Chapter 1 Unexposed Lies

"Ms. Russell, happy birthday!"

"Ms. Russell, where are you planning to go tonight?"

"Ms. Russell, please take a look at the AI test data report. Oh, right, today's your birthday, isn't it? Sorry, sorry—happy birthday!"

"Ms. Russell, got plans tonight? Which lucky guy gets to celebrate your birthday with you?"

As work hours ended, employees from the tech department passed by my office, offering their congratulations one after another.

I smiled and responded politely to each one.

My name is Eleanor Russell, and I'm the Chief Technology Officer at Stellar Innovations, an internet giant.

The day was my birthday. I turned down my employees' invitation to party together—not out of coldness, but because I had other plans.

Just then, Lily Smith, whom I'd personally mentored, poked her head around my office doorway, hesitant to speak, looking all mysterious.

"What's up?"

Work was over, so I was browsing the latest AI tech discussions on a forum while asking.

"Eleanor, you know Mr. Spencer pretty well. Can I ask you something? Do you know who he's dating?"

Lily looked curious.

"Why would I know his relationship status? Last I checked, he was single. And now you're coming after Mr. Spencer for gossip? Bold move." 

As I spoke, my fingers flew across the keyboard typing a comment. These forum tech ideas were insightful, though the underlying logic still had some issues—promising material, though.

"You haven't heard? Well, of course you wouldn't—you're a complete tech hermit. Why would you hear any gossip?"

Lily pursed her lips. "It's trending online. A jewelry store employee leaked it—Stellar Innovations founder William Spencer dropped hundreds of thousands on a custom Aevum crown for a mysterious female companion. Supposedly, it's a replica of a royal crown!"

The rapid keyboard clacking stopped abruptly.

I paused, then said expressionlessly, "Good for him. Mr. Spencer finally found someone. Alright, gossip session over. Get out of work and go be with your boyfriend. Unless you want to help me out some more?"

"Oh! My boyfriend's calling me. Bye! Happy birthday!"

Lily ran off in a flash.

I couldn't help smiling. The Aevum crown—I'd been looking forward to it for so long.

As a birthday gift, William had secretly bought it.

That's right—William is my husband. We've been married for four years, but we've kept it secret the whole time.

Back when Stellar Innovations was about to go public, considering stock distribution and company image, we didn't announce it publicly.

Although it wasn't a love marriage, over these four years I've always thought it was a great arrangement.

Whether personal feelings or company operations, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion—a win-win situation.

William wasn't romantic, but he fulfilled a man's responsibilities and commitments. I was satisfied.

I glanced at the time—5:30 PM.

I'd hired a private chef in advance who should be almost done cooking at home by now.

In another half hour, when I got home, I'd see a candlelit dinner in the dining room.

I finished replying to messages and continued browsing the forum.

A private message came through.

It was a video.

I thought it was just boring spam, but the video thumbnail caught my interest.

In the frame, a man's hands held a crown, slowly placing it on a woman's head.

The caption read: [Secret Love.]

I couldn't see the woman's face clearly.

But the crown was exactly the jewelry piece I'd had my eye on.

Those hands belonged to William—not because his hands were particularly distinctive, but because of the ring on his finger. Our wedding ring.

There's no such thing as coincidence in this world.

I shut down my computer, left the office, and went home.

I didn't turn on the lights. Complete darkness.

I sat quietly on the sofa, watching time tick by.

Late into the night, accompanied by the roar of a sports car engine, William came home.

The moment he turned on the lights and saw me on the sofa, he startled.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

A normal man would be startled, but not him. Sometimes, this person was so rational it felt frightening and cold.

Only in bed could you feel his wild, crazy side.

"I missed you."

I sat motionless on the sofa.

"Missed me how?"

He came over and pulled me into his arms, skillfully slipping his hand into my collar, reaching for my chest.

I dodged, shifting position. "I was wondering when you'd remember it's my birthday."

"Happy birthday. Sorry, went to see a client and got too busy to remember."

He moved closer, trying to continue.

"It's already past midnight. Let's try again next year."

"I'm sorry. Give me a chance—I'll make it up to you."

He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his firm chest.

I felt his heartbeat—calm, steady, no signs of lying.

"I only want the Aevum crown. I mentioned it to you—you should remember."

I stared at him, testing him. He'd weathered major storms—an ordinary lie wouldn't make his heart race. He wasn't an ordinary man.

His expression remained unchanged as he said gently, "Okay."

