Chapter 1

Morrison Lehman had made tabloid headlines with yet another woman for the thirty-third time, and I was busy picking out his suit for the gathering.

The fellow officer who brought me the news warned me, "Morrison Lehman might actually be serious this time. He chewed out everyone who disrespected the girl and even said he was bringing her to the Four Families' gathering."

My attention slipped, and the brooch pin pierced my fingertip.

The Family gathering was held once a year. Besides each family's key members, only women recognized by the family were eligible to attend.

For the past three years, I had been the one accompanying Morrison.

This year, he had promised that spot to another woman.

My colleague gave me a pitying look.

"Celine, your undercover assignment has been stalled for a long time. Now that Morrison has fallen for someone else, your handler wants you to leave the Lehman Family.

"We'll set you up with a new identity and a new assignment."

I put the brooch away and shook my head firmly. "Give me a little more time. Luca has been in hiding for years, but we finally have a lead. He'll be at the Family gathering in seven days. Once I get his fingerprints, my assignment is over."

And with it, everything between Morrison and me would end for good.

Chapter 1

My colleague looked worried.

But before he could say anything, a servant's greeting drifted in from outside the door.

We exchanged a glance.

He quickly grabbed the remaining suits and left, posing as a delivery person from the clothing store.

I walked downstairs. The servant was already gone.

The only person in the living room was a young, vibrant girl fussing over Morrison.

She looked vaguely like me.

My heart sank.

Maybe from the very beginning, Morrison had simply liked my face.

It was never Celine he had loved.

Morrison was drunk but still clutching her hand. "Sarah, don't leave me."

The young woman, Sarah Collins, held a glass of water to his lips and said shyly, "I won't leave you."

Their fingers intertwined, and the way they looked at each other was nothing but devotion.

I couldn't help the ache in my chest.

Four years ago, I had gone undercover as a sales associate at a jewelry store frequented by Luca Bauer, in order to arrest him for his involvement in international human trafficking.

But the day before the arrest, Luca got tipped off and fled.

Instead, Morrison, who had come in to shop, fell in love with me at first sight.

From then on, he pursued me relentlessly.

He showered me with luxury cars and jewelry worth tens of millions and made himself available around the clock.

He even bought twenty-two stars and named them after me, all because I once mentioned I liked the night sky.

Because I happened to be twenty-two.

Morrison pointed at the distant, glittering stars, his slightly boyish face full of sincerity. "Celine, I'm not just playing around. I genuinely want to marry you and be with you forever.

"My love for you is like those stars. It will always shine."

I fought the pull in my heart and turned him down every time, keeping my expression cold.

But Morrison still showed up at my side every day, rain or shine.

Then robbers held up the jewelry store, and Morrison took a bullet meant for me. Doctors fought to save him for two straight days.

After that, I could no longer ignore what I felt for him.

And the Lehman Family had close ties with Luca's family, the Bauers.

So my handler finally agreed to let me be with Morrison, for the sake of the undercover operation.

I could never expose my undercover identity.

Nor could I reveal anything about the mission.

I agreed, overjoyed.

But my handler's voice was conflicted when he warned me, "Celine, guard your heart. Once a man's love is returned, it only fades. It never grows stronger.

"If you truly give him your heart, all you'll get in return is heartbreak."

I was too young then. I believed that a man willing to die for me must love me forever.

Looking back now, my handler's warning had been right all along.

Over the past three months, Morrison had started frequenting clubs.

His intimate photos with strippers, actresses, and college girls had made the news countless times.

But bringing another woman home was a first.

I swallowed the bitterness and grief rising in my chest, took the hangover medicine from the cabinet with practiced ease, and carried it over to Morrison. "Take this. You'll feel better."

Sarah looked up, wary. Her eyes swept over me from head to toe, and she asked, clearly unhappy, "Morrison, who is she? You told me I was your only girlfriend. Why is there another woman in your house?"

I looked at her young face and saw in her eyes the same devotion I once had. I couldn't bear to watch her be deceived.

I sighed, about to tell Sarah that Morrison and I had been living together for four years, that he had lied to her.

But before I could speak, Morrison slowly raised his eyes and scoffed at me. "Babe, give me some credit. A woman that plain, with a body that average? Why would I ever want her?"

My body went rigid. It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

Morrison continued, his voice calm and detached, "She's just my housekeeper."

Chapter 2

I stared at Morrison in disbelief.

If it hadn't been for the intel I received three months ago saying Luca would attend this year's Family gathering, I would have ended things with Morrison the first time he cheated.

I had thought our relationship had simply fallen apart.

But now Morrison had erased our past without a second thought.

He wouldn't even acknowledge what I was to him.

Sarah's smile returned. She wrapped her arms around Morrison's neck and pouted. "I knew you wouldn't lie to me. From now on, you have to tell me about every woman who shows up around you. I was so worried I almost cried.

"And to make it up to me, I want the latest-model sports car."

Morrison pinched her nose indulgently. "Done. Whatever you say."

