The Perfect Score That Cost Me Everything Chapter 01

The Perfect Score That Cost Me Everything Chapter 01

Coming home from a business trip with my husband, our three-year-old Golden Retriever bypassed me and lunged straight into his secretary’s arms.

My hand, half-raised to pet him, froze in mid-air as I glanced over.

The secretary was giggling and playing with the dog, her face flushed with excitement.

“Alright, Luke, settle down.”

Julian Vance stood by, watching the scene with doting eyes.

A man who hadn’t shown a flicker of emotion toward me, his wife of five years, was now offering his unreserved tenderness to someone else.

Perhaps my gaze was too cold, as the secretary, Melody Waters, quickly restrained the dog.

She explained with a touch of trepidation.

“Please don’t mind, Mrs. Vance. I have a dog at home, so Luke probably caught the scent on me and…”

Julian looked surprised and ruffled Melody’s hair. “Why are you apologizing? Sienna won’t mind.”

I looked at the heartwarming tableau of the two of them and the dog.

I let out a scoff and didn’t say a word.

I have no use for a dog that doesn’t recognize its owner, and I certainly have no desire for a man who isn’t loyal.

***

I ignored her explanation and walked straight into the house.

Melody’s expression froze on her face.

Julian knit his brows in slight dissatisfaction, his tone becoming even softer as he spoke to Melody.

“Come on in.”

At the foyer, the man’s well-defined hand naturally took my bag and he lightly stroked my hair.

“Too tired?”

My gaze moved past him, landing on Melody, who was following closely behind.

He knew I was upset, yet he still let her in.

This was our marital home.

A place where we never allowed outsiders to tread.

I didn’t want to make a scene or act like a hysterical woman by kicking her out right then and there.

So I simply replied, “Maybe.”

His ink-black eyes locked onto mine for three seconds before turning away, his gaze very gentle.

But then he turned to the housekeeper.

“We’re having spicy Cajun for dinner tonight.”

I paused while changing my shoes. I don’t eat spicy food, and neither does he. It was glaringly obvious who that Cajun food was for.

I suppressed the resentment in my heart.

Glancing over, I saw Melody changing her shoes with a natural ease, as if she came here every day.

She even knew exactly which shelf held the house shoes.

Luke continued to circle around her.

This was the dog I had personally rescued from a dumpster, yet he wouldn’t even wag his tail for me.

Watching the two of them blend together so harmoniously, I narrowed my eyes.

A short while later, at the dinner table.

Looking at the table full of spicy dishes, I didn’t even pick up my fork. I looked up at Julian.

“As a shareholder of the Vance Group, do I have the authority over personnel appointments?”

The man hesitated for a moment before answering with a patronizing tone.

“Of course. Whether as Mrs. Vance or as a shareholder, you do.”

I nodded, my indifferent gaze sweeping over Melody, causing her spine to stiffen.

I picked up my phone and called the HR Manager.

“Settle Melody Waters’ wages from the Executive Office and revoke all her access permissions immediately.”

Melody looked up in disbelief, and the atmosphere in the dining room instantly dropped to sub-zero.

Julian stopped mid-bite.

He looked up with a frown, his finger habitually tapping on the table.

I knew this was a sign of his impatience.

“What are you doing? Sienna, Melody is my Chief Secretary. She’s my staff; HR has no jurisdiction over her.”

Our eyes met, sparks flying between us.

His message was clear: I had no right to touch Melody.

The woman in the white dress next to him burst into tears, though she bit her lip to restrain herself—a sight that would evoke pity in anyone.

“Mrs. Vance, on what grounds?”

“I don’t know what part of my work didn’t satisfy you. I just ranked first in the Executive Office’s KPI evaluation last quarter. You have no right to fire me like this!”

At the mention of that, my eyes grew even colder.

The HR Manager was someone I had personally promoted. After the KPI scores came out last quarter, he had taken the liberty of sending them to me privately.

The Executive Office evaluation was graded by the Project Manager, the Business Manager, and Julian Vance.

Melody’s scores from the other two were the lowest.

She only got first place because Julian gave her a perfect score—the only perfect score given.

The atmosphere reached a stalemate.

Julian took a deep breath, removed his gold-rimmed glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking weary.

“Enough, Sienna. I’ll act as if you never said that.”

“Melody was trained by me personally. No one in the office knows my working habits better than she does.”

I let out a scoff and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.

“Working habits, you say?”

“I was starting to think this secretary was handling Mr. Vance’s private life as well.”