Chapter 2

I hailed a cab to Clive's company the next morning. When I pushed the doors open, nothing inside the building suggested that the company was facing a core data leak.

The receptionist was blowing balloons at the front desk. The meeting room was packed with champagne and fresh flowers, looking like it had been decorated for a celebration party.

Clive's business partner, Kieran Hudson, wasn't at his workstation. A new employee who didn't know who I was walked past me while clutching a stack of materials. He mistakenly assumed that I was from another department, saying, "Why are you just standing there? Hurry and help.

"Ms. Shore just returned from abroad, but she already secured a huge investment for the company. It only makes sense that Mr. York has to personally go on a trip with her so she can unwind. I heard they've known each other since college. How romantic!"

I continued making my way into the office area. There was a notice board at the end of the hallway. Someone had added a new photo to the board.

Clive was dressed in a tailored suit. A woman in a red dress was next to him as they stood in the middle of the press conference. There was a caption under the photo.

"A Reunion Between Friends of Ten Years. A Continuation of Their Original Dreams of Entrepreneurship."

The woman's name was Tara Shore. However, I had never heard Clive mention her name.

I pulled out my phone. I had just snapped a picture of the photo on the notice board when I heard a set of frantic footsteps behind me.

"Elise! What are you doing here?" Kieran exclaimed as he ran over to me, sweating profusely.

He placed himself between me and the board before fixing a stiff smile on his face. "Clive said that you were resting at home. It's a complete mess at the company—"

"Who's Tara Shore?" I asked while staring at him.

Kieran swallowed before answering, "She… She's a representative for the investors. Don't misunderstand, Elise. The company didn't announce the data leak so as not to scare the employees. The executives are still figuring out the best way to deal with the issue.

"Even the director of the tech department doesn't know about the leak."

I turned my phone screen toward him, showing him the photo that he had posted in the group chat last night. "Is that why you felt the need to use a photo that was from a month ago to lie to me?"

Kieran's expression stiffened. He couldn't say a single word.

Just then, the company's doors were thrown open. Clive strode in. His expression shifted slightly when he spotted me. Meanwhile, I immediately noticed the glaring light red mark that was peeking out from behind his collar.

Kieran looked as if he had seen his savior. He hurriedly explained to Clive that I was misunderstanding his relationship with Tara.

Clive grabbed my wrist and dragged me into his office. "You're in my company, Elise Jenson. This isn't a place for you to track down your husband's whereabouts."

The corners of my lips curled up into a frosty smile. "If I didn't try to track you down, I would have missed how my husband was enjoying a candlelight dinner with another woman in an extravagant underwater suite!"

Clive was stunned. A crack finally appeared on his mask.

Shockingly, he started criticizing me. "I didn't tell you precisely because I was worried that you would make a fuss. Tara is just an investor. The underwater suite was to meet the standard that was set by the client. I was only talking business to her. Can't you be a little more understanding?"

"Talking business? Why did she have to wear the bracelet that I prepared?" I demanded, swatting his hand away.

A hint of panic flickered in Clive's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. "That bracelet just so happened to be in my bag. Tara caught a glimpse of it and thought that it looked good. I just let her borrow it temporarily to take a photo."

He tugged on his tie before continuing, "Do you have to ruin all my hard work just because of a piece of jewelry?"

Clive still thought that the bracelet was the main issue.

I didn't bother arguing with him, turning around and preparing to leave. Just as I turned around, my gaze swept across Clive's desk. There was a black and gold hotel room cardholder under a pile of messy documents.

I recognized Clive's handwriting on the back of the cardholder.

"Making up for the ten years and underwater dinner that I owe you."