

"Okay."

After I hung up, I opened Alexander's Instagram. He hadn't posted anything in three months.

But Lisa's feed had a new post from eleven last night, a photo of an office desk during late-night overtime, two cups of coffee at the corner, captioned: Overtime with my overtime buddy.

No one was in the photo, but I recognized that cup. There was a letter A on the handle. That was Alexander's habit. Every time he bought coffee and they asked for a name, he'd only ever say a single letter.

That night Alexander came home late again. I called him, and this time it rang for a long while before he picked up. It sounded quiet on his end, not like an office.

"Alexander, are you still busy?"

"Yeah."

"How late are you working tonight?"

"Not sure yet. Go to bed, don't wait up."

After I hung up, I pulled up an app on my phone, something I'd quietly installed half a month ago. Alexander's car was one I'd bought, and the GPS was still linked to my account.

The location showed Alexander's car wasn't at the office. It was at a villa far from the company. I looked it up. That was Lisa's address.

At the Wednesday party, I wore a black gown and light makeup. By the time I arrived, the banquet hall was already full. Alexander stood at the entrance, exchanging pleasantries with a few Alphas.

When he saw me, he smiled, naturally pulled me in by the waist, and murmured against my ear, "Don't make a scene tonight. Give me some face."

The way he said it, like I was some kind of troublemaker.

I took Alexander's arm and walked in, a composed smile on my face.

The moment I stepped inside, I spotted Lisa. She sat not far from the head table, in a red dress, hair up, makeup refined but understated. She looked poised and sharp.

"Irene!" Lisa stood up and came over to me on her own, extending her hand graciously. "Finally getting to meet you. The Alpha talks about you all the time."

"Alexander mentions you a lot too," I smiled back. "Thanks for all the overtime."

Her eyes flickered, darting quickly between me and Alexander. "Oh, it's nothing, it's all work." She let go of my hand and took a natural half-step back.

The party was lively. People toasted on stage, others performed. Everything looked normal. But I noticed when Alexander poured me a drink, Lisa came over with her glass too.

"Alpha, the project we discussed today, the other side revised the proposal. I sent it to you, take a look."

She held her phone out to Alexander, leaning in slightly. From where I stood, Lisa's hand was practically pressed against Alexander's forearm, and he looked down at the phone without the slightest attempt to pull away.

"Alright, we'll discuss it first thing tomorrow."

"Sure." Lisa took her phone back and smiled at me. "Irene, I borrowed the Alpha for a minute. Hope you don't mind."

I took a sip of my wine and said nothing.

"Irene's so classy about it." A female coworker leaned in, her tone a sly, probing edge. "The Alpha and the Beta have been working so closely lately. We all say they're the golden pair."