Watching them like that, I was afraid that one more second would break my composure and I'd lash out at Morrison for his cruelty and hypocrisy.

I took a deep breath and turned to leave.

But I had barely taken a step when Morrison called out, "Celine, where are you going?"

His tone was cold and distant. "Sarah is staying here tonight. Go get the guest room ready. Make sure you wipe the floor by hand, inch by inch. No red decorations..."

He rattled off Sarah's preferences one by one, as if he truly saw me as nothing more than the hired help.

Morrison had always been attentive and thoughtful with the woman he loved.

But his love was like fireworks: brilliant, yet far too brief.

Everything he had once done for me, he was now giving to Sarah.

Sarah's face was pure bliss.

The Four Families' gathering would be held at this mansion in seven days.

As long as I remained here, whether as Morrison's companion or as his housekeeper, I could get Luca's fingerprints.

So I couldn't afford to turn on Morrison. Not yet.

I forced down my anger and managed a hollow smile. "Of course. I'll get on it right away."

I thought he'd be pleased by my obedience.

But I didn't notice the way his gaze lingered on my retreating back, filled with nothing but anger and disappointment.

I wasn't familiar with where things were kept in the guest room.

When I asked the household staff, they looked uneasy.

"Ms. Greer, Mr. Lehman has instructed that you handle everything on your own. Please don't put us in a difficult position."

I understood.

Morrison was deliberately making things hard for me.

I didn't ask again and went to the guest room alone.

By the time I had cleaned it to his exact specifications, it was one in the morning.

I went to check the living room but found no sign of Morrison or Sarah.

Then I walked to the bedroom Morrison and I shared.

Breathy moans kept drifting through the door:

"Morrison, slow down..."

"Babe, you're so beautiful..."

My hand froze in midair. A wave of absurdity and fury crashed over me, and my heart felt like it was being sliced apart.

Why?

Why did it have to be in our room?

In that room, we had fallen asleep in each other's arms on countless nights, confiding our sorrows and joys.

Nausea surged through me. I couldn't take it anymore, and I kicked at the door.

But before my foot touched the wood, a bodyguard stepped in and blocked me.

He pushed me aside with professional detachment.

"Ms. Greer, the boss has ordered that from now on, your quarters are the housekeeper's room downstairs. Your belongings have already been moved."

His words snapped me back to my senses.

If I made a scene now, three months of restraint would be for nothing.

It took every ounce of strength I had to turn my stiff body around and walk down the stairs, one step at a time.

In the housekeeper's room, my things had been tossed carelessly on the floor.

The shattered snow globe stood out among the mess.

Morrison had given it to me.

Inside, the two figurines were miniature replicas of us.

They had broken apart right down the middle.

Only the damaged music box sputtered out Morrison's recorded voice, on and off.

Then he said, "Celine, I... love you...

"Celine loves... Morrison too...

"Celine will... always be... with Morrison."

In the dead of night, his sweet voice played over and over.

I couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

The tiny room filled with my muffled sobs.

When the crying stopped, I picked up the shards of the snow globe.

I took one last look at the two figurines that had once been embracing.

Then I threw them all into the trash without hesitation.

What's lost never comes back.

I didn't want this love anymore, either.

Chapter 3

The next morning, my eyes were sore.

I held an ice-cold compress over my eyes for a long time before the swelling finally eased.

I put on my work clothes and took a cab to work.

Over the years, even while living with Morrison, I had never quit my job at the jewelry store.

Beyond helping manage the Lehman Family's internal business, I spent my free time working part-time at the store, keeping tabs on the Bauer Family's movements.

The morning was quiet. I was bent over the counter, taking inventory of gemstone rings.

Then the colleague beside me let out a gasp. "Isn't that..."

I looked up.

Morrison walked in with Sarah on his arm.

He didn't care what anyone thought of me. He looked at me coldly. "Pick out some jewelry for Sarah. I'm taking her to this year's Family gathering."

Sarah spotted me and looked surprised. "Aren't you Morrison's housekeeper? What are you doing here?"

She spoke just loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Many of my colleagues knew about my relationship with Morrison. Hearing that, they shot me strange looks.

Some pitying. Most mocking.

My fingertips tightened, but my expression didn't change. I kept my professional smile. "I'm Mr. Lehman's housekeeper. I also work part-time here as a jewelry sales associate."

Sarah clung to Morrison's arm and sighed. "You must work so hard."

She shook Morrison's arm.

"Honey, these pieces are all too small. I want something bigger so I'll look worthy of being on your arm at the gathering."

"You're right." Morrison rubbed her head.

He turned and tapped the glass countertop, his voice flat, without a ripple of emotion. "These are all too ordinary. Where's the ring I had custom-made? Bring it out."

My pupils contracted, and my heart sank lower and lower until it hit bottom.

The ring Morrison was talking about was the engagement ring he had designed by hand six months ago.

He had said he would propose once the ring was finished.

I had submitted marriage applications to my handler more times than I could count.

After over a hundred rejections, my handler had finally relented.

