Chapter 1

It was my birthday night, and my wife, who worked for a highly sensitive agency, wired me five thousand two hundred dollars.

“Happy Birthday, darling. Got called in for an urgent overtime shift. Can’t celebrate with you tonight.”

The moment I saw that message, I watched her and her adoptive brother, Kyle Jensen, walk arm-in-arm into the agency building.

“This is the last time I’m indulging your whims.” I heard her say.

“Next year, no matter what, I’m celebrating my husband’s birthday.”

Kyle Jensen, her adoptive brother, laughed, holding up a box of ultra-thin condoms.

“Our first time was in the company conference room, wasn’t it?”

“So our last time should end in the same place.”

I clenched the coffee cup in my hand, my knuckles white. Then, I sent an email to every employee except Kyle Jensen.

“Urgent notice: Client requires early contract signing.”

“Meeting in the company conference room in twenty minutes.”

If they liked thrills so much, I’d give them a show they’d never forget.

…

“Hey, can you remotely activate the conference room camera from the backend?”

“Of course, I want to record this historic moment.”

“Good. Please connect it to my phone.”

I hung up, my teeth gritted, and opened the app on my phone.

The hot zone where Olivia Sterling and Kyle Jensen were getting intimate was the very center of the large conference table, directly beneath the camera.

“Liv, what do you think your husband would do if he knew?” Kyle’s voice, smug and taunting, filled my ears.

“That every birthday gift you gave him, I’ve tried on and stretched out beforehand?”

“Would he be so humiliated he wouldn’t know where to hide?”

Seeing the brand and style of the underwear Kyle was wearing—identical to the ones Olivia had given me for years—my stomach churned, and I nearly vomited bile.

Olivia and I had been married for six years. Every year on my birthday, she’d be absent for one reason or another. I’d always assumed it was due to the sensitive nature of her job. But it never once crossed my mind that each time I blew out candles alone, wishing for us to grow old together, she was hiding on the conference table with Kyle, committing acts of betrayal against our marriage.

The cold wind made me shiver uncontrollably.

Then, a colleague’s voice from behind startled me.

“Mr. Davies, the social media influencer you asked for has arrived.”

“With this live broadcast, the public will be able to witness our successful strategic partnership with UnityCorp. This will undoubtedly be a huge boost for our company’s future development.”

I smirked, taking the bottled water my assistant offered to rinse my mouth. “To ensure our employees aren't uncomfortable, keep the cameras hidden.”

“The live broadcast will officially begin in fifteen seconds. No matter what happens midway, it must not stop.”

After making all the arrangements, I led the entire staff to wait for the company’s two major shareholders: Olivia’s father, Mr. Sterling Sr., Kyle’s adoptive father, and my mother.

Seeing them arrive with the client, I personally pressed the elevator button for them.

“Dad, Mom, Mr. McKinnon, please come this way.”

The moment they stepped into the elevator, a dark blue suit jacket fell to the floor. Without a word, I picked it up and draped it over my arm.

Approaching the conference room door, two red-soled dress shoes lay casually on the ground. A black silk stocking hung from the doorknob.

As I frantically tidied the mess, my mother, Mr. Sterling Sr., and Mr. McKinnon all looked at me, their expressions questioning. My shirt sleeves were haphazardly rolled up, and I was wearing disposable slippers.

Mr. McKinnon, seeing this, looked awkward, mixed with a hint of resignation. “It seems working overtime on a Friday night is truly brutal.”

“Liam, we old folks haven’t interrupted your… fun, have we?”

Just then, employees who had taken the public elevator also arrived at the conference room door. I forced a smile and shook my head. With all my strength, I pushed open the conference room door.

“The public caught-in-the-act drama is about to begin.”

The next second, the door I had just managed to push open was shoved back from the inside. Olivia, disheveled, slipped out through the crack. Her flushed face was filled with shock and dismay.

“Dad, Mom, isn’t—isn’t today Friday?”

“W-why are you all here?”

Seeing the black silk stockings in my hand, violently torn by Kyle, and the hundreds of employees behind me, Olivia shamelessly stepped forward and snuggled into my arms, feigning annoyance.

