Chapter 3

Marcus set the trash down and tried to wrap his arm around my shoulder, but I deftly stepped aside. "You see, our company has always had an employee outreach program. Vivian is a single mother and one of our key support targets. As for why I lied about the business trip... it's because I wanted to surprise you, babe."

"Oh?" I smirked. "What kind of surprise? Do tell."

"Our anniversary is coming up, right? I wanted to plan an incredibly romantic event for you. But with work being so busy, I had to fake the business trip to set up the venue myself. The venue is actually right around the corner. If you don't believe me, I can take you there right now."

"Sure, let's go," I agreed instantly.

The smile on Vivian's face froze.

I looped my arm through Marcus's. "Let's take a look."

I didn't let go of Marcus's arm all the way downstairs. Sensing the barely concealed jealousy radiating from Vivian, I intentionally said, "Vivian, why don't you come with us? You can help us with the setup."

"Of course, Mrs. Sterling."

I didn't miss the frantic looks Vivian was throwing at Marcus. I also didn't miss the fact that the pink-themed decorations at the venue were clearly meant for a wedding, but I pretended to be completely oblivious.

Right in front of Vivian, I wrapped my arms around Marcus's neck. "You're the best, babe. Even though pink isn't really my color, I can use this venue to throw a party for my girls. Let's schedule it for the day after tomorrow."

"Make sure you join us, Vivian."

Vivian's face went from pale to horrified, but she had to force a polite smile and agree.

After staying at the venue for a bit, I made an excuse about needing to check out some real estate in the area and left the two of them there.

They thought they had successfully fooled me. What they didn't know was that the entire venue was wired with hidden cameras, and their conversation was streaming live to my phone.

"Alright, don't be mad," Marcus whispered, hugging Vivian and wiping her tears. "I didn't expect Nora to show up out of nowhere. I had to play along so she wouldn't suspect anything."

"But that was supposed to be our wedding venue!"

"We can have the wedding another time. Right now, the priority is the Vance family fortune, isn't it? We need to secure our son's inheritance so he gets the best head start in life."

To cheer Vivian up, the two of them held a private, mock wedding in the "empty" venue.

Watching Marcus passionately recite his wedding vows and share a sweet, deep kiss with Vivian, my heart ached with a sharp, familiar pain.

At our grand high-society wedding in downtown three years ago, he had whispered those exact same sweet promises to me.

I locked my phone. The person I was waiting for had arrived.

"Well, well, the great heiress Nora Vance actually sought me out. I thought you looked down on my profession," Ryan Cole said, sitting across from me with a camera slung around his neck. "So, what do you need me to do?"

He was my childhood friend. Despite coming from a prominent banking family, he insisted on opening a private detective agency. His parents and I had been incredibly disappointed in him, and we hadn't spoken in a long time.

"My husband, Marcus, is cheating on me. I want you to dig up everything on him from the day he was born. I want to ruin him."

Ryan rolled his eyes and sighed. "I told you you were crazy to marry him. A guy raised in the slums for over twenty years who suddenly gets recognized as a rich heir is never going to be a real gentleman."

Even though Ryan lectured me, he agreed to the job. He promised to deliver enough hard evidence within two days so I could make Marcus famous at the party.

But before the party could even begin, a wrench was thrown in the gears.