Finding an Ally

Maya's POV

I threw the bag of torn wedding dress pieces onto Jake Winters' expensive desk.

White silk spread everywhere, covering his important-looking papers and his fancy pen set. Some pieces floated to the floor like broken snowflakes.

Jake looked up from his computer, his ice-blue eyes moving from the fabric mess to my face. He didn't look shocked. He didn't even look annoyed.

He looked interested.

"I need your help to destroy Marcus Chen," I stated, standing there with my heart pounding like crazy.

Jake leaned back in his leather chair and studied me. He was even scarier in person than in his website picture. Tall, dark hair, and those cold eyes that seemed to see right through people. Everyone in town said he was mean and cruel.

Right now, mean and cruel was exactly what I needed.

"Destroy is a strong word, Miss Chen," he said quietly. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm sure."

He picked up a piece of my wedding dress and rubbed the expensive silk between his fingers. "This dress probably cost more than most people make in a month."

"Three thousand dollars," I said.

"And you tore it up because...?"

"Because I'm not marrying Marcus Chen tomorrow. Or ever."

Jake's eyebrows went up slightly. "Interesting. Yesterday you were the happy bride-to-be. Today you're in my office asking me to kill your fiancé. What changed?"

Everything, I wanted to say. I died and came back to life and learned that my fiancé and best friend were planning to murder me for money.

Instead, I said, "I found out who he really is."

"And who is that?"

I took a deep breath. This was it. Either Jake would believe me, or he'd think I was crazy and call security to throw me out.

"He's a fraud," I said. "He doesn't love me. He just wants to steal my family's cake business and tear down the Christmas market to build a shopping mall."

Jake was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "How do you know this?"

"I have inside information."

"What kind of inside information?"

I couldn't tell him about coming back from the dead. But I could tell him some of the truth.

"I overheard him talking to someone," I lied. "He was bragging about how easy

it would be to trick me into signing over half the business after we got married."

Jake's eyes got sharper. "Who was he talking to?"

"I don't know. It was a phone call." Another lie, but a required one.

"Miss Chen," Jake said, leaning forward, "do you have any proof of what you're telling me?"

"Not yet. But I can get it."

"How?"

"By working with you. You're already investigating Marcus for something, aren't you? That's why he tried to hire you to research me."

Jake smiled, and it wasn't a nice smile. It was the kind of smile a shark might have right before it ate something.

"Very good," he said. "You're smarter than you look."

"Thanks, I think."

"Marcus Chen has been buying up properties in the Christmas market area," Jake added. "Properties that belong to my clients. He's been using dirty tricks to force people to sell, and I've been building a case against him for months."

My heart started beating faster. "What kind of dirty tricks?"

"Bribing city leaders. Threatening small business owners. Making up fake safety issues to get places shut down."

This was great! Jake already had evidence against Marcus. All I had to do was add what I knew, and we could destroy him completely.

"I can help you," I said hopefully. "I know things about his business that could help your case."

"Such as?"

I thought quickly. In my original timeline, Marcus had talked about some of his illegal deals during our engagement. He'd thought I was too stupid to understand what he was really talking about.

"He's been working with someone at the city planning office," I said. "Someone who's been approving his permits even when they shouldn't be legal."

Jake's eyes lit up. "Do you know who?"

"Not yet. But I can find out."

"How?"

"He trusts me. Or at least, he thinks he can still fool me. I can ask the right questions and get him to tell me everything."

Jake stood up and walked around his desk. He was even bigger than I'd thought, and when he got close, I could smell his expensive cologne.

"Miss Chen," he said quietly, "what you're talking about is very dangerous. If Marcus Chen is as bad as you think he is, and if he realizes you're working against him..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but I knew what he meant. Marcus might try to kill me sooner than planned.

"I don't care," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "He can't be allowed to destroy my family's business and hurt innocent people."

Jake studied my face for a long moment. "Why should I believe you? How do I know this isn't some kind of trick? Maybe Marcus sent you here to spy on me."

The question hit me like a slap. Of course he wouldn't trust me right away. I was engaged to his enemy, after all.

"Because," I said desperately, "if I was working for Marcus, would I have done this?"

I pointed to the torn wedding dress pieces scattered across his office.

"A three-thousand-dollar dress is a small price to pay for valuable information," Jake said coldly.

He was right. I needed to show that I was serious about betraying Marcus. But how?

Then I remembered something. In my original timeline, Marcus had shown me some documents he wasn't meant to have. Financial records from other companies in the Christmas market. He'd been using them to plan his takeover approach.

"Marcus has copies of financial records from businesses he's trying to buy out," I said quickly. "Records he shouldn't have access to. If I could get you copies..."

"That would be illegal," Jake said.

"So is bribing city officials and threatening innocent people."

Jake smiled again, and this time it looked almost impressed. "You're not as sweet and innocent as everyone thinks, are you, Miss Chen?"

"Not anymore."

"Good. Sweet and innocent doesn't win wars. And make no mistake, that's what this is. A war."

A war. The word sent chills down my spine, but also made me feel excited. For the first time since I'd found Marcus and Lisa's betrayal, I felt like I had a real chance to fight back.

"So you'll help me?" I asked.

"I'll consider it," Jake said. "But first, you need to show you're serious about this. You need to show me that you're willing to do whatever it takes to bring Marcus Chen down."

"What do you want me to do?"

Jake walked back to his desk and pulled out a small device that looked like a pen.

"Wear this to your rehearsal dinner tonight," he said. "It's a recording device. Get Marcus to admit what he's really planning, and we'll have the proof we need to destroy him."

I stared at the device. It was exactly what I'd been planning to do anyway, but somehow having Jake give it to me made it feel more real. More dangerous.

"What if he figures out what I'm doing?" I asked.

"Then you'd better hope you can run fast."

I picked up the recording pen with shaking hands. "And if I get you this recording?"

"Then Marcus Chen will wish he'd never met either one of us."

I was about to leave when Jake called my name.

"Miss Chen? One more thing."

I turned back to him.

"Don't trust anyone," he said seriously. "If Marcus Chen is as dangerous as you think, then everyone around you could be working for him. Even people you love."

As I walked out of his office, Jake's words echoed in my head. Don't trust anyone.

But I was already learning that the hard way.

What I didn't know was that someone had been watching Jake's office building.

And that someone was already on the phone, reporting everything they'd seen.

Including the fact that Maya Chen had just declared war on Marcus Chen.

The game was about to get much more dangerous.