Chapter 1

On Valentine's Day, my usually distant husband, Liam Sterling, followed tradition by ordering a custom-made rose bouquet for every single employee at Sterling Corp.

Sterling Corp.

once again trended online, lauded as the most thoughtful and employee-centric company in the region.

Sure enough, there it was, front and center on Chloe, Liam's assistant's SnapChat story, clear as day: a photo of the company's custom rose bouquet.

[Received my first Valentine's Day flowers! Some people just use the excuse of sending flowers to everyone to prepare a special surprise just for me. Thanks, big boss~]

She was sitting in a restaurant, delicately parting the petals of her rose. Inside, nestled amongst them, was a sapphire ring.

My eyes instantly recognized it. It was the one-of-a-kind piece I’d desperately wanted three months ago, snatched from under my nose at an auction, priced at five million dollars.

Scrolling further down her feed, there were more posts:

sweet drinks alongside transfers worth millions of dollars, the first strawberry ice cream cone of summer, and a voucher for a month-long summer vacation…

The comment section was buzzing with awe:

[Sterling Corp. is seriously so caring! Is it too late for me to apply now?!]

I knew Liam bought gourmet coffee and ice cream treats for all his employees, but when did he start handing out huge bonuses and extra vacation days for free?

In that latest restaurant photo, the man across from her was only half in frame, but the dark blue tie he wore was the exact same style as the one I had personally chosen and adjusted for him this morning.

I paused, then dialed Liam’s number.

"Are you still working late at the office?"