Chapter 1

After my mom passed away, Alonso had me start a charity foundation in her honor and brought in a round of funding.

But while I was sorting through my mom's stuff, I accidentally clicked on a private surveillance clip saved on her phone.

In the video, there wasn't just footage of Alonso tangled up with his secretary, but also a recorded conversation.

Sydney said, "Mr. Gilmore, you really know how to work your magic. Just one call and you managed to trick that old lady into coming here.

"If your wife ever finds out you handed over her classy mom to Talon, who's got a thing for older women, she'll totally lose it on you."

Alonso snorted. "What's there to be afraid of? She's got intermittent amnesia anyway. She won't remember a thing."

I stared at the screen, seeing my mom standing there, lost and confused, like she had no idea what was happening.

Suddenly, it felt like I'd been struck by lightning—my mind went completely blank.

I still couldn't believe that video was real.

After all, Alonso had always treated my mom with the utmost respect, always acting like he was walking on eggshells around her.

When he saw her body, the grief on his face looked as real as if he'd lost his own mom.

He even handled every last detail of her funeral, making sure everything was perfect.

In the end, Alonso even suggested we set up a charity foundation to honor my mom, since she'd always dedicated herself to giving back.

I was genuinely moved back then, never could have guessed he was nothing but a wolf hiding in plain sight.

And that woman wrapped up with him in the footage? I actually knew her. It was Sydney, his college junior back in the day.

When Sydney graduated, Alonso didn't waste any time—he brought her right into his company.

Honestly, she was his college junior, and I knew her too—I never really saw her as a threat.

But after watching that video, I realized just how foolish I'd been. I swore, I was going to make those cheating scumbags paid.

I grabbed a cab and stormed over to Alonso's office, ready to get in his face and ask him why the hell he'd do something like this.

But the moment I stepped into Alonso's office, I saw Sydney sitting on his lap, all made up with thick mascara, their eyes locked in a mutual, provocative stare.

When they noticed me coming in, neither of them looked the least bit nervous—like they'd totally seen this coming. Sydney even shot me a defiant, challenging glare.

Alonso shot me an irritated look, obviously not pleased to have his little rendezvous interrupted. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to stay home and get my things ready for my trip?"

I was so mad I actually had to laugh. I'd come here ready to call him out about the video—seriously, I wanted answers—

but staring at that scene, I just snapped. All reason went out the window.

My rage boiled over; I snatched up a random file and whipped it right at the two of them.

"Alonso, my mom's not even in her grave yet! And you're already so desperate to trade me in for her?" I snapped, my voice trembling with fury.

Alonso jumped up, instantly blocking Sydney with his own body, his face going cold. "Mandy! Have you completely lost it?"

"Me? Crazy? You're the real lunatics here—cheating right in the office in broad daylight like you don't even care who sees," I shot back, voice shaking with fury.

Sydney ducked behind Alonso, squeezing out a few fake tears, trying to look innocent. "Mandy, you've totally got us wrong. Alonso and I were just talking about work, honestly."

I snorted, fixing them with a glare. "Do you honestly think I'm blind to what you're doing?"

I spotted a used condom in the trash, grabbed my phone, and started snapping pictures without hesitation.

I snapped, "So this is what you call 'working'?"

Alonso, furious and clearly humiliated, just dropped the act. He snatched a file out of his drawer and slammed it hard on the desk.

"You live off me, won't even sleep with me, and I've only hooked up with Sydney—just her. Seriously, what more do you want?" Alonso spat, his tone full of contempt.

Hearing that, and seeing that chilling divorce agreement slapped right on the desk, I realized, in that instant, the Alonso before me felt like someone I'd never even met.

All these years, he'd been pretending to love me—turns out the mask slipped today, and I finally saw who he really was.