Chapter 5

Shawn immediately denied it, "Absolutely not. Denise and I are just childhood friends—there’s nothing between us."

Hannah softly questioned, “If that’s the case, why did you hide the fact that she joined Luminary Capital?”

Shawn was silent for a moment.

He walked over to the sofa and sat down beside Hannah, slipping an arm around her waist, his hand almost encircling her slender frame. "I just didn’t want to give you anything to worry about."

Hannah looked into his eyes, seeing the faint hint of guilt deep within them. "If you didn’t want me to worry, then you should have been upfront with me about everything. Your honesty is what gives me a sense of security."

Shawn frowned slightly. "Hannah, Denise is really in a tough spot right now. Back then..."

Hannah quickly stood up, cutting off his trip down memory lane. "Enough. I don’t want to hear about old stories that have nothing to do with me."

With that, she headed back to the bedroom.

A moment later, she heard the door slam shut with such force that the wedding photo hanging above the bed trembled.

Hannah closed her eyes, wiping the dampness from the corners.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and made a call. "Is this the private detective, Felix Kurt? I need to hire you to gather evidence of my husband's affair..."

Not long after ending the call with Felix, Hannah suddenly received a call from Wendy.

Wendy sounded urgent, but her words were still clear and logical.

"Typically, you wouldn't have such a heavy workload on your first day. However, Logan has just imposed two tight deadlines for proposals. Meanwhile, I'm busy negotiating with the executives from Hugwell Corporation with the rest of the team.

“I'd like you and Gina to head over there. The contract is finalized; you just need to make a good impression and secure the signatures."

Hannah immediately agreed, "Got it, Ms. Chew."

She quickly reached out to Gina.

The two met outside the clubhouse, where Gina passionately ranted about the injustices of capitalists.

Despite her complaints, she remained a professional. As soon as they entered the private room, her demeanor changed completely. Her previously fiery expressions gave way to a polite smile, and she followed Hannah inside with a composed professional air.

Inside the room, a few executives were seated with their associates, who were dressed in revealing outfits.

Hannah narrowed her eyes.

The executives immediately perked up when they saw the two young women enter, especially the taller one, who was particularly stunning. Even the shorter woman had a freshness that was leagues above the women currently draped over them. Their faces lit up with delight; suddenly, the women in their laps didn’t seem as appealing.

Logan really knew how to play his cards!

Hannah placed the contract proposals on the table. "Mr. Benson, Mr. Herbert, here are the finalized contract proposals. You can take a look, and if there are no issues, could we go ahead and sign them today?"

Zack Benson picked up the two proposals carelessly and tossed them aside, his gaze fixed intently on Hannah.

His lecherous gaze made it uncomfortable to stay seated. "You want me to sign the contract? That’s simple. I’ll sign it as long as I’m in a good mood. But first, let’s have a few drinks and get better acquainted.

“We’ll have plenty of chances to work together in the future. I have projects that could make you so much money, your hands and feet will go weak."

Hannah offered a polite smile. "Mr. Benson, I don’t usually drink, but since you’re being so generous, I’d be happy to raise a glass of tea in your honor."

Zack’s smile vanished instantly, and he tapped his fingers on the glass tabletop, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so you’re not showing me any respect, huh?"

Hannah exchanged a quick glance with Gina and kept quiet.

...

Shawn lay on a chaise lounge, his head resting on a woman’s thigh.

Denise was feeding him grapes and said, "Don’t worry, I’ve already talked to Logan. They're just using Mr. Benson and the others to intimidate her a bit, to show her what kind of scumbags she might encounter. Once she gets a taste of that, she’ll likely quit on her own and probably never want to return to the company."

Shawn swallowed the grape and playfully nipped Denise’s fingertip. “Hmm.”

Denise giggled, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"Oh, stop it! Why are you biting me? Shawn, you’re being too good to her. If any man treated me with such possessiveness and generosity, I wouldn’t even think about working. I’d stay at home every day and take care of him. Your wife just doesn’t know how good she has it. Who’s to blame? You’re the one spoiling her!"

Shawn's eyelashes fluttered slightly. “I’m the one spoiling her?”

Denise nodded slowly, her tone deliberate. “If it’s not you, who else could it be? You’ve handled her with such care, always afraid that even the slightest wrong move might push her away or hurt her feelings. You’ve lowered yourself for her, and because of that, she took you for granted.”

A shadow passed through Shawn's eyes.

Was that how it was? He wasn’t quite sure.

Hannah was his first crush, and he had done everything he could think of for her. But it turned out he had been lowering himself from the very beginning. That was why Hannah had become so spoiled, confident in his affection.

What kind of bride refuses to let her groom touch her on the first night of their marriage?

Thinking back to last night…

Shawn couldn’t help feeling a mix of frustration and irritation.

He pulled Denise closer, reveling in a pleasure that a purely platonic relationship could never provide.

But did it really matter?

To him, it was just another way to seek pleasure—like drinking, smoking, playing billiards, or golf. It was simply another form of entertainment.

As long as he wasn’t falling in love with someone else, it wasn’t really betrayal.

From the start to the end, his love had always been for Hannah.

Only Hannah.

…

At the Clubhouse

Gina raised her glass. "Mr. Benson, my colleague really can’t drink, so I’ll drink on her behalf. I hope you can understand and be gracious."

She downed the drink in one go, coughing as it burned her throat, turning her face bright red. She tipped the glass upside down to show it was empty.

"Mr. Benson, the glass is empty. Now, let’s get back to the contract. We’ve carried over the concept from the last version, emphasizing green initiatives and using big data as our foundation..."

Zack smirked. “I didn’t quite catch that—come closer and say it again.”

Gina shifted her position closer. “With big data as our foundation, we—”

Suddenly, Zack grabbed Gina's hand and yanked her forcefully into his lap. "You smell so good; let me see if you’re that sweet up close," he sneered, moving his foul mouth and nose toward her neck.

Gina’s face paled. It was her first experience with workplace harassment, and she panicked. “Let me go, you bastard!”

Zack tried to tear at Gina's collar.

Hannah immediately stood up, grabbing a bottle from the table. "Zack, let her go."

The other executives looked at Hannah, their grins lewd and mocking. "Feisty one, isn't she? How about we all take her on together?"

Hannah shot them a cold glare.

She didn’t hesitate. Her hand swung down, bringing the bottle crashing against Zack's head.

Blood splattered, some of it landing on Hannah's fair skin.

Hannah pulled Gina up, clutching the bottle’s neck, shards of glass glinting dangerously. “Get back! Stay away!”

She waved the bottle, forcing the old men to take a step back.

Grabbing Gina, Hannah bolted for the door.

Zack, clutching his forehead, shouted, “Chase them down! Don’t let them get away! I swear, I’m going to destroy both of them today!”