Chapter 2

"On what grounds? I took them!"

"Taking pictures of my car without my consent violates my privacy."

I deleted the photos and tossed the phone back at him. "Try that again, and next time, I won't just delete your pictures. I'll delete you."

Harvey caught the phone, his face flickering with irritation before settling back into that shameless smirk. "Aw, getting defensive? Feeling guilty, are we?"

I looked at him, suddenly finding it pathetic.

"Harvey, do you realize some people stay low-key not because they're guilty, but because they simply can't be bothered with someone like you?"

"Unfortunately," I pulled open my car door, "today, I feel like bothering."

Getting into the driver's seat, I pulled out my phone and texted my dad on SnapChat:

"Dad, I might need to borrow a car from the garage."

Three seconds later, he replied:

"Which one?"

"The least subtle one."

My phone immediately rang.

"Serena, what happened?" My dad sounded calm, but I could hear a faint trace of excitement beneath his voice.

He had spent his entire life dominating the business world. Having finally raised a daughter, he usually treated me like fragile porcelain.

Hearing that someone was bullying his little girl probably thrilled him more than closing a billion-dollar deal.

"Someone at work is smearing my name," I said simply.

"Name."

"Harvey Miller."

"Where does he work?"

"Same company as me. Marketing."

The line went quiet for two seconds before my dad asked a question that made me laugh:

"Do you want me to just buy your company? Save you the headache."

"Dad, that's completely unnecessary," I rubbed my temples. "I can handle it myself. I just need you to play along."

"Tell me."

"Tomorrow morning, have Luke drive me to work."

Luke had been our family driver for twenty years. Ex-military, six-foot-two, shaved head, with a jagged scar across his face.

He looked like a gentle giant when he smiled, but when he didn't, he looked like the boss of an organized crime syndicate.

My dad understood instantly. "Take that car?"

"Yeah."

"Done." My dad chuckled like a sly old fox. "What time tomorrow?"

"Eight-thirty, right in front of the main entrance."

"Alright. I'll have Luke get there early."

I hung up and pulled out of the garage.

Harvey was still standing there, watching my taillights fade with a triumphant grin on his face.

He probably thought he'd won this round.

That was fine.

Tomorrow, I'd show him what an actual sugar daddy looked like.

At 8:15 the next morning, a sleek black Maybach pulled up smoothly in front of the office building.

Luke was dressed in a sharp black suit and dark sunglasses, standing beside the vehicle with an expression colder than the building's biometric security gates.

As I stepped out of the passenger side, Luke held the door for me, bowing slightly. "Miss Hayes, we have arrived."

"Thank you, Luke."

I grabbed my bag and headed toward the entrance. As I passed the front desk, the security guard peeked out, his mouth dropping wide open.

Before stepping into the elevator, I glanced back.

The Maybach was still parked out front. Luke leaned against the door frame, his gaze behind the dark lenses sweeping across the crowd like a living surveillance camera.

That single scene was enough to fire up the gossip engines across the entire building.

Sure enough, by nine o'clock, the company WhatsApp was already buzzing.

My department's internal group remained quiet, but the expressions on the HR girls' faces said it all.

The way they looked at me had shifted—from mocking amusement to complete bewilderment.

At nine-thirty, Harvey arrived.

As he stepped into the marketing floor, his stride visibly faltered.

He had probably overheard the chatter in the lobby.

Still, he quickly slipped back into his cocky swagger. Passing my cubicle, he deliberately slowed down, leaning close to my ear:

"Swapped rides today, huh? A Maybach... nice flex. Your old man is really treating you well."

I didn't look up, keeping my eyes glued to my monitor. "How do you know it's an old man?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Could it be my dad?"

Harvey let out a dry scoff dripping with disdain. "Your dad? Please, I know your background. At that team dinner, you said your family's from a small town running a mom-and-pop shop. Cut the act."