Chapter 2

I walked out of the Cole residence and brushed past Jane in the doorway. She slammed her shoulder into mine and spat, "Shameless." I didn't react. Once she was out of sight, I let a smile curl at my lips. I'd been Harvey's mistress for half a year now. I'd heard every insult in the book. People calling me shameless were a dime a dozen, but the ones who envied me were even more numerous. Everyone said that landing Harvey meant never having to worry about money again for the rest of my life. But only I knew the real reason he kept me around. My face looked just like his first love. First loves were precious things, but unfortunately, she died young. She'd been one of Harvey's many lovers back in the day. In his early years, Harvey had no power or connections. If he wanted to carve out a place for himself in the cutthroat Avarame City, he had to fight for it tooth and nail. His first love died in a kidnapping. Harvey's enemies used her as leverage, demanding he hand over a critical confidential document. At the time, Cole Group was at a crucial stage. If he gave up that document, everything he'd worked for would have been for nothing. So when forced to choose between his career and his lover, he naturally chose his career. He put a bullet through the kidnapper's head. At the same time, the kidnapper's blade sliced cleanly across her throat. That was why Harvey's feelings for her weren't just about the companionship they shared when he had nothing. There was also deep, lingering guilt. I didn't care who he saw when he looked at me. Since she was unlucky enough to die young, she couldn't blame me for reaping the benefits with this face of mine.