Chapter 3

Eight o'clock, a private room at the Grand Hyatt.

The company was throwing a lavish celebration banquet under the banner of "landing the new project."

Perfect. It was time to lay my cards on the table.

When I pushed open the door, a deeply touching scene was playing out inside.

Alfred sat at the head of the table, glowing with self-satisfaction.

Evangeline, in a fitted white dress, her eyes slightly red, raised her wine glass and toasted him with a tender look.

"Mr. Lyons, this glass is for you. If it weren't for your sponsorship, Seth would never in his life have been able to go to the space camp in America. You're a great benefactor to my son and me."

The employees in the room all wore odd expressions.

Alfred gave her a gentle, halfhearted steadying gesture.

"Don't be so formal. Seth and I really hit it off. If you ever run into any trouble, come straight to me."

Just as everyone was about to applaud and lay on the flattery, I strode up to the table, picked up the basin of ice water beside the fruit platter—the one used to chill the red wine—and hurled it straight at Alfred's sanctimonious face.

Icy water and ice cubes crashed all over his head and face.

The whole room went dead silent.

I slammed the empty basin down on the table and stared down at him.

"How low can you get, tripping over yourself to be somebody else's daddy?"

Alfred jolted from the icy water, his expensive suit dripping.

Humiliated in front of everyone, he flew into a rage, pounded the table, and shot to his feet.

"What are you throwing a fit about this time?! She just lost her husband, she's struggling to get by—what's wrong with me helping her out?"

Beside him, Evangeline's eyes reddened, tears trembling on the edge of falling, and she forced a wounded little smile.

"Mrs. Lyons, I think you've misunderstood. Mr. Lyons only took pity on a widow and her child and helped us out. I'll pay him back little by little, so please don't be angry with him..."

Watching her play the delicate innocent, I gave a cold smile and tore off her mask without mercy.

"Pay him back? You're just an ordinary administrative assistant who has to draw an advance on her salary to cover $3,000 in rent. What exactly are you going to pay back that $80,000 with—your body?"

The moment I said it, Evangeline covered her face and burst into tears, swaying like she might collapse.

Alfred went red instantly, jabbing a finger at me and cursing.

"How can your mind be so filthy! You're the one who's selfish and cold-blooded—do you think the whole world is as dirty as you are?!"

That outburst was all the department managers he'd personally promoted needed to seize their chance to prove their loyalty, and they all started attacking me.

"Mrs. Lyons, that's going way too far. Isn't that just insulting people?"

"Exactly. Mr. Lyons is a big-minded man doing a good deed. Fine if you can't appreciate that as his wife, but how could you screech like a fishwife at a company dinner?"

"With a jealous wife like that, no wonder Mr. Lyons doesn't want to go home..."

Listening to the jabs around me, deliberately hushed but pitched just loud enough for me to hear, Alfred straightened his back with righteous indignation.

"Apologize to Evangeline right now! Or this is not over!"

Alfred had probably had it good for so long that he'd forgotten exactly what he was worth.

Had he forgotten that without my nod, he couldn't really hold onto his seat in this company at all?