Chapter 2

The next second, Ethan just came right out with it. "I'm into your man. Help me hook up with him, will you? That'd be the perfect payback for his side chick."

His words hit me like a thunderclap. I stared at him, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. "What? You want me to get my husband into your bed? Seriously?"

I wondered if I'd been crying so hard that I was starting to hallucinate. Or maybe he went crazy.

"Mr. Graves, are you alright?" I blurted out, still in shock.

He didn't look the least bit embarrassed. Instead, his whole vibe shifted, like he was about to close a business deal. "I'm fine. I'm perfectly clear-headed. And just so you know, I'm the top," he said.

I was stunned. That was a lot to process. My brain was frying.

He didn't even notice me standing there, totally stunned. He just walked straight over to the whiteboard in his office. He started sketching out a mind map like he'd done it a thousand times before.

"Alright, let's break down your situation logically," he said. On the whiteboard, a diagram centered around "Michael" started to take shape, all the connections laid out clear as day.

"First, your marriage. His side chick is five months pregnant, and he's made up his mind. You're getting divorced. It's just a matter of time and how much you'll walk away with.

"Second, your finances. Even if you split the house fifty-fifty and each keeps a car, you're still in a tight spot. Your monthly salary is 1600 dollars. After all the deductions and your car loan, you're left with 1000 dollars.

"In this city, that's barely enough to scrape by; no emergencies, no new clothes, no entertainment, just survival mode."

Those cold, hard numbers and the naked truth hit me like a punch to the gut. I could already see myself living off instant noodles, struggling to stay afloat, teetering right on the edge of poverty.

"So," he summed up, "if you turn me down, you're not only facing a total life meltdown, you could also lose your job. With my pull in this industry, it'd be easy to make sure you can't land any decent job.

"At that point, you won't even have 1600 dollars to keep you afloat."

I sucked in a sharp breath. This was a straight-up threat.

"But," he switched gears, dangling the bait, "if you team up with me, we're allies. We want the same thing. I get the man I want, and you walk away with your dignity."

I cut him off. "Hold on! Dignity? Mr. Graves, is that seriously all I get out of this?" After that ruthless financial breakdown, I was in no mood for lofty ideals.

Ethan looked like he'd seen this coming from a mile away. "Of course not. If we make this happen, I'll give you three hundred thousand dollars as a reward," he said.

"What?" I practically screeched, my voice going up an octave. I snatched the calculator off his desk, hands shaking as I started punching in the numbers. That was like 20 times my salary, all in one shot!

He kept sweetening the deal. "And that's not all. I'll have our best project director personally mentor you. You'll pick up the most valuable skills in record time and master the essentials. So even without that money, you can live on your own and thrive."

Holy crap! This wasn't kicking me when I was down, but hitting the biggest jackpot.

Guess he was seriously head over heels for Michael. So much so that he was willing to threaten and bribe me, and even personally got his hands dirty plotting out a whole plan.

My whole sense of right and wrong was flipping over, the scales in my head tilting hard toward Ethan. Michael cheated on me. His side chick acted all high and mighty. My future looked bleak. All this made me feel upset.

But when I stacked all that up against real money, real skills, and a wild but legit way out staring me in the face, real money definitely came first.

If he could get himself a side chick, then why couldn't I set him up with a badass "side dude"? Honestly, it made total sense. I'd be doing him a huge favor. It's like I was helping him unlock a whole secret level in life.

"Mr. Graves, from this moment on, I'm your exclusive mastermind. I'll pull out all the stops to, uh, clear every obstacle and help you win him over!" I declared, fired up and ready for action.

Ethan watched my passionate display, nodded, clearly satisfied with my enthusiasm. "Good. Then let's make this a successful partnership," he said.