Chapter 1

Dad sent me to the company to evaluate Jayden.

He said it was routine inspection, told me not to stress about it.

I figured I'd go through the motions, tick some boxes, call it a day.

So I told the receptionist I was an auditor from corporate, and she respectfully swiped me through with her keycard.

But the second I stepped into the open office, I saw her.

This woman, dressed in a skintight black bodycon skirt, crouched in front of the shredder like it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. Her eyes were practically sparkling.

"Oh my God, this thing is so cool. Can it literally shred anything?"

Without thinking, she grabbed a document from the desk next to her.

The cover was stamped in red letters: "MERGER CONTRACT."

She didn't even hesitate—just started shoving the contract toward the shredder.

A guy with glasses nearby went absolutely pale.

He basically threw himself at her, nearly tackling her to snatch the contract away.

"Holy shit, Hazel! Shouldn't you be in your office watching videos or something?"

His voice was shaking with terror.

"What are you doing out here? This contract goes to print this afternoon!"

The woman got bumped by him but wasn't mad at all—just giggled and waved her empty cup around.

"Watching videos all day is so dull. I'm parched."

The coworker let out a relieved breath, clutching that contract like his life depended on it.

He lowered his voice, practically begging:

"Then please, go grab some water and drink it back in the office, okay? Doesn't Jayden's office have its own Keurig?"

The woman pouted.

"That coffee tastes nasty. I want some of that good stuff from the break room."

She totally ignored his about-to-cry expression and headed toward the kitchenette.

Watching this whole trainwreck, my temples were pounding.

I grabbed a young-looking intern nearby.

"Who is she?"

The intern glanced at me, then quickly looked back at the woman's retreating figure, eyes full of dread.

He put his finger to his lips.

"Shh, keep it down."

He leaned close to my ear, voice barely a whisper.

"That's our boss Jayden's wife, Hazel Patterson."

My stomach dropped.

Suddenly, every weird thing I'd heard about Jayden lately clicked into place.

The intern kept talking.

"Word is she actually owns this company, so she's like, the real queen bee around here. You just start? You'll get used to it."

He sighed, his face showing the kind of bone-deep exhaustion that only comes from being put through hell.

"Usually she just hangs in Jayden's corner office, scrolling TikTok and binge-watching Netflix. Doesn't really mess with us."

"Jayden must be out at client meetings today, so nobody's babysitting her. That's why she's out here wrecking everything."

Listening to him, my head was buzzing.

She's the boss's wife.

Then what the hell am I?

The intern noticed my expression and looked concerned.

"You good? You look kinda rough."

I shook my head and forced a smile.

"I'm fine, just... wow. Can't believe the company has people like that. Real eye-opener."

The intern shrugged with a bitter laugh.

"You get used to it. At least she doesn't actually do anything major. We all just deal and pray she gets bored and goes back to her office."

I stayed quiet.

Doesn't do anything major?

That contract she almost shredded? That would've tanked a billion-dollar deal.

Who's gonna eat those losses?

I watched Hazel bounce out of the kitchenette.

I pulled out my phone, about to call Dad.

But then I thought better of it and put it away.

Just leaving now would let Jayden off way too easy.

Dad sent me here to evaluate his abilities.

Looks like his abilities and his character are completely fucked.

I wanted to see how far this company had gone down the drain under his management.

I straightened my blazer and walked to reception.

"Hi, I'm Aurora Genovese from corporate, here for project auditing."

"Could you set me up with a temporary workstation? Somewhere quiet would be perfect."

"Also, today's inspection is confidential—I'd prefer Mr. Jayden doesn't know I was here."

The receptionist nodded respectfully.

I found a corner desk and sat down, keeping an eye on Hazel from across the room.

She was studying the fire alarm with her fresh Starbucks, looking like she was seriously considering whether to yank that thing.