Chapter 2

Dad sent me to the company to evaluate Ellie.

He said it was a routine check, told me not to stress, just to get familiar with the business.

I thought it was just a formality.

I reported my identity as an inspector from headquarters to the front desk, and she respectfully swiped me through the security gate.

The moment I stepped into the office area, I saw a man.

He was dressed neatly, in a college-style white shirt, squatting in front of the paper shredder, his face full of curiosity.

"Wow, this machine is so cool! Can it eat anything?"

He said, casually picking up a file from a nearby desk.

On the cover of that file, "MERGER AGREEMENT" was boldly written in red.

Without a second thought, he tried to feed the contract into the shredder.

A spectacled colleague next to him instantly went pale.

He lunged forward, practically tackling the man, snatching the contract away just in time.

"Oh my god, Leo, what are you doing? Weren't you playing games in the office?"

His voice was strained with terror.

"Why are you out here? We need this contract this afternoon!"

The man was bumped, but didn't seem annoyed at all. Instead, he flashed a wide grin and rattled his empty cup.

"Got tired of gaming, so I'm a bit thirsty."

The colleague let out a shaky breath, hugging the contract tightly as if his life depended on it.

He lowered his voice, pleading.

"Then please, go get some water! I beg you, go drink it in your office, okay? Doesn't Ms. Hayes's office have a private water cooler?"

The man scratched his nose.

"The water in there doesn't taste good. I want the water out here."

He said, not bothering with the colleague's nearly tearful expression, and turned towards the breakroom.

My head started to throb watching this scene unfold.

I pulled a young intern standing nearby.

"Who is that?"

The intern glanced at me, then quickly at the man's retreating back, his eyes full of apprehension.

He put a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

"Keep it down, sir."

He leaned closer to my ear, his voice barely a whisper.

"He's our Ms. Hayes's husband, Leo Maxwell."

My heart lurched. Ellie's recent strange behaviors suddenly made perfect sense.

The intern continued.

"I heard this whole company belongs to him, so he's the real boss here."

"You must be new, right? You'll get used to it in a few days."

He sighed, a weariness on his face that didn't match his age.

"He usually just stays in Ms. Hayes's private office, playing games and watching shows. He doesn't usually interact with us."

"Ms. Hayes must be out for a meeting today, and nobody's around to entertain him, so he came out to stretch his legs."

My mind buzzed as I listened to him.

He's Ms. Hayes's husband.

So what am *I*?

The intern noticed my expression and asked with concern.

"Sir, are you okay? You look awful."

I shook my head and forced a smile.

"I'm fine, just a little surprised."

"To think there are people like that in the company... quite an eye-opener."

The intern gave a bitter smile and shrugged.

"You'll get used to it. He never really *does* anything. We just bear with it and pray he gets bored and goes back to her office soon."

I didn't say anything else.

He never really *does* anything?

If that contract had been shredded, a multi-million dollar project would have been stalled.

Who would bear the losses?

I watched Leo's back as he emerged from the breakroom, humming a tune.

I pulled out my phone, intending to call my dad directly.

But after a moment's thought, I put it back.

Leaving like this would be too easy for Ellie.

Dad sent me here to evaluate her competence.

And now, it seemed her competence, and her character, were deeply flawed.

I wanted to see just how ridiculous this company had become under her management.

I straightened my clothes and walked to the front desk.

"Hello, I'm Alexander Vance, from headquarters, here for a project review."

"Please arrange a temporary workstation for me, preferably somewhere quiet."

"Also, this inspection is internal. I don't want Ms. Hayes to know I'm here."

The front desk staff nodded respectfully.

I walked into the office area, found a corner spot, and my gaze fell on Leo, not far away.

He was holding a cup of water, curiously studying the fire alarm on the wall, seemingly contemplating whether to press the red button.