Chapter 2

"Eleanor, where did you hide the 'Star River Pink Diamond'? Speak up!"

Chloe's hand clamped down hard on my arm. Her freshly done, diamond-studded manicure dug sharply into my forearm.

Tiny trails of blood instantly seeped out.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and large tears streamed down her face. She sobbed dramatically into the hundreds of media cameras at the press conference.

Mr. Davies, Smith Group's Head of Security, irritably tugged at his walkie-talkie. A police baton slammed against the display stand with a resounding thud. The bulletproof glass hummed.

"Eleanor, this pink diamond is a crucial piece for Smith Group, set to win a gold award at the International Jewelry Exhibition!" Mr. Davies pointed his finger at me, spittle flying as he spoke. "Now, the iris-recognition safe that Chloe was personally responsible for has been forcibly cracked, and the diamond is gone!"

"The hallway surveillance clearly shows that only you returned to the core design studio last night, past midnight!"

"If you don't produce the diamond today, I'm calling the police to arrest you immediately!"

I stared at them expressionlessly. I raised my hand and, one by one, pried Chloe's fingers from my flesh.

Then I pushed her back about a foot and a half.

"I came back last night to get the exhibition schedule I'd forgotten." I met Mr. Davies' eyes, my voice flat. "As for that iris-recognition safe, Chloe insisted on being personally responsible for it from the very beginning."

"Only she recorded her iris and dynamic password. I never even touched that wretched box. How could I have cracked it?"

"You're lying!" Chloe shrieked, her perfectly applied makeup contorted with rage.

She spun around abruptly and flung herself at Ethan, who was emerging from the VIP channel.

"Ethan, you heard it last night, didn't you?" Chloe tugged at the sleeve of his tailored suit, crying dramatically, her face streaked with tears. "Eleanor said in the breakroom last night that her mother's kidney failure needed urgent surgery, and she wanted to take valuable company items to the black market for a quick turnover."

"I chewed her out, and she even got mad at me!"

I froze. My blood slowly turned cold.

Ethan.

The man for whom I'd pulled countless all-nighters, revising proposals, and braved a blizzard to cross half of New York to queue for special stomach medicine. The man I had silently loved for five entire years, even sacrificing the chance to launch my own brand to support him.

Ethan straightened, scoffing. He tossed his Rolls-Royce car keys onto the display stand, where they landed with a sharp clink.