He Confessed His Affair in a Game, Unaware I’m a Lie Detector

Chapter 2

The next morning, he texted me from his assistant's phone, saying the tech department had a breakdown, and he couldn't accompany me to pick up the custom wedding rings—asking me to go for a fitting without him.

Conveniently, I had a deposit to get back anyway. I arrived at the custom jewelry center and had barely stepped outside the VIP room when I spotted Harvey through the gaps in the folding screen—the very man who was supposed to be "handling a breakdown" at his company. He was holding Charlotte's hand.

On her ring finger sat the 10-carat pink diamond that was supposed to be mine. Harvey was adjusting the ring setting around her finger, his gaze carrying a tenderness so natural he didn't even seem aware of it.

I pushed the door open. The moment he saw me, Harvey's pupils dilated. His breathing quickened, and his hand instinctively jerked back. But he recovered quickly, walking toward me. "Yvonne? What are you doing here? Your ring size is about the same as Charlotte's, so I asked her to try it on—to see if this pink diamond suits your skin tone."

Then he turned to Charlotte. "Does the setting rub against your finger?"

Charlotte smiled. "Everything you buy always fits me perfectly. After all, her hands are too plain to pull off a stone like this anyway."

My face went cold. Before I could speak, Charlotte let out a dramatic gasp, pretending to trip over the carpet, and lunged at me with a cup of scalding coffee.

The coffee splashed all over my right arm. A searing pain erupted instantly. The impact sent me stumbling back several steps, my lower back slamming hard into the edge of the display case.

Harvey rushed to Charlotte's side and pulled her protectively into his arms. After making sure she was unharmed, he finally turned to me.

"Yvonne, did you get burned?"

His words were directed at me—but he never let go of Charlotte.

Instead, his eyes lingered on a tiny stain on her sleeve, and he frowned with genuine concern. "Such fabric is difficult to clean. What a disaster."

My right arm was already red and blistered, the pain so intense my fingertips trembled. In a sudden crisis, a person's first instinct reveals what they truly value. And clearly, I ranked lower than a spot on Charlotte's sleeve.

I steadied myself against the counter and stood up on my own. Only then did Harvey notice the extent of my injury. He reached out to support me.

"How did it get this bad? Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

I shoved him off with all my strength. "Don't touch me!" I turned and walked away.

Harvey's voice rang out behind me, laced with irritation. "Yvonne! It was an accident. Who are you giving that cold shoulder to? I'm exhausted enough as it is. Do you have to make everyone miserable?"

I didn't look back. On my way to the hospital, my phone buzzed with an encrypted message from Director Smith.

Director Smith: Yvonne, the municipal bureau has a 10-million-dollar criminal investigation security procurement case next week. You're our top behavior analysis expert—the final technical review is yours.

I stared at the screen, my grip tightening around the phone. The Sterling Group had been cash-strapped lately—and they were fighting tooth and nail to win that contract.