Chapter 2His Valentine's Roses

The message sent my relatives into a frenzy of concern. My aunt, always the sharpest, sensed something was wrong immediately.

【Clara, sweetie, is that bastard hurting you? Tell your aunt, and I'll make him pay!】

I hesitated for a moment before typing back.

【Aunt Diana, I need you to run a background check on someone for me.】

The information came back quickly.

“Her name is Chloe Winston. She was a scholarship student Adrian sponsored while she was at a university in Northwood. After graduating, she started as an intern at The Cole Group.”

“The whole industry is buzzing about it. They say she’s Adrian’s little pet project. No one dares to push a drink on her at business dinners. Any company that gives her a hard time finds itself facing bankruptcy.”

My aunt was seething on the other end of the line, but I remained silent.

A year ago, Adrian had started taking monthly business trips to Northwood, regular as clockwork. Each time he returned, he’d bring me little trinkets, things a much younger woman would like. I thought my stoic husband was finally learning to be romantic.

Now I see it differently. The signs of his affair were there all along. I was just too busy trusting him to see them.

A dull ache throbbed in my chest. I needed to know what kind of person had captivated him so completely.

When I arrived at the office, he was in a meeting.

I pushed open the door to his private office and found a young woman sitting in his chair, humming to herself as she decorated his workspace.

She was… ordinary. Hair pulled back in a high ponytail. If there was anything captivating about her, it was the vibrant, youthful energy she radiated.

His expensive, minimalist leather chair and polished desk were covered in pink heart-shaped stickers. Fluffy plush toys were everywhere. Tucked among them was a handwritten card with playful lettering:

【No slacking off! I’m watching you~】

Adrian was a man of strict boundaries, almost obsessively so. I’d once seen him fire an employee on the spot for touching something on his desk without permission.

Yet these stickers were already yellowing and peeling at the edges. They had clearly been there for a long time.

My expression darkened. Chloe saw me and shot to her feet, a flash of panic in her eyes.

“Everyone else out there is working,” I said, my voice cold and clear. “Who gave you permission to play office decorator on company time? Does this company pay you to do nothing?”

By now, a small crowd of curious employees had gathered by the door. Chloe’s eyes immediately welled with tears.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Cole. I’ll fix it right away…”

Her voice cracked. Just then, Adrian appeared, drawn by the commotion. He stepped between us, blocking my view of her.

“She’s just a kid, Clara. She doesn’t know any better. It’s not worth getting upset over.”

Then he turned to Chloe, his tone sharp. “What are you still standing here for? Can’t you see you’ve upset Mrs. Cole?”

At his words, a tear finally broke free and streamed down Chloe’s cheek. She turned and ran from the room.

Adrian’s expression didn’t change. He reached out to stroke my hair, his voice soft and placating. “Don’t worry about it, my love. She’s just a bit playful. I’ll have a word with her.”

I stepped back, avoiding his touch. “Adrian,” I said, enunciating each word, deliberately challenging him. “Negligence of duty is grounds for termination, according to company policy.”

His face stiffened, his eyes growing cold. “She’s just an intern, trying to make it on her own in this city. You want to fire her over something this trivial? That’s against policy.”

“An intern who was promoted three times in three months to become the CEO’s executive assistant? Is that policy? What do you think our employees who have been here for five years think of that?” I retorted with a bitter laugh. “I am the General Manager of this company. I have the authority to fire any employee who breaks the rules.”

“Clara Kinnear,” Adrian suddenly barked, his voice dangerously low. “Have you had enough!?”

The force of it stunned me into silence.

He rarely used my full name. In seven years of marriage, this was the first time.

And he did it for another woman.