A major international media conference had been happening in London that week.

Jared had skipped it to stay in New York.

But someone else had attended.

I typed a name into the search bar.

*Carter Vance.*

Carter Vance was the CEO of Vance Global, Jared’s fiercest competitor.

They had been locked in a bitter legal and market battle for three years.

I found a social media post from a media blogger in London.

It was a photograph from an exclusive after-party at the Savoy.

In the background of the crowded room, two people were standing near the balcony.

The image was slightly blurry, but the profile was unmistakable.

It was Courtney Briggs.

She was laughing, her hand resting on the arm of a tall, dark-haired man.

The man was Carter Vance.

My heart began to beat faster against my ribs.

I looked back at the travel dates on the spreadsheet.

I opened Courtney’s travel history for the entire year.

I began to cross-reference her trips with Carter Vance’s public appearances.

In March, she had been in Paris at the same time Vance was closing a European acquisition.