Chapter 3I’m Fluent in Six Languages—Until My Earpiece Crossed Lines and Exposed His Lies

The absurdity of it all made me want to stand up right then and there, but three years of muscle memory kept me rigidly glued to my chair.

A professional translator must never lose composure, no matter the circumstances.

That was the first lesson Julian Vance ever taught me.

Huh. How ironic.

The channel on my headset switched. A sweet female voice chimed in, tinged with a playful whine.

“Julian, the press conference data is out! We won our bet; they got absolutely crushed!”

It was Julian’s new secretary, Angie.

A girl completely different from me—flirty, vibrant, like a hothouse flower.

Julian chuckled softly, a sound filled with a tenderness I’d never heard directed at me.

“Got it. Have you thought about what reward you want?”

“I don’t want a reward, Julian! It’s all thanks to your amazing strategy!”

Angie’s voice was sickeningly sweet.

“Still, Seraphina did a great job this time. Her intel was incredibly accurate. Julian, how did you train her to be so amazing? She’s like an emotionless AI, too perfect to be real.”

That comparison made my heart seize up.

I heard Julian laugh lightly.

“Because a tool doesn’t need emotions.”

His voice, transmitted through the current, cut clearly into my ears, every word like an icicle laced with poison.

“She just needs to be precise enough, effective enough. That’s all. As for emotions… those are a luxury reserved for living people.”

Derek chimed in, trying to curry favor:

“My brother really knows how to train them. Delicate flowers like Angie need to be pampered and cherished. But someone like Seraphina? A born workhorse. Just make sure she’s useful. Look at her, she pulled countless all-nighters for this project, her eyes were bloodshot, and I never heard her complain once.”

“Exactly. My brother spoils Angie so much he wouldn’t dream of making her do such hard work. Not like Seraphina—tough and expendable.”