Chapter 2

I turned to meet Blair's dark green eyes, which were now guarded. I put on the same gentle smile I always wore.

"Just a friend. A wealthy heiress I know cheated on her husband. Now he's filing for divorce and demanding a share of the equity."

If she loved to act so much, I would play along.

Blair's eyes scanned my face, searching for any flicker of suspicion in my expression.

Once she was satisfied that I was acting normally, the tension in her shoulders slowly eased.

She wrapped her arm around my waist, her warm lips pressing against my temple, her breath hot on my skin.

"Utterly foolish. People who betray their partners don't deserve success."

"My love, a scandal like that will never happen to us."

I stared quietly into the depths of her dark eyes and smiled faintly.

"But what if it did happen?"

"To… you, for example?"

"Kevin, there is no ‘what if'."

Blair cut me off without hesitation. "I, Blair Valerius, swear on the honor of the Valerius family, I will never betray you."

"Of course. I was just joking."

Blair was silent for a moment. Then she rubbed her nose against my earlobe, a suggestive gesture.

It was ironic. Even while entangled with my brother, she displayed an almost suffocating possessiveness toward me.

"If that day ever comes, then punish me. Let my punishment be never seeing you again for the rest of my life."

"You know this, Kevin. You are my life. Without you, I'd walk straight into hell myself."

I said nothing. I just silently slipped out of her fiery embrace.

In three days, I would escape from this embrace I had once cherished.

The vow you just made is about to come true.

She reached for me, but was interrupted by her assistant's voice.

"Boss, everything is ready."

Blair nodded in satisfaction, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. She took my hand and led me toward the edge of the terrace.

She wrapped her arms around me from behind, covering my eyes with her hands, and whispered in my ear.

"My love, the main event of the evening is here."

"I have a special gift for you."

"Five… four… three…"

As the countdown hit zero, she released her hands.

The sight before me was breathtaking.

She had booked the entire private harbor, and the sky above was lit up by thousands of drones.

Brilliant bands of light shifted rapidly, forming giant letters against the starry sky, spelling out my name: Kevin Thorne.

Blair's arms wrapped tightly around my waist, her voice thick with deep emotion.

"Sweetheart, we've been married for seven whole years. But every day with you still feels like the first time we met."

I looked up at the glittering letters, feeling a sense of surreal detachment.

Yes, seven whole years.

I was supposed to be one of the most promising rising stars in my field. For her, I had willingly clipped my own wings, given everything up, and become the quiet husband of the richest man's daughter.

So much had changed in these seven years.

So many people had mocked me for being a kept man, but I believed that only the two people in a marriage know its true nature, so I never cared about outside opinions.

But I never expected that seven years was long enough for deep love to curdle into betrayal, for vows to ferment into lies.

Blair turned me to face her, her dark green eyes staring into mine as if she could absorb me into herself.

"Seven years. And every year, I want to give you the very best."

She slowly leaned in, her lips about to meet mine.

If I hadn't heard that conversation in the lounge tonight, I would have been fooled by this masterful performance for the rest of my life.

Just as our lips were about to touch, the phone in her jacket pocket began to vibrate wildly.

A flash of annoyance crossed her face, an expression I knew all too well.

Good. That saved me the trouble of finding another excuse to pull away.

"Damn it. I said tonight was strictly private. I'd like to see who has a death wish."

But when she saw the screen, her expression shifted, the anger in her eyes turning to ice.

I glanced at the caller ID: My Little Wolf.

I knew it was Julian.

Blair cleared her throat unnaturally, quickly turning her wrist to hide the screen as her fingers flew to silence the call.

In that split second, I saw the flicker of panic in her eyes, mixed with raw desire.

Sure enough, when she looked up again, her face was a mask of impeccable guilt.

"What is it?" I asked, feigning nonchalance, though my fists were clenched tight.

"An emergency at the company." She put her phone away. "Darling, I might have to leave for a little while."

"Now?"

"I'm sorry. I know tonight is important to us. But this really can't wait."

She pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"Wait for me in our room. I'll make it up to you when I get this sorted out."

"I understand. The company always comes first."

I nodded obediently, playing the part of the understanding husband to perfection.

Blair was visibly relieved. She gave me another quick hug and turned to leave, almost in a hurry.

I stood on the terrace, watching her car drive out the gates.

Once her taillights had vanished from sight, I turned and walked toward the parking garage.

If she had an "emergency" to handle, then I figured I should go see just how urgent this matter really was.

I started the engine and silently followed in the direction her car had gone.