Kiss of Vengeance

CHAPTER 1

The office had fallen into silence long ago, yet I remained behind, unable to leave. The celebration downstairs was still in full swing, but I couldn’t ignore the nagging pull of unease in my chest. Earlier, I told Ralph I was too tired to stay and needed to go home to rest. That was the excuse I gave him.

The truth was, I had come here.

The numbers were calling me. And numbers never lied.

I sank into my chair, the hum of the fluorescent light above buzzing faintly in the otherwise still room. My fingers tapped restlessly against the stack of papers spread across my desk. My heartbeat was louder than anything else—steady, rapid, insistent—as my eyes scanned the figures line by line.

Something is wrong, I thought, pressing my lips together. I can feel it. There’s a mistake here… a deliberate one.

I went back and forth through the sheets, flipping pages, tracing my finger over entries that looked ordinary at first glance. But to me, they gleamed like hidden warnings.

Revenue and expenses. Profit and loss. Transfers and allocations. Everything lined up almost perfectly. Almost too perfectly. And that was the first red flag.

I had worked in finance long enough to know when data was polished, ironed out, cleaned to the point of sterility. This wasn’t perfection—it was camouflage. Someone had tried to bury something under all this order.

My pulse quickened as I reached for another folder, this one containing digital statements from the bank. The company’s accounts were supposed to be airtight, guarded by layers of procedures and handled only by the most trusted managers. But when I cross-checked them against the financial reports in front of me, the cracks started to show.

“There you are,” I whispered under my breath as my pen circled a discrepancy.

A six-figure withdrawal. Buried under the vague label of “operational costs.”

My brows furrowed. “That doesn’t add up…”

I checked again, this time flipping further back into the quarterly records. My chest tightened as I saw the same expense, the same vague labeling, appearing not once, not twice, but three times. Always on the same dates of the month. Always brushed off as if no one would dare to question.

This wasn’t a mistake. This was theft.

Someone was stealing from the company. And not pocket change, not a miscalculation in some overlooked file. No—this was millions. Gone. Vanished into thin air.

I leaned back in my chair, goosebumps crawling across my arms. My stomach turned with the weight of it all.

Then, I remembered.

Just last week, Maya had spoken to me in hushed tones, her face pale and troubled. Ralph’s sister—my sister-in-law—had always been sharp, almost too sharp for her own good. She had looked me in the eye and whispered: “Dalia, I think someone in the company is hiding something. I don’t know who yet. But I’ll find out.”

And now the realization struck me with chilling clarity.

Maya had been right.

I reached for my phone, scrolling down to her name. My thumb hovered uncertainly over the green call button. I wanted to tell her she wasn’t imagining it. I wanted to tell her that I had found what she had been searching for, that we were walking the same dangerous path.

But something inside me froze. What if someone was watching me? What if the thief had ears everywhere?

My hands trembled slightly as I gathered the incriminating papers, slipping them carefully into a brown envelope. I held it close to my chest for a moment, feeling the gravity of what it contained. This wasn’t just evidence of theft—it was evidence of betrayal.

This company wasn’t just a business. It was Ralph’s pride, his family’s legacy. He had poured everything into protecting it, growing it, keeping it afloat even when others doubted him. And if someone within their circle was bleeding it dry, it wasn’t only money they were stealing. They were trying to destroy Ralph’s entire foundation.

“I have to tell Maya,” I whispered to myself, my voice catching in my throat. “She deserves to know.”

But even as the words left my lips, a shiver ran down my spine. A gnawing voice whispered inside me: You’re already too late.

I was just about to press the button to call Maya when my phone lit up, vibrating against the desk.

Ralph.

I hesitated for a second before answering. “Honey?” My voice was steady, though my heart was pounding. “Is the party over?”

“Yes,” his voice came, warm and familiar, though tinged with curiosity. “Where are you? Didn’t you say you were going home to rest?”

I glanced at the envelope on my desk, quickly shoving it into my bag. “I just stopped by somewhere. I’ll be home soon. Just wait for me.”

I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not until I had more concrete evidence. Not until Maya and I pieced it together fully. We had promised each other we’d keep this quiet until we were absolutely sure.

And this—this wasn’t small money we were talking about. This was enough to topple everything. Enough to put us in danger.

I carefully locked the files away in a safe spot, double-checking the lock as though my life depended on it. Trust no one, I told myself. Not yet.

With a deep, steadying breath, I finally left the office. Ralph was waiting for me, and I needed to come up with an excuse that would keep him from suspecting anything. If he knew I had been digging into company files without telling him, he’d worry. He’d get angry. And he might start asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

So I stopped by a coffee shop on the way home, ordering a bag of pastries and two cups of coffee. This would be my excuse. I would tell him I’d needed fresh air, that I’d gone out for a late-night snack.

Hiding secrets from your husband was never easy. But I couldn’t betray Maya. She had her reasons for keeping Ralph out of this, and as her sister-in-law, I respected that.

By the time I pulled up to the mansion, the clock had struck ten. The house was quiet, its towering frame bathed in the soft glow of the outdoor lamps. I took a deep breath, forcing a calm smile onto my face before stepping inside.

Ralph was there in the bedroom, hunched over his laptop. His head snapped up the moment I entered, his eyes lighting up.

“Honey, where did you go?” he asked, curiosity in his voice as he set the laptop aside.

“I just went out for some coffee,” I replied smoothly, holding up the bag with a grin. “I needed some fresh air.”

He chuckled softly, closing the distance between us to press a kiss against my lips. “Have you been here long?” I asked as I shrugged out of my coat.

“I just got back. Escaped the party early,” he said with a sheepish smile. “Because I’d rather be with you.”

My heart warmed at his words, though guilt tugged at me for the secrets I carried. I forced a playful laugh. “You should’ve stayed and enjoyed. You’ll have plenty of time with me.”

“None of it’s fun without you,” he said simply, his gaze locking onto mine with such intensity it made me blush.

Before I could respond, he pulled me onto his lap, his hands warm against mine. “You’re so gorgeous, my wife…” His voice dropped, his thumb brushing over my lips.

I rolled my eyes, laughing. “You’re such a sweet talker!” I started to rise, but he pulled me back down with a grin.

“You’ll see how much of a sweet talker I am once I get you pregnant,” he teased.

I burst out laughing, shaking my head. “Oh, stop. Go to sleep, you and your nonsense.”

“I’m serious, Wifey. I want a baby girl…” He wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing the curve of my neck.

I turned to face him, my smile softening. “I know how much you want that. But trust me, once everything is settled—once everything is okay—you can have as many baby girls as you want.”

He pouted like a child, making me laugh again before I leaned in to kiss him. His pout melted quickly into passion, and in one swift motion, he scooped me into his arms and laid me down on the bed.

“You promise?” he murmured against my skin, his lips trailing from my neck downward.

“Of course,” I whispered, smiling as I threaded my fingers through his hair. “So don’t sulk, alright?”

The warmth of his embrace eased my trembling heart, but as I rested my head against his chest, the envelope hidden in my bag lingered in my thoughts like a shadow.

And I knew—no matter how safe this moment felt—the danger was already circling us.