Chapter 2

I swallowed my food and answered quietly.

"Ethan's first love. He never got over her." I set down my fork. "I figured — why wait for her to show up and blow everything apart? Better to get ahead of it. Kill it before it starts."

My parents exchanged a long look. Neither of them spoke.

Marcus stepped in.

"Ava's handling her own marriage, and she's doing it for a reason. Our job is to have her back." He glanced at me. "When has she ever done anything without thinking it through?"

I shot him a grateful look. My parents didn't push further, though the worry never left their eyes.

That evening, I came home to find Ethan on the couch, looking dark.

I had no interest in engaging. I walked straight past him and headed upstairs.

The sound of glass shattering stopped me on the stairs.

"Ava. We've been married one week. Is it too much to ask where you've been?" His voice rose. "I came home expecting to have dinner with you. I waited three hours!"

I turned and looked at him, my voice flat.

"Ethan, this is a business arrangement. What exactly did you think was going to happen — that we'd actually build a life together?" I held his gaze. "And for the record, don't wait on me for dinner. I'm not here to cater to you."

I ignored the crash of something else hitting the floor behind me and locked my bedroom door.

Three months later, my assistant reported back: the women were ready. She asked me to come review them.

Five near-identical versions of Catherine stood in the dance studio, lined up and waiting. They greeted me politely in unison.

"Miss Song."

The college student — Zoe — was the most convincing of them all.

The moment Ethan spotted her at the charity auction, something shifted in him.

"Catherine?"

I watched his hand tighten around the railing.

"What's wrong?" I asked, playing innocent.

A flicker of something crossed his face. "Nothing. I thought she was someone else."

He didn't say another word for the rest of the evening.

I spent the night happily putting Ethan's credit card to good use, bidding on a necklace I'd had my eye on — a massive, deep blue sapphire pendant they called the Heart of the Ocean.

Zoe brought it to me with both hands, her head slightly bowed. Her hair smelled like gardenia, which was exactly the scent I'd told her to wear.

Catherine's scent.

That same night, Zoe messaged me. Ethan had already reached out to her.

The fish had taken the bait.

After meeting Zoe, Ethan stopped coming home. He set her up in a private villa on the outskirts of the city.

Two months later, I arranged for another Catherine lookalike to apply for the position of his personal assistant.

She got the job without a hitch.

Then came the elder Mr. Lu's birthday.

Ethan came to pick me up — but someone was already sitting in the passenger seat.

His new personal assistant, Jessica. Catherine number two.

I stood outside the car, arms folded, and just looked at him.

Jessica played her role perfectly, greeting me with a bright smile.

"Ma'am, Mr. Lu says I'm required to accompany him at all times. I hope that's not a problem?"

I made a show of irritation and fixed her with a cold look.

"Get out."

She reached for the door handle, but Ethan's hand shot out and stopped her.

"Stay where you are. That's your seat."

Then he turned to me.

"If you don't want to ride with us, you're welcome to drive yourself."

I turned and walked toward the garage. That was exactly what I'd been waiting for him to say.

By the time I arrived at the Lu estate, everyone was already assembled.

Jessica stood at Ethan's side, playing the gracious companion as he greeted guests.

When I walked in, the room went quiet.

Jessica moved to greet me — and managed to splash red wine all over my dress.

Every person in that room read it the same way: Ethan's mistress putting his wife in her place.

Ethan stepped forward and put himself between us, shielding her.

"Jessica didn't mean it. Just go change."

I didn't say a word. I simply looked at both of them.

Sensing the tension, Ethan's mother cut in and slapped him on the arm.

"Who told you to bring someone like this to a family event?"

To his credit, Ethan wasn't stupid enough to embarrass his parents over a kept woman. He hesitated, then quietly told the butler to see Jessica out. Her eyes went glassy, and she looked up at him with the expression of someone trying very hard not to cry.

"Behave. I'll come find you when this is over."

Then he shot me a look of pure disdain — as if I were the one responsible for her being sent away.

Everyone present could see exactly what he was doing. He was humiliating me, and he wasn't trying to hide it.

On the drive home after the banquet, with the elder Mr. Lu present, I brought up the matter of compensation.

"What you do on your own time is your business. But if you want me to keep covering for you, that's a separate conversation."

Ethan had drunk more than usual. He let out a short, contemptuous laugh.

"Ava. You really do have a price for everything."

I didn't flinch.

"I want the position of Director of Human Resources at Lu Group. Is that unreasonable?"

He opened his eyes and looked at me sideways.

"What would you want that for?"

The elder Mr. Lu cut him off with a quiet nod in my direction.

I understood. It was his apology for his grandson's behavior. And his way of asking me not to make a scene.