The hint came from an email that wasn't meant for her eyes.
Wanyin was in the living room at 6:30 a.m., reviewing the overnight reports from Asia, when her phone pinged with a calendar update from Li Xin.
9:15 a.m. – Director Gu meeting with Legal re: competitor outreach (Chen Hao proposal)
She froze.
She had no such meeting scheduled. She hadn't spoken to Legal about Chen Hao. And Li Xin knew that.
Her fingers flew across the screen.
Cancel the meeting.
The reply came instantly.
Already done. Sorry – scheduling error.
Wanyin stared at the message.
Scheduling error. From the assistant who had never made a single mistake in three years.
She set the phone down, heart beating too fast.
Ye Beichen appeared in the kitchen doorway, coffee in hand.
"Everything all right?"
"Fine."
He didn't push. Just watched her for a moment, then went back to making breakfast.
She waited until they were in the car before she spoke.
"Li Xin tried to schedule a meeting I never requested. With Legal. About Chen Hao."
His expression didn't change, but his grip on his phone tightened.
"How do you know it was deliberate?"
"Because she canceled it the second I asked. And apologized for a 'scheduling error.'"
He was quiet for a long moment.
"Someone's feeding information."
"To who?"
"Could be Chen Hao. Could be the board. Could be both."
She looked out the window, the city blurring past.
"Li Xin has access to everything. My calendar. My emails. My notes."
He nodded. "We need to be sure."
"How?"
"Give her something false. See if it leaks."
She turned to him. "You want to use my assistant as bait."
"I want to protect you."
She laughed, sharp. "By sacrificing her?"
"By finding the truth."
The car pulled into the underground garage.
They rode the elevator in silence.
At her office, Li Xin was waiting with coffee and the morning brief.
"Morning, Director Gu." Her smile was perfect. "Mr. Ye."
Wanyin took the coffee. "Li Xin, can you schedule a call with the Singapore team for 3 p.m.? Tell them it's urgent—potential partnership issue."
Li Xin nodded, fingers flying across her tablet. "Of course."
Wanyin watched her.
The bait was set.
The day dragged.
Meetings. Reports. The usual grind.
At 2:45 p.m., her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Singapore partnership in trouble? Call me. – C.H.
Chen Hao.
She showed Ye Beichen the message in the conference room between meetings.
His face was stone.
"It's her."
Wanyin felt something cold settle in her chest.
Li Xin had been with her from the beginning. Loyal. Discreet. The one person she'd trusted.
"Why?"
Ye Beichen's voice was quiet. "We'll find out."
After work, in the apartment, Wanyin sat on the balcony, wine glass untouched.
Ye Beichen joined her.
"I confronted her," he said.
She looked at him. "Already?"
"She admitted it."
Wanyin's throat tightened. "Why?"
"Her mother needs surgery. Experimental treatment in the US. Insurance won't cover it. Someone offered to pay—in exchange for information."
"Who?"
"She doesn't know. Anonymous account. Cryptocurrency transfers."
Wanyin closed her eyes.
Betrayal for a mother's life.
She thought of her own sacrifices. The nights she'd worked through illness. The relationships she'd ended because they were distractions. The family she barely saw.
All to build something no one could take from her.
And now her closest ally had sold pieces of it to save someone she loved.
"What will you do?" Ye Beichen asked.
She opened her eyes. "I don't know."
He was quiet for a long moment.
"Mercy or justice?"
She looked at him. "Which would you choose?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I'd choose the one that lets me sleep at night."
She laughed, bitter. "I haven't slept well in years."
He reached across the table, not touching her, just close enough that she felt the warmth of his hand.
"You don't have to decide tonight."
She pulled her hand back.
"I do. If I let it go, I'm weak. If I report her, I destroy a family."
He watched her.
"There's a third option."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Pay for the treatment yourself. Keep her loyal. Send a message to whoever's behind this that you're not for sale."
She stared at him.
"That's… ruthless."
"It's practical."
She stood, walked to the railing, looked out at the city lights.
Mercy bought with money.
Justice bought with loyalty.
Both felt like losing.
She turned back to him.
"I need to think."
He nodded.
She went to the guest room.
Locked the door.
Sat on the bed.
And for the first time in years, she didn't know what the right choice was.
The devil hadn't just moved in.
He was starting to sound like the only one who understood the game.