“Liam, if you were having a meeting, why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

She tiptoed, bringing her lips close to my ear. “Everyone’s watching. Play along.”

“It’s not what you think. I’ll explain everything later.”

Seeing her almost frantic demeanor, I pushed her out of my embrace, discomfort clear on my face.

“My apologies, everyone. Please excuse the sight.”

“Dad, Mom, please escort Mr. McKinnon to the reception room to rest for a few minutes. I’ll have someone clean this up immediately. The meeting will start on time in five minutes.”

Hearing this, Olivia visibly relaxed. The next second, she almost blurted out, accusing me, “Liam, when did you become so inconsiderate?”

“How can we make Mr. McKinnon wait for us?”

“Doesn’t the company have a smaller conference room? I think we should use that one for today.”

As she spoke, she shot a glance at her father. Father and daughter played along with practiced ease.

“Exactly, Liam, Olivia’s right. Let’s use the smaller one today.” He nodded obsequiously, shaking Mr. McKinnon’s hand firmly. “My apologies, Mr. McKinnon. The younger generation is clueless. Please excuse the spectacle.”

Saying this, he tried to pull Mr. McKinnon towards the smaller conference room. He wanted to get everyone into the small conference room so Kyle, currently hiding in the large one, could escape?

Dream on!

“Dad, it’s understandable Olivia doesn’t know the situation since she doesn’t work here, but how can you blindly go along with her?”

I frowned, gesturing to the hundreds of employees behind me. “The small conference room can only accommodate fifty people at most.”

“We can’t have the remaining dozens of people standing in the hallway for the meeting, can we?”

Then, I deliberately teased Olivia. “You, just look at you. I was just tired from working overtime and changed into comfortable clothes. As soon as I heard Mr. McKinnon and the others arrived, I didn’t have time to tidy up.”

“But you? You didn’t even bother to put these clothes away, causing everyone to misunderstand.”

I smiled, leaning closer to Mr. McKinnon, inviting him into the conference room. “Uncle McKinnon, let’s go in and start the meeting.”

“Even though it’s temporary overtime today, I promised everyone five times the overtime pay. But if we delay any longer, it might damage my image as general manager in the eyes of the employees.”

Just as everyone was about to turn and enter the large conference room where Kyle was hiding, Olivia again recklessly tried to stop them. She practically pleaded with me.

“Liam, just listen to me this once. Let’s switch conference rooms, okay?”

Seeing my face visibly darken, my mother, who was standing nearby, seemed to realize something. With a hint of irritation, she playfully chided Mr. Sterling Sr.

“My dear, what’s so peculiar about this conference room? So much so that you two are repeatedly blocking everyone from entering?”

Her expression unchanged, she pushed open the conference room door and strode in with purpose, her heels clicking.

“The way you’re both hiding something, someone might think Olivia has a secret lover stashed away in there!”

The words hadn’t even fully left her lips when a pair of glaring underwear caught everyone’s eye. My mother, without a second thought, slapped Olivia, knocking her to the ground.

“You little hussy! How dare you betray our Liam?”

She gritted her teeth, slapping the other side of Olivia’s face again. “Tell me, who’s that man you’re sneaking around with?”

“From the moment we got into the elevator, I knew something was off. That jacket, and those shoes, they’re definitely not Liam’s style.”

She kicked off her heels, ready to continue, but Mr. Sterling Sr. desperately held her back, trying to calm her.

“My dear, don’t be impulsive.”

Olivia, knowing she was in the wrong, scrambled awkwardly to her feet. She snatched the underwear from the chair and fumbled under the table for a pink tote bag.

“Mom, you’ve misunderstood. This is a gift for Liam.”

“I just accidentally knocked it off and didn’t have time to pick it up.”

She looked at me expectantly. “If you don’t believe me, ask Liam.”

“Darling, for six years of marriage, haven’t I given you one of these for your birthday every year?”

