Chapter 2

Carter's knuckles turned white against the edge of the desk, his arm muscles trembling from strain.

His breathing grew heavier, his chest rising and falling in a completely chaotic rhythm.

"Enough!"

He snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me.

"Zoe, what exactly do you want?"

「The male lead is losing his mind! To make it wilder, he made the secretary use those ice-and-fire popping beads. If his wife doesn't get lost soon, he's going to lose control right here!」

「To be honest, the male lead still has some shame. He doesn't dare blow his load in front of his wife! Too bad the employees outside are already filming him. His wife is going to find out sooner or later anyway!」

Ice-and-fire popping beads...

So, behind my back, Carter was playing with things that wild.

Well, of course. A traditional, boring woman like me could never provide him with that kind of cheap thrill.

Still, I really wanted to see just how out of control those little toys could make a man.

I curled my lips into a gentle, thoroughly accommodating smile.

"Honey, what do you mean? What could I possibly want?"

"I just care about the company, and I care about you. I was just too impatient earlier. I shouldn't have lost my temper over such a small thing."

I sounded incredibly sincere, as if the sharp, demanding woman from a moment ago had been nothing but his hallucination.

The suspicion in Carter's eyes deepened.

He clearly couldn't comprehend my sudden change in attitude, but his physical predicament prevented him from thinking too deeply.

Ignoring the cold sweat pouring down his face, I casually continued.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something."

I lifted my wrist and glanced at my watch.

"Today, some of our senior board members said they wanted to come in early to discuss the company's future direction with you."

Carter snapped his head up, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

"What?!"

Ignoring his gasp, I thoughtfully calculated the time.

"Given the traffic, they should be arriving downstairs right about now."

The moment the words left my mouth, the last drop of color drained from Carter's face.

I absolutely loved his expression right now.

The look of a man watching himself plummet into an abyss, utterly powerless to stop it, letting terror consume him whole.

Right in front of him, I pulled out my phone.

I found my assistant's contact and dialed.

"Yes, Mrs. Vance," my assistant's efficient voice came through the speaker.

Carter opened his mouth to stop me, but no sound came out.

"Go down to the lobby and meet Mr. Davis and the other board members."

Staring at Carter's ghostly pale face, I spoke slowly, emphasizing every single word.

"Once they arrive, don't take them to the conference room."

"Bring them straight up to the CEO's office."

"We're going to have a very productive meeting right here."