Three months ago, I received the response:

[Celine Greer's application to marry Morrison Lehman is approved. Be happy, partner.]

But by then, there was no longer a place for me at Morrison's side.

Some flashy dancer could stand at his side.

So could some innocent college girl.

The one woman who no longer belonged at his side was straightlaced Celine.

I had thought that even if I couldn't save our relationship, I could at least protect that ring, the one thing that still carried what we once had.

But it seemed I was destined to lose everything, again and again.

I held back my tears, smiled, took the ring from the safe, and set it in front of Sarah. "Please try it on, ma'am."

The ring was stunning. Sarah's eyes lit up, and she slipped it on without hesitation.

To my surprise, it fit perfectly.

She held out her hand to me. "Pretty, isn't it?"

Morrison had once asked me the same thing.

He had stayed up night after night working on the design, but his eyes had been bright with excitement.

He held up the sketch and asked, "Pretty, isn't it?"

I said, "It's beautiful."

Morrison smiled. "I'm going to design a pair of rings so unique that everyone will know at a glance that we're married. Everyone will envy our love."

I teased him for being childish, but I still couldn't help lacing my fingers through his, going over every detail of the ring together, looking forward to the day we'd get married.

Now that ring was on another woman's hand.

My lips parted, but I couldn't make a single sound.

Morrison didn't seem to notice my composure slipping.

He took Sarah's hand, lowered his gaze, and said earnestly, "Beautiful. This ring was always meant to be yours.

"No one else deserves to wear it."

I thought I would feel something. After all, I had genuinely longed to wear that ring.

But I didn't.

All that was left in my chest was numbness.

Chapter 4

The night before the Four Families' gathering, the senior members of the Lehman Family finally learned that Morrison intended to bring Sarah.

Reese, one of the senior members, found Morrison and tried to stop him. "Boss, Sarah has no useful skills and no family connections. How can she represent the Lehman Family at the gathering?"

Morrison sat on the leather sofa, idly turning a crystal ornament in his hand. "Celine was an outsider too. You let her attend. Why not Sarah?"

Reese sighed. "After Celine joined the Lehman Family, she helped secure shipping routes to Australia and brought the Family enormous profits. Of course she's qualified."

Henrik spoke up as well. "Exactly. Boss, if you like Sarah, buy her jewelry and watches. We wouldn't say a word. But Celine hasn't done anything wrong. Stripping her of her place at the gathering like this will make her a laughingstock among the Four Families."

I smiled bitterly. Over the years, I had done everything I could to earn the right to stand beside Morrison.

That meant spending night after night studying business management.

I had also traded on years of favors with my superiors to help the Lehman Family expand.

Everyone had seen how hard I worked.

Everyone except Morrison.

His expression didn't waver. "Who says she hasn't done anything wrong?"

He raised a hand, and the bodyguard immediately handed files to the two senior members. "Celine has been secretly contacting other families, giving up port warehouses, and dumping core assets at a loss. Isn't that wrong enough?"

The senior members' expressions changed.

I grabbed the files from the table and flipped through a few pages. My face went pale. "I didn't sign these. Why is my signature stamp on them...?"

Wait.

I looked up at Morrison, fury blazing in my eyes.

It was him!

My signature stamp was in my safe. Only the two of us knew the combination.

Morrison showed no guilt whatsoever. He stared back, his eyes cold. "You have two choices. One: submit to a Family investigation. All your activities and business dealings will be suspended until the truth is uncovered.

"Two: let Sarah take your place at the gathering, while you attend as a maid. That will be your punishment."

Every one of those documents was forged. An investigation would clear my name.

But the process would take at least ten days.

I didn't have that kind of time.

The gathering was tomorrow. Tomorrow, I could finally capture Luca, a man who had been on the run for four years.

Luca was only risking this return because the Bauer Family planned to publicly announce their next heir and the new internal power structure at the gathering.

If I didn't catch him this time, there was no telling if another chance would ever come.

I had no choice.

Under everyone's scrutinizing gaze, I forced the words out. "I choose option two."

That was as good as admitting to Morrison's accusations.

I was admitting that I had secretly contacted other families, given up port warehouses, and dumped core assets.

The senior members stormed out of the mansion.

Even Reese, who had always been kind to me, looked at me with nothing but disappointment.

I closed my eyes, sick with humiliation.

Morrison walked over and stood in front of me, looking down. "All you had to do was choose the investigation. They'd have found out soon enough that those documents were fake. And yet you chose to accept these charges, just so you could attend the gathering.

"Well done, Celine."

I opened my eyes slowly. "Isn't that exactly what you wanted? You want everyone to hate me, so you can make room for Sarah."

Rage smoldered in Morrison's eyes, along with something I couldn't read.

It almost looked like grief.

But I was the one who had been betrayed.

What did he have to grieve about?

Morrison's voice was low and vicious. "I'm not the one pushing you away. You've been walking toward someone else all along."

My eyes flew wide.

In that moment, I wondered whether Morrison somehow knew about Luca.

But I never got the chance to ask.

Morrison stormed out of the mansion.