บททั้งหมดของ The Secretary's Sweetest Lie: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

At six twelve on Monday morning, Seraphina Laurent stepped onto the sixty-third floor of Vale Tower carrying two cups of coffee and a secret she had no intention of sharing.She had spent the weekend studying Lucian Vale.Not the sanitized version of him presented in financial magazines, where he was described as visionary, disciplined, and relentlessly innovative. Those articles were advertisements dressed as journalism. They revealed nothing except what Vale International wanted the public to believe.Seraphina had searched deeper.She knew Lucian woke at four thirty every morning and exercised for exactly an hour. He left his estate in Westbridge at five fifty unless weather or security concerns altered his route. His driver used one of three approved roads to Vale Tower, and Lucian reviewed international market reports throughout the journey.He arrived at the office between six twenty and six thirty.He drank black coffee before eight, espresso after lunch, and a single glass of

During the drive to the Vale estate, Lucian did not touch Seraphina again.He sat across from her in the rear compartment, his expression composed as he reviewed documents on his tablet. His jacket was back in place. His tie had been straightened, and not a single strand of dark hair remained out of order.By all appearances, the moment in his office had never happened.Seraphina knew better.The man who had caught her against his chest remained beneath the immaculate suit. She had felt the tension in his body and heard the change in his breathing. She had watched his eyes settle on her lips while his wedding ring pressed against her waist.He had wanted to kiss her.More importantly, he had almost allowed himself to do it.She should have felt victorious.That was what she had been working toward from the moment she entered Vale Tower wearing a modest blouse and a carefully rehearsed smile. Lucian’s attention could become influence. His influence could become opportunity. One day, if

By seven thirty in the morning, Lucian had assembled six people inside the private conference room at Vale Tower.None had been offered coffee.Arthur Kane, Vale International’s director of security, stood beside the screen displaying Michael Corbin’s employment file. Beatrice occupied the chair nearest Lucian, reviewing information on her tablet. Two corporate attorneys sat across from her, while the heads of compliance and internal investigations waited at the far end of the table.Lucian remained standing.The black-and-white identification photograph on the screen showed a younger Michael Corbin wearing an ordinary suit and an unpleasant smile.He looked harmless.Lucian had begun to understand how dangerous that appearance could be.“Start again,” he ordered.Arthur Kane had spent eleven years in military intelligence before Lucian recruited him. He was not easily intimidated, but his posture had been rigid since entering the room.“Corbin joined Halcyon Property Services eightee

For several seconds, Seraphina could not feel her hands.The security footage continued playing on Lucian’s phone. Evelyn settled into the passenger seat while Damian closed the door behind her. He walked around the sedan without urgency, entered the driver’s side, and pulled away from the fuel station.The timestamp showed nine forty-three the previous evening.Twenty minutes after Seraphina left Vale House.Her mother had been close enough to watch her standing beneath the entrance lights with Lucian.Close enough to photograph them.The woman who once claimed she couldn’t protect her own daughter had somehow found the courage to stalk a billionaire’s guarded estate.“Play it again,” Seraphina said.Lucian watched her face. “You’ve seen enough.”“That isn’t your decision.”He replayed the footage.Seraphina studied every movement. Evelyn’s clothing. The cigarettes she purchased. The bag over her shoulder. Damian’s cap, posture, and deliberate glance toward the camera.“He wanted us

Lucian read Michael’s message twice.Then he handed Seraphina’s phone to Arthur Kane.“Trace it.”Arthur photographed the screen before placing the device inside a signal-shielding evidence pouch.“He may be monitoring the number,” Arthur said. “If we move too quickly, he’ll discard the phone.”“He already has what he came for.”“Not necessarily. A memory card can be copied.”“He won’t copy it,” Seraphina said.Everyone looked at her.She stood beside Adrian’s hospital bed with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The composure she had maintained inside the chapel had begun to crack around the edges.“Michael doesn’t want the information,” she continued. “He wants to destroy it.”“Then we need to reach him before he does,” Lucian said.Seraphina shook her head. “It may already be gone.”“Do you have a copy?”“No.”“Why not?”The question came sharper than he intended.She looked at him.Lucian immediately recognized the mistake.“You think I didn’t try?”“That isn’t what I meant.”