“Celia, this night is for you,” he said last night while kneading my shoulders. “You have carried the company on your back. Let me carry something for once. You will be honored the way you deserve.”
His voice was warm and his hands gentle. I believed him. This morning, Brandt insisted I spend the afternoon at a spa in Riverpoint. “Take the whole day to relax,” he told me with a kiss. “Do not come home until seven. You will spoil the surprise.”
I obeyed. I even smiled as I left our driveway. But halfway through the massage, I remembered that my secondary phone was still in the glove compartment of Brandt’s car. I had used it last night to check internal reports from our Singapore branch. I could not leave confidential information in an unlocked vehicle during an event with dozens of guests.
I booked a car service back home, careful not to alert Brandt. I wanted to slip in quietly. I did not want to ruin what he had worked so hard to prepare.