Chapter 3 - The Secretary's True Face
THE SECRETARY'S SECRET: The Twisted Alliance He Never Saw Coming.Daniel threw on his suit jacket, not even bothering to shave, and drove like a maniac to the office. His mind was racing. I still have my job, he told himself, desperately gripping the steering wheel. I am a partner. I make the decisions. I’ll fire Elena’s lawyers. I’ll sue her for everything she’s worth. And I have Maya. Maya loves me. She’ll help me through this.
He burst through the glass doors of Vance & Sterling Consulting at 8:15 a.m.
The receptionist looked at him with a mixture of shock and pity. "Good morning, Mr. Vance. Mr. Sterling is waiting for you in the main boardroom."
"Where is Maya?" Daniel demanded, ignoring her. "Is she at her desk?"
"She’s... she’s already in the boardroom, sir."
Daniel straightened his tie, trying to summon his usual mask of arrogant authority. He strode down the hallway, pushed open the heavy oak doors of the boardroom, and prepared to take control of the narrative.
But the scene inside froze the blood in his veins.
Sitting at the end of the long marble table was Arthur, my family's chief legal counsel. Beside him sat Marcus Sterling, the managing partner of the firm.
And sitting next to them, looking polished, professional, and entirely unbothered, was Maya.
She wasn't wearing the tight, revealing dress she had worn to the hotel the night before. She was in a sharp, navy-blue pantsuit. Her hair was tied back in a neat, corporate bun. And she was holding a digital tablet, scrolling through files.
"Ah, Daniel," Marcus Sterling said, his voice dripping with cold disappointment. "Please, have a seat."
"What is going on here?" Daniel stammered, pointing a finger at Maya. "Maya, what are you doing in this meeting? Get back to your desk."
Maya didn't flinch. She didn't look at him with the adoring, submissive eyes he was used to. Instead, she gave him a cool, clinical smile.
"Actually, Daniel, I am exactly where I belong," Maya said, her voice steady and articulate. "My name isn't Maya Higgins. It’s Maya Vance-Cole. I am Elena’s second cousin."
Daniel’s jaw dropped. The air left his lungs as if he had been punched in the stomach. "You... you’re what?"
"For the past six months, I’ve been working under contract for Vance & Associates as an independent corporate investigator," Maya explained, sliding a folder across the table toward him.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: DANIEL VANCE
Subject: Corporate Embezzlement & Marital Infidelity
Status: Confirmed
"Elena knew you were hiding assets," Maya continued, her tone conversational. "She knew you were trying to siphon consulting fees into a private shell company before filing for divorce. I was hired to ensure you didn't succeed. The 'romantic' relationship you thought we were having? It was entirely orchestrated. The hotel room last night? Registered in my name, paid for by the investigation firm, and fully wired with high-definition cameras."
She tapped her tablet, and a video began to play on the boardroom's massive projector screen. It showed Daniel, boasting about how he was going to "drain his wife's trust dry" once he convinced her to sign a new joint venture agreement.
May you like
Daniel felt the room spin. "You set me up. This is entrapment! This is illegal!"
"Actually, it’s highly legal," Arthur chimed in, adjusting his glasses. "And it’s devastating. Because of your actions, Mr. Sterling has some very specific news for you regarding your status at this firm."
