Chapter 16
Kelvin’s voice came through the phone, cautious and low. “Eddy… do you think Blanche found out about you and Jeannette?”
“No way!” Eddy’s reply was swift and unyielding.
“Right, of course not,” Kelvin echoed, trying to reassure him. “If she’d found out, there’s no way she’d keep quiet. She’d be packing her bags and filing for divorce, not acting like nothing happened.”
The word “divorce” twisted something sharp in Eddy’s chest.
He watched as Blanche got into the car. Abruptly, he hung up and strode after her, his long legs eating up the distance.
It was rare for her to leave for work without waiting for him.
But today, the car door shut right in his face. Blanche stared straight ahead, not sparing him a single glance.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the car sped away, leaving him alone in the driveway.
He went back inside. At the dining table, Blanche’s place setting was untouched–her plate of pasta and glass of milk sat there, just as he’d left them.
“She didn’t eat a bite?” Eddy asked, his voice tight.
“No, sir,” the housekeeper replied. “She said she wasn’t feeling well this morning. Must’ve lost her appetite.”
Even when Blanche wasn’t hungry, she’d usually eat at least a little of the breakfast he made. She’d always praise his cooking, peck him on the cheek, and tell him not to fuss.
Eddy’s brow furrowed deeply. Kelvin’s suspicions from the phone call replayed in his mind.
Blanche was a consultant for the Simmons Group’s IT department. She’d occasionally offer advice to the manager, and when the company suffered a cyberattack or someone made a critical mistake, she’d quietly fix things behind the scenes. No one ever knew.
She’d spent two years “studying abroad“-at least, that’s what everyone thought. In reality, she’d been specially recruited by the Director–General.
But she gave it all up for Eddy. She left the organization, walked away from her career, just to marry him.
Before she left, she’d promised the Director–General that she’d never reveal her true identity or her abilities to anyone.
To the outside world, Blanche was nothing more than a well–connected insider, someone people had to flatter but secretly looked down on.
Chapter 16
When she handed in her resignation letter to the manager, he didn’t dare object.
Wiping sweat from his brow, the manager stammered, “Ma’am, did we do something wrong?”
“No,” Blanche replied coolly. “This is my decision. It has nothing to do with you or the team.”
“Should I send your resignation to the CEO for approval?” the manager asked. He knew it was a pointless question–if Blanche was resigning, the CEO would know about it already. Besides, the CEO listened to her; even if he didn’t want her to leave, he wouldn’t stop her.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I’ll send it to HR for the record, then.”
Blanche nodded slightly and left the manager’s office–only to bump into Ingrid.
The Marshalls and the Simmonses had been close for generations; Ingrid and Eddy had practically grown up together.
When Blanche married into the Simmons family, she and Ingrid became fast friends. Whenever Eddy upset Blanche, Ingrid was always the first to take her side.
Other than Eddy, Ingrid was the person Blanche trusted most.
“Laney, Kelvin betrayed me,” Ingrid sobbed, bursting into Blanche’s arms the moment she entered the office. “He’s been fooling around with that little witch Jeannette.”
In all the years Blanche had known her, she’d only seen Ingrid cry once–at her own wedding.
This was the second time.
“Ingrid, that’s not true. Kelvin hasn’t done anything to hurt you.” The memory of yesterday’s events pressed heavy on Blanche’s chest.
“Don’t try to cover for him. Everyone’s talking about it,” Ingrid choked out, her tears laced with anger. “I’m calling off the engagement.”
Ingrid adored Kelvin. She’d always said she’d marry no one else.
And Kelvin had always cherished her in return.
No matter how angry she was with Kelvin, Blanche couldn’t bear to ruin their relationship because of her own mess.
She didn’t want her best friend to know the pain of betrayal. Ingrid was the one person she could trust completely, and Blanche knew Ingrid would never reveal her secret. So she finally whispered, “Ingrid, Jeannette isn’t Kelvin’s mistress. She’s Eddy’s.”
“Eddy cheated on me!”
Just then, the office door swung open, and Eddy walked in.
