After a video of me holding hands with a middle-aged man in Times Square went viral online, it was exposed quickly that the middle-aged man was a well-known married entrepreneur, while I was just his mistress.

Then, I was cyberbullied ruthlessly.

But I didn't care at all. Looking at the text message on my phone that just notified me that I received 5 million dollars, I knew the real show had just begun.

My name was Camilla Juarez, running a relationship consulting company. All of my employees were women, and our main job was to help those wronged spouses gain the maximum benefits when their husbands had cheated.

The specific actions we took depend on the client's needs. For example, some wronged spouses just wanted to drive away the mistresses and get back their husbands.

Others wanted to gather as much evidence as possible to secure more financial compensation.

These were just the most common services our company provides. If a client wanted more complex services, like us pretending to be another mistress to kick away the original mistress, it would be more expensive.

And if they wanted me personally involved, it cost a lot more.

One day a year ago, I received such a big order.

The client was Karina Schmitt, the youngest daughter coming from the the Schmitt Group, a well-known company around the country. She wanted me to investigate her second elder brother called Derrick Schmitt, who was the second son of the Schmitt family and vice president of the Schmitt Group.

It turned out that Derrick had a wife, who was the daughter of one of Derrick's father, Carter Schmitt's fallen comrades. To repay his comrade's kindness and to take care of the only daughter he left behind, Carter arranged for his unmarried second son to marry her.

Twenty years had passed, and Derrick and his wife had two children, living a happy and fulfilling life. Carter was very satisfied. Therefore, on his 69th birthday last year, he declared that in two years he would hand over the company to the next generation to manage.

It was well known that the Schmitt family had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son had been schemed against in business battles early on. Though he survived, he could no longer be involved in work and had to live as a wealthy idler for the rest of his life.

The second son, Derrick, had average abilities. He wasn't good at starting new ventures but could at least manage the family business.

The third daughter, Karina, was Carter's child from his later years. She was about ten years younger than her two brothers. By the time she was born, the family business was already very successful. She was born wealthy, lived a life of luxury, and was educated in top business schools abroad. She had both great capability and ambition.

However, Carter, with his traditional views, had never considered passing the company to her. In his view, a girl, after all, could play with small businesses, but a family enterprise should be inherited by a son.

From this perspective, the Schmitt Group almost seemed to be inherited by the second son Derrick.

But the moment Karina found me, I knew things wouldn't be that simple.

"So, you want me to find evidence of Derrick's infidelity?" I asked Karina.

She nodded. "The father of Derrick's wife once saved Carter's life, so Carter values her even more than he does me, his own daughter. This is also why Derrick has always created the illusion of a harmonious family and a sweet marriage in front of him.

"Derrick is not particularly capable. He just seems steady and reliable, suitable for maintaining the status quo. If Carter finds out that even this one advantage is just a façade, I wonder if he'll still consider passing the company to him.

"I don't believe there are men who don't cheat. Your task is to find out who his mistress is and gather all the evidence."

Soon, I settled the details and payment plan with Karina.

I thought it would just be a routine job, something that could be quickly resolved. Just as Karina said, "Men, after all, can't help but cheat on their wives."

However, Derrick was not as simple as expected.

My team followed him for a long time and couldn't find any evidence of him being involved with other women. His every action and word were decent, and there wasn't a hint of fault to be found. The only women he interacted with were family members, business contacts, and staff in the Schmitt Group.

Other typical rich man habits, like frequenting nightclubs or keeping young female college students as their mistresses, were absent from Derrick's life.

From any angle, he seemed to be a model gentleman.

When I sent the investigation results to Karina, she was very dissatisfied. "I didn't spend so much money just for you to tell me he's an exceptional man, a paragon of virtue!"

Then she got into furious.

Watching her throw two cups in the video, I suggested tentatively, "Since there's no current target, how about we create one?"

"What do you mean?" Karina paused with the third cup in her hand.

"You'll arrange for me to join the Schmitt Group. I'll take the lead and finish the task!"

With Karina's approval, I completed the procedures quickly and became a secretary at the Schmitt Group.

Derrick had his special secretary, and usually, new hires wouldn't get his attention.

But Karina and I had our plans.

With her subtle support and my efforts, I soon caught Derrick's eye and became his newest personal assistant.

In the morning, I made his coffee. At lunchtime, I prepared balanced work lunches. In the afternoon, I arranged private trainers according to his schedule, and in the evening, after a day of work, I satisfied him in the high-end suite at the hotel owned by the company.

That was exactly what you were thinking.

I became Derrick's most valued "personal secretary" quickly and, aside from his wife, the person closest to him, even closer than his wife.

After all, it was excited for men to cheat on their wives.

As the year went by, he totally trusted me. I accompanied him everywhere, such as meetings, client visits, business trips, and so on, though in public, I was always just the secretary sitting in the corner, taking notes.

We were very cautious in the company, which explained why there had been no rumors about him over the years.

To everyone, he was a good husband and father. Even though he was busy, he always remembered to return home on his wife and children's birthdays, bringing birthday gifts for them.

Well, those gifts were carefully selected and decorated by me for him to take home.

"Camilla, it's just business. Do you really need to take it so seriously? Don't you think it's too much?" a colleague who had followed me for three years asked with confusion.

I smiled seductively, "Too much? Well, after all, Karina paid us so generously."

But there were no hints of smile in my eyes. I was calculating that it was about time.

I had been by Derrick's side for almost a year. In half a month, it would be my "birthday", so I coaxed him into personally choosing a gift for me.

After my continuous requirements, he finally agreed, with the condition that it couldn't be in Los Angeles, but somewhere farther away where no one would recognize us.

I said, "Sure, since you're going to New York in half a month for a new hotel project, take me with you. I'll accompany you on the business trip and consider it a vacation."

He agreed.

Thus, on the day of my "birthday" half a month later, I wore a high-fashion dress and carried the season's latest handbag in red-soled high heels. I held Derrick's arms and made a grand appearance in Times Square to pick a birthday gift.

Perhaps it was because we were away from the Schmitt Group's base and with a beautiful woman by his side, Derrick was relaxed and carefree. He was dressed in a couple's outfit matching mine, and we showed off our affection publicly, holding hands tightly.

Unexpectedly, Times Square was actually home to photographers with sharp eyes, and they weren't going to let this scene slip by their lenses easily.

Soon, a video of us holding hands was posted on social media.

Among the numerous comments praising our figures, clothes, and grace, one comment suddenly caught everyone's attention: [Holy crap, isn't that the vice president of the Schmitt Group, Derrick? The woman next to him doesn't seem to be his wife!]

Then the comments behind took on a different tone: [Are you sure?]

[Holy crap!]

[I can't believe it!]

[Turns out he's with a mistress!]

[The woman seems to work at the Schmitt Group too. Is he targeting his colleagues now?]

…

The video was posted on Twitter quickly, and someone specifically tagged the Schmitt Group's official account. My background was thoroughly exposed. [She's young but is so despicable. It's so hard to get into the Schmitt Group right after college, yet she chooses to be a mistress!]

[Don't you know that mistresses can make more money easily? Haven't you seen the luxury goods in her social account? Does your daughter's salary allow her to afford that?]

…

I had no idea if her daughter could afford it with her salary, but looking at the text on my phone saying I had received 5 million dollars, I knew Karina was very satisfied with the result.

[Very good. After a year of silence, I was curious about how you would expose Derrick's infidelity. I didn't expect such a big move, and you did show his true colors to the whole country. Now, even Carter will find it hard to ignore.]

Receiving Karina's gloating message, I smiled. She didn't know that the real show about her second brother had only just begun.