Chapter 1

I was known all over Kingsford as the infamous ungrateful wretch.

I was a nightclub singer, cherished by the young heir of the wealthy Foster family, yet I treated him like dirt.

To make me happy, James had rented every LED screen in the city to declare his love for me. But I turned around and posted on my account about how cringe it was.

When my enemies kidnapped me, he stormed in all by himself to save me, breaking two ribs. But after I was rescued, I shoved him away, complaining that he was being nosy.

James even broke with his family to marry me, begging in the pouring rain for three whole days.

Meanwhile, I was sitting on a mob boss's lap, feeding him wine, arm in arm.

Everyone in Kingsford was placing bets on when James would finally see through me and realize I was just some vain, shallow girl.

But in reality, I was an undercover cop working the drug squad.

Blending into the nightclub scene was my cover, all so I could get close to Zack Jennings, the guy everyone called the Drug King.

James's devotion was the biggest obstacle to my mission.

I kept humiliating him, hoping he'd finally back off, but every time I knocked him down, he came back even stronger.

Just when I was about to earn Zack's trust, James rushed in like a madman and nearly exposed my identity.

My team decided that since I couldn't get rid of James, I might as well use my status as his fiancée to dive even deeper into the heart of danger.

So for the first time, I broke my own rules and agreed to marry him.

Three years slipped by in a flash.

I still hadn't collected enough evidence against Zack.

Then James brought home a sweet, innocent-looking girl and tried to throw me out.

*****

"Stella, take this check and get out of here," James said.

I snorted, grabbed the check, and started counting the zeros.

"Twenty million? Mr. Foster, looks like you're not as generous as you used to be," I flicked the check, unable to hide the contempt in my voice.

James's face turned stormy in an instant, something dark flickering in his eyes that I couldn't decipher.

"Too little? For someone like you, even twenty million is way too much," he shot back.

James wrapped his arm around Olivia Lane, so gentle it was almost blinding, like I was nothing but dirt beneath his feet.

"Olivia's pregnant and needs to rest. You staying here would only be a burden to her eyes," James said.

Pregnant?

My grip on the check faltered, and my heart clenched hard.

But I only froze for a moment.

Then I put on a devil-may-care smile, stood up, and ran my fingers through my hair, all charm and attitude.

"Since you've got yourself a new girl, Mr. Foster, I won't hang around and spoil your fun," I said.

"Anyway, everything I've used in this house just feels disgusting to me. I wouldn't bother taking any of it," I added.

My words were sharp and cutting, yet my gaze remained locked on James, searching his face for even the slightest hint of reluctance.

But I saw nothing.

He stared at me with icy indifference, like I was a bag of garbage he couldn't wait to get rid of.

"Works for me. Butler, toss out all her things and sanitize the place right now," James said.

I shrugged, walked out in my four-inch heels, not even bothering to look back.

As I passed Olivia, she suddenly shrank back and hid in James's arms.

"James, is Stella mad at me? Should I not have come?" Olivia said.

"Don't mind her. She's just an ungrateful wretch, never knows gratitude," James's voice echoed behind me, every word making my back stiffen.

I kept my posture straight, strutting out with a graceful swagger, only letting myself breathe freely once I stepped outside the villa.

The rain was pouring down, relentless and wild.

I stood there, drenched in the storm, staring at the check in my hand, soaked and ruined, and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

I had played the ungrateful wretch to James for three years straight.

Every time I crushed his heart, mine broke, too.

But I was an undercover cop working the drug squad, and my mission was to get close to Zack, the so-called Drug King.

The deeper James fell for me, the more dangerous things got for both of us.

Now, he was finally willing to let me go.

I should be happy about it.

But why, when tears mixed with rain and slipped into my mouth, did it taste so bitter?

My phone buzzed; it was a message from my captain: [Zack is at Bliss Nightclub tonight. News has already spread that James kicked you out. This is your best chance to get close to him.]

I wiped the water from my face, and in an instant, all the weakness in my eyes disappeared, replaced by a cold, steely resolve.