Chapter 1
To give my husband, Edward Grant, a surprise, I secretly went undercover at his company, hiding my true identity.
But the next morning, at the company meeting, he was holding the hand of his new assistant, Sophie White.
With a look full of affection, he made an announcement to the whole team, "This is my wife, and the future Mrs. Grant!"
The whole room erupted in cheers, and Sophie shyly leaned into his arms.
I stood at the back of the crowd, smiling and clapping loudly. "What a perfect match!"
My applause sounded extra loud in the silent conference room, almost painfully so.
At the sound of my voice, Edward's head snapped up.
The moment he caught sight of me in the corner, his face went pale, and his legs nearly gave out.
*****
The conference room door swung open.
Edward walked in first, with his new assistant, Sophie, following behind.
He was wearing the tie I'd picked out for him, a deep blue one with subtle silver patterns.
Under the lights, he looked even more handsome than usual.
He stopped, cleared his throat, and the whole conference room instantly fell silent.
The silence was almost deafening.
All the department heads stared at him, waiting for him to unveil the strategy for the new quarter.
I was leaning against the wall at the back of the crowd, going by the name Charlotte King, the new marketing specialist.
This was the surprise I'd set up for myself.
But it was also meant for him.
Edward's gaze swept across the room, as confident as ever.
Suddenly, he reached out to Sophie White beside him.
Sophie looked a little surprised, but then she blushed.
He took her hand and held it up.
On her finger was a huge diamond ring.
"Before we get started, I have something personal I'd like to share with everyone."
Edward's tone was overflowing with affection.
"From now on, Sophie isn't just my assistant," he announced, pausing as the room hung on his every word.
He paused, clearly enjoying the attention.
He added, "She's also my wife, and the future Mrs. Grant!"
After a brief silence, the conference room erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
"Congratulations, Mr. Grant!"
"Mrs. Grant is so pretty!"
"When's the big wedding, Mr. Grant?"
Sophie blushed and lowered her head, practically melting into Edward's embrace.
Edward laughed and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
The whole scene was straight out of a romance novel.
I stood in the shadows at the back of the crowd, a smile on my face.
I raised my hand and started clapping.
My applause was crisp and loud, carrying an odd rhythm.
At first, my applause barely stood out amid the noisy cheers.
But as the cheers died down, my clapping kept going, one beat after another, steady and unhurried.
The conference room went completely silent.
Everyone turned to look for the source of the sound.
They all looked toward the corner, where the lone person still clapping was the "new employee."
I smiled, met everyone's eyes, and called out, "Such a perfect couple!"
Edward's smile froze on his face.
He followed the sound and looked over.
His eyes scanned the crowd, passing over stunned faces, until they finally locked onto mine.
The instant Edward realized it was me, all the color drained from his face.
He went pale right before my eyes, as if he'd seen a ghost.
The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He jerked his hand away from Sophie's grasp.
His eyes were wide with pure, unmistakable terror.
It was like he'd just seen a demon crawling out of hell right there in the bright conference room.
His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed, barely managing to stay upright.