Chapter 3

The receptionist jumped to her feet as soon as she spotted me. "Ms. Summers, I thought Mr. Bennett said you were off today?"

"Just need to look up some project files real quick," I replied.

I badged in and went straight to the finance department. The finance manager for the overseas projects looked nervous when he saw me.

"I need the supplementary agreements for the three channels from the past four years," I said.

"Mr. Bennett manages those files himself," he replied.

"I'm a shareholder and the project lead."

He stayed put, not moving an inch.

I stared at him. "Is it that I don't have the authority, or did Thomas tell you not to hand them over?"

He lowered his head and, after a few seconds, finally opened the file cabinet. "Mr. Bennett said the overseas project is still confidential, so he didn't want to bother you with it right now."

He took out three folders, each stamped with the company seal.

Thomas had used market expansion as a cover to turn steady, profitable channels into low-price suppliers, then funneled the profits through a maze of subcontractors, all the way to Emily's offshore company.

Four years ago, he'd publicly ended the partnership between the Bennett and Lane families right in front of me.

After that, there was no direct business between them.

He used a few other companies as cover and built Emily an even sneakier, more lucrative pipeline.

I handed Sophie the copies of the project files I was authorized to keep, and told the finance department to keep the originals and not to make any changes or move them without authorization.

The finance manager asked quietly, "Should I let Mr. Bennett know?"

"Just follow the standard process," I replied.

I went back to my office and started sorting through all the project files I'd handled over the past three years.

The client contacts belonged to the company, so I left those untouched. I only took my own work logs and the notes and drafts I was allowed to keep.

As I passed the break room, I heard Thomas's assistant talking inside. "The overseas team's bonuses are going up again this year. Ms. Lane doesn't even show up, but she pulls in more than Ms. Summers."

Another person said, "Keep it down. Ms. Summers is here today."

The assistant laughed. "So what if she is? Mr. Bennett keeps her so well-protected. She only ever sees what he wants her to see.

"Women are easy to fool. As long as she doesn't catch him red-handed, a few flowers and some jewelry will smooth things over."

I pushed the door open.

Both of them went pale.

The assistant's coffee sloshed out and spilled all over the table. "Ms. Summers, we were messing around."

"Who approved the overseas team's bonus plan?" I asked.

He opened his mouth, but didn't dare answer.

"By this afternoon, send the approval process to my work email," I said.

I turned and walked away, not giving him a chance to explain.

I was back in my office when Thomas called. "You went to the office?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Weren't you supposed to be off today?"

"Just needed to grab a few things."

He was quiet for a second, then his voice got serious. "The overseas team is making some changes right now, so there are some files you shouldn't mess with. If you need anything, ask me."

"I took my own work notes."

"Claire, I'm not trying to keep anything from you," he said, his tone softer. "The overseas project has a lot of partners involved.

"I'm worried you might not know all the details. If you get involved without knowing everything, it might mess things up."

"Got it." I hung up and placed the last folder into the packing box.

At noon, the company system sent out a meeting notice.

At 3 p.m., there was a meeting scheduled to discuss changes to the main project I'd been in charge of for the past three years.

The attendee list suddenly had a new spot for the overseas team lead, but the name field was left blank.

Two minutes later, Thomas messaged me again: [Cooperate in the meeting this afternoon. It's a normal adjustment and won't affect your place in the company.]

After reading the message, I slipped the prenuptial agreement into a file bag.

Sophie had already drafted a risk separation agreement for our marital assets. Once the overseas team took over, any future losses or liabilities would no longer fall on me.

At 2:50 p.m., I walked into the conference room with a box in my arms.

The executives glanced at what I was carrying, their faces showing all kinds of reactions, but nobody said a word.

Thomas was sitting at the head of the table, with a project adjustment document in front of him.

When he spotted the folder, his brow furrowed a bit. "Take a seat. We'll talk after the meeting."

At exactly 3 p.m., the conference room door opened again.

The sharp click of high heels sounded across the floor, drawing closer with every step.

Emily, with the overseas team badge hanging from her neck, came to a halt right next to Thomas.