Part 1The Assistant's Provocation

At the club, as I negotiated a business deal with a client, my wife burst in, accompanied by her male assistant, demanding our private room. She was clearly intoxicated, leaning on the assistant, their gestures oozing intimacy. But before I could even question her, she accused me of stalking her, claiming the assistant was merely a subordinate, and berating me for being petty and misunderstanding them. My client tried to defend me, only to be cursed at by her and the assistant, nearly ruining a lucrative deal.

I said no more, immediately proposing a divorce. That’s when my wife’s entire family panicked.

* * *

“Mr. Davis, with your connections in the industry, yet still only a sales manager—I truly feel for you.” “As long as you’re willing, the president position of our group in the U.S. is waiting for you.” In a private room at the Grandview Club, my client, Mr. Thompson, raised his glass to me again, his words sincere. I smiled, raising my glass in response: “Mr. Thompson, let’s sign the contract first.” Closing this export deal would also allow me to take a vacation. Some things, it’s best to handle during time off.

Just then, the door to the private room suddenly burst open. “This is Katherine Hayes, CEO of Apex Trade. Can’t you even spare a private room at your Grandview Club?” The man speaking was tall and handsome, but with a certain slick, oily charm. The woman he was embracing was my wife, Katherine Hayes. She was clearly drunk, her eyes unfocused, her hand tightly clasped around the man’s waist—that man was her CEO assistant, Alex Stone.

“Arthur Hayes, what are you doing here?” Alex saw me, his tone accusatory.

“Business.” My voice was calm, a smile even on my face. A competent businessman must control his emotions, even if he’s being betrayed at this very moment. There had long been rumors within the company: Katherine Hayes had, under the company’s name, casually found an excuse to reward Alex Stone with a Maserati. I had asked her if she fell for someone else, to just tell me directly; we could have a dignified divorce. But she swore on her life that she and Alex were strictly professional, even threatening suicide to prove her innocence. I believed her, but the scene before me slapped me hard in the face.

Katherine heard my voice and frantically pushed Alex away, a flicker of panic in her eyes, but then she turned, enraged and humiliated, to accuse me: “Arthur Hayes, are you stalking me?”

“You need to stick to logic when you speak.” I pointed to the food and drinks on the table. “My client and I scheduled this business meeting here, and we’ve been here for nearly an hour. Do you think someone tracking another person would arrive before them?”

Mr. Thompson chimed in: “Indeed, Ms. Hayes. Mr. Hayes and I arrived long ago.” His tone was a bit awkward. After all, anyone could see my uncomfortable situation, but I could detect a hidden excitement in his eyes—he was probably hoping I’d divorce, so I’d join his company.

“Who do you think you are, Mr. Thompson? Does your status give you the right to interrupt?” Alex pointed at Mr. Thompson and cursed, then turned to Katherine. “Katie, it must be Arthur Hayes who knew you were coming and knew you liked this room, so he deliberately waited here to embarrass you!”

Katherine actually believed Alex’s words, pointing at me and cursing: “Arthur Hayes, you’re so sinister, it’s disgusting! How many times have I told you, Alex and I are just professional colleagues. Why don’t you ever trust me?!” Mr. Thompson’s face darkened, a fierce glint in his eyes—he was in import-export, constantly navigating turbulent regions abroad, and he’d built his empire from the ground up, starting from a place of raw survival.

I pressed Mr. Thompson’s hand, signaling him to keep calm, then rose and walked towards Katherine and Alex. Seeing me approach, Alex pointed at me and shouted: “Why are you getting so close? Did I hit a nerve? Are you angry because I spoke the truth?!” Katherine also glared at me: “Arthur Hayes, don’t you trust me?!” It had come to this, and she was still asking about trust?

“Trust is a minor issue.” I loosened my tie, my gaze icy as I looked at Alex. “Right now, the most important thing is that you need to apologize to Mr. Thompson!”