"You already bought it, didn't you? Company employees have been asking me about it, saying Mr. Spencer spent hundreds of thousands on jewelry for a mysterious female companion. Congratulations on being off the market."

I tried to sound casual, patting his shoulder with a teasing tone.

This definitely wasn't mockery—I was still testing him, seeing how long he'd keep up this lie.

"Who asked you?"

"It's trending online. Are you still going to hide it?"

My suspicions grew. Clearly, William was getting angry.

He lowered his head and paused for a moment, then sighed. "It's a promotional stunt."

That was quite a twist, but my gut told me this was his prepared excuse.

"You know Michael is Aevum's domestic distributor. The brand isn't well-known here, so he asked me to help boost awareness using my fame."

His expression was natural, he didn't even blink, saying gently, "There's a necklace that's also nice, also a royal replica. Want to go see it tomorrow?"

"I only want that crown, and I want to see it tomorrow. I don't think that's an unreasonable request."

Seeing him dodge the issue, my suspicions deepened, but I still wanted to give him a chance.

For love, for marriage, for the four-week-old baby in my belly.

He didn't know I was pregnant. This was supposed to be a surprise for him. Now, I was having second thoughts.

If the crown ended up in my hands, then everything would continue as before. Life could go on.

"Okay."

He picked me up and carried me to the bedroom, gently kissing my earlobe, his hot breath making my whole body tingle.

"Tonight, I'll make it up to you another way."

With that, his hand wandered along my inner thigh.

"Wait—you said you went to see a client today, right?"

"Yeah."

His lips, along with his breath, continued to explore my earlobe and neck.

"Where's your Maybach? Driving a sports car to meet clients—isn't that a bit too casual?"

His movements stopped. He stroked my hair. "That car's in for maintenance, haven't picked it up yet. Had to drive the sports car."

I turned to look at him. "You forgot—I just picked it up from the Maybach service center last night. You specifically reminded me about it."

The Maybach was for business, used to meet clients.

The sports car was more fashionable and casual for cruising around and relaxing.

"I've been so busy lately. Forgot your birthday, forgot about the car maintenance too."

His hand was on me again.

I felt disgusted, wondering what other dirty things he might have touched.

"Let's sleep. I'll wait for your gift. Better late than never."

No matter how rational I am, when it comes to my husband's infidelity, I couldn't settle for a long time.

The next day.

I went to our partner company, Apex Technologies Group, for a meeting on behalf of our company.

William was supposed to go, but since the meeting was mainly about AI technology, it made more sense for me to attend.

Besides, a while back, William had mentioned something about the company structure.

The former COO, Mr. Green, had been promoted to the board of directors—basically, he was cashing out to enjoy life, leaving the position vacant.

Marriage is marriage, business is business. I keep them separate, and I have every confidence to compete for the role.

The meeting went smoothly, and we closed the deal.

Since we were familiar with the partner company, they asked about yesterday's trending topic of William buying jewelry, wondering if I had any information.

This matter had been weighing on me like a dark cloud, keeping me up all night. I'd finally managed to distract myself with work.

Never expected it to come up again from others.

I brushed it off with a few words, and instead of going back to the office, I drove straight home.

Outside the courtyard, there was a red Porsche parked.

Jane Stewart's car.

Jane was William's half-sister.

What was she doing here?

Just then, our housekeeper, Ruby, came back from outside and greeted me right away.

"Mrs. Spencer, you're back."

"Jane's at the house?"

Ruby had worked for the Spencer Family for over thirty years, and after William and I got married, she came along to take care of us.

"Yes, Miss Stewart's been here for a while now. She even brought a gift."

Although Jane wasn't William's father's biological daughter, her mother had married into the Spencer Family, so everyone treated her with respect.

"A gift?"

When William and I got married, she didn't give us anything. Why would she bring a gift now?

I had an uneasy feeling.

"Quite a big box. But Miss Stewart doesn't seem too happy."

Not too happy?

What did she have to be unhappy about?

The moment I walked in, I saw Jane and William in the kitchen cooking steak together.

"Step back a bit, don't let the oil splash and burn you."

William, wearing an apron, pulled Jane's hand to make her stand behind him as he skillfully flipped the steak.

Jane had her hands behind her back, standing on her tiptoes with her chin resting on William's shoulder, blinking her eyes.

Suddenly, the pot lid overflowed with foam.

Jane rushed forward to lift the lid and cried out—she'd burned her hand.

"So clumsy!"