Chapter 1
When I was hanging out with Edward Sterling, the top attorney, my bestie joked that I was the most successful gold digger on the internet.
I never bothered to deny it.
I mean, the guy got a face so outrageously handsome it could piss off both mortals and gods, he was six two, and he's got abs.
But the real kicker is, the fee he gets for one case could bankroll my entire family for more than three generations.
With a guy like that, I didn't hold back when it came to spending his money.
I swiped his no-limit black card for two years, and when you print out the transaction record, it was longer than any of his courtroom arguments.
One day, I was at the club for my usual spa session when I overheard two girls next to me gossiping like crazy.
"Did you hear? Edward's first love, Olivia White, parachuted back into town and landed straight into a partner position at their law firm," one girl whispered.
"The Oxford law goddess? The one Ed chased after for two whole years?" the other asked.
"That's the one. Word is, everyone at the firm keeps seeing them burning the midnight oil together and leaving side by side," the first girl replied.
My face froze under the sheet mask as I processed what I heard.
No wonder he'd been coming home at the crack of dawn lately and always stepping out onto the balcony to take his calls.
Well, looks like the main character's back. Even a gold digger like me knows when to read the room and make myself scarce.
That night, I tossed his black card and keys onto the table, left him a WeChat message: [We're done.]
Then I blocked and deleted him, packed my bags, and hopped in a cab straight to the airport.
The next day, I got a formal letter from Edward's law firm.
It read: [You have been engaged in ongoing financial fraud, with a total amount of 2.04 million dollars involved.
[You are required to appear in person within 24 hours to resolve the matter face-to-face.]
And clear as day, under the attorney's signature, it was: Edward Sterling.
*****
"Vivian Lane, your ride's license plate ends with 74K, right?" Edward's voice came through my Bluetooth earpiece.
His voice was ice-cold, hard as a stone pulled straight from a freezer.
I leaned back in the back seat.
Watching the airport highway signs blur past outside the window, I didn't say a word.
"I checked the map. You're still eight kilometers from Terminal 3," he continued.
His tone was steady, not even a flicker of emotion.
"So, do you think you'll clear security first, or will the financial crimes squad pull you over at the toll booth?" He asked.
I let out a sigh.
I slid my silk eye mask up to my forehead.
"Top Attorney Sterling," I said, my voice flat.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"So you're using your connections to block my flight to claw back two million dollars in 'dating expenses'?" I chuckled into the mic. "If people hear about this, won't your law firm's reputation take a hit?"
"This isn't about dating expenses," Edward said, his voice cool and precise.
"Then what is it?" I shot back.
"It's ongoing financial fraud."
"You sure are quick to slap a label on it."
"The transaction records for your black card are sitting right here on my desk. Want me to go through them for you?"
"No need," I said.
I know those records by heart.
"So," he paused, "you can either have the driver turn around and we'll talk at the firm, or I'll have the authorities bring you back. Your call."
I glanced at the Uber driver behind the wheel.
He was eyeing me in the rearview mirror.
His gaze was wary, like he thought I was a fugitive on the run.
"Hey, driver," I said, tapping the seat in front of me.
"Uh, what do you need?" the driver stammered.
"Take the next exit off the highway and turn around," I said.
"What did you do, anyway? I'm an honest driver, I don't cover for criminals," he said, his voice shaky.
"I didn't do anything," I replied, pulling out my phone. "My ex went broke and now he's trying to make me pay back all the cash he blew on designer bags for me while we were together.
"I'll throw in an extra two hundred dollars if you turn around, deal?"
The driver's attitude flipped instantly.
"Oh, you should've said so. Men these days are awful. They even make a list when they break up. Hang tight, I'll spin us around right now," he said, suddenly way friendlier.
A cold laugh echoed in my earpiece.
Edward heard it.
But I couldn't care less.
I hung up, then watched the familiar street scenes rewind outside the window.
Forty minutes later, I dragged my suitcase into the most exclusive office building downtown.
Edward's firm was up on the fifty-eighth floor.
When the elevator doors slid open, the receptionist spotted me and instantly looked super uncomfortable.
"Miss Lane," she greeted.
"Which conference room is Edward in?" I asked.
"Conference Room One. But..." she hesitated.
I didn't wait for her to finish and wheeled my suitcase straight over.
Conference Room One had floor-to-ceiling windows.
The door was left slightly ajar.
I pushed it open.
Edward was sitting at the head of the long table.
He was dressed in a charcoal gray tailored suit, his tie immaculate and not a hair out of place.
A woman sat beside him.
She wore a beige silk blouse, her hair pulled back into a sleek, elegant bun.
She was quietly organizing some papers for him.
When she saw me walk in, she looked up at me.
She gave me a gentle smile.
So she was the first love and new partner of the law firm.
"Vivian, you're here," Olivia said, standing up and pouring a glass of warm water. She walked over and offered it to me. "Bet the trip was exhausting, huh? Here, have some water."
I left her hanging.
I looked right past her and locked eyes with Edward.
"I'm here. So, how do you want to settle the bill?" I asked.
Olivia didn't even flinch. She set the glass down on the table next to me.
"Vivian, no need to get so emotional," she said, her voice smooth and composed, the kind of calm only a seriously smart woman has. "Edward's doing things by the book.
"The firm's accounts have to be clean, and honestly, the amount of money between you two was kind of insane."
"By the book?" I shot back, locking eyes with Edward. "So your firm's rules are so strict that even keep tabs on the tampon money for a partner's ex-girlfriend?"
Edward finally looked up at me.
His gaze was unfathomable, cold and still, like a dead lake.
"Vivian, I'm asking you one last time," he said, his voice slow and deliberate. "What did you mean by that message you left last night?"
"Just what it says," I replied.
"We're done," he repeated, like he was dissecting some shoddy evidence. "So after blowing two million dollars, you think you can walk away with a single text?"
I pulled out the chair across from him.