Seeing Olivia shamelessly spout such nonsense, the last shred of my affection for her completely vanished. I suppressed my disgust, took her so-called gift, and, along with the clothes I’d picked up earlier, threw them all into the trash can.

“Mom, don’t be angry. Olivia’s right.”

After arranging for everyone to sit down as planned, I meticulously scanned the entire conference room, searching for Kyle’s hiding place. Kyle would be completely naked right now. Looking around the entire conference room, the only place to hide a person was under the table. But I had already secretly checked when Olivia knelt to retrieve the tote bag.

Aside from the bottom of the table, the last place where someone could conceivably hide was behind the printer, in the utility box at its base. To confirm my suspicion, I feigned an accidental approach to the printer.

The next second, cold sweat beaded on Olivia’s forehead. She tightly clamped her arms around my waist.

“Liam, I sent you a five thousand two hundred dollar transfer. Did you get it?”

“What transfer?” I feigned ignorance, about to pull out my phone, but she quickly cut me off.

“It’s fine if you haven’t seen it. Let’s celebrate your birthday after the meeting.”

“Don’t you want to go to the Sky Garden restaurant to watch the fireworks? I’ll go with you as soon as this meeting is over.”

I suppressed my disgust, forcing a smile. “Okay.”

Once I was certain Kyle was hiding in the printer’s utility box, I motioned for my assistant to stop working.

“Mr. McKinnon, I apologize. There’s an error in the project proposal. It’s a mistake made by our subordinates, and we will deal with it severely.”

“Please give me ten minutes. I’ll have someone print it again here on-site.”

The words hadn’t fully left my mouth when Mr. Sterling Sr. and Olivia, who was listening in, simultaneously blurted out, “No!”

No? I doubt you have a choice.

If I wasn’t mistaken, Mr. Sterling Sr. had already recognized Kyle’s suit jacket in the elevator. And the silk stockings and shoes at the conference room door only confirmed his suspicions. The only reason they remained so composed was their certainty that I would prioritize the reputation of both the company and the Sterling-Davies families.

But what they didn't know was that while I usually appeared mild-mannered and unassuming, once someone crossed my bottom line, I would be meticulous and retaliate fiercely.

I meaningfully glanced at my mother. She immediately understood, publicly stating, “Mr. McKinnon, don’t worry. We guarantee a correct and accurate project proposal within ten minutes.”

The Sterling father and daughter wanted to say something, but my assistant was already rushing people towards the printer where Kyle was hiding.

“Wait!”

At the same time, the Sterling father and daughter again simultaneously tried to stop them. Mr. Sterling Sr.’s face was ashen, and he sternly questioned the assistant.

“Is this the only printer in the entire company?”

“Why aren’t you taking people to print elsewhere?”

“If you disturb Mr. McKinnon, who can bear the responsibility?”

He then offered a ingratiating smile, handing a cup of tea to Mr. McKinnon. “My subordinates are clueless. Mr. McKinnon, please don’t take offense.”

The assistant’s raised hand froze in mid-air. She looked at me hesitantly, while my mother, with a knowing smile, teased Mr. Sterling Sr.

“Old man Sterling, why are you so agitated?”

Seeing this, I added fuel to the fire. “Exactly, Dad, Olivia, why are you both so unusual today?”

“Could it be that Olivia really has something she’s hiding from me?”

I scoffed, crossing my arms. I deliberately faced the influencer’s pinhole camera, elaborating, “Could it be, as Dad just said, that you’re hiding a secret lover in the conference room?”

I shook my head, turning a few circles in place. “Mom, you’re really fantasizing.”

“The layout of this conference room is completely open. Where could anyone possibly hide?”

I stared pointedly at the utility box behind the printer, every word deliberate. “Could it be that he’s hiding inside the printer?”

At these words, Mr. Sterling Sr.’s face turned green. Olivia, still stubbornly denying, swore to me, “Darling, heaven is my witness, I haven’t betrayed you.”

“You, you’re just not serious when you joke.”

“Even though Uncle McKinnon watched us grow up, he’s the client today. You’re being too inconsiderate.”

Even at this point, Olivia still dared to put on a brave face?