Chapter 1

My dad runs a high-end matchmaking service.

After losing my job and failing to find another one, I planned to stay home and live off my parents.

Instead, Dad planted me inside a company as an undercover employee to gather intel for him.

What I didn’t expect to discover on my very first day was that the CEO was my ex-boyfriend!

Dad had just landed a huge contract.

The commission alone was five million dollars.

When I heard that, I started counting the zeros on my fingers.

Holy crap! Rich people really knew how to throw money around.

Before I could recover from the shock, I realized Dad was looking at me.

“Sophie, this client has some unusual requirements.”

Alarm bells immediately went off in my head.

After living with him all these years, I knew exactly what he was up to.

Sometimes, improving the odds of a successful match required digging deeper into a prospective partner’s needs. And sometimes, that meant using unconventional methods.

Even the most sophisticated operation could rely on the simplest trick. Like sending someone undercover.

Almost everyone in our family had done it for him. He hadn’t even spared my seventy-year-old grandmother.

Before he could continue, I held up a hand. “Don’t even say it. I’m not doing it.”

Was he seriously trusting me with something this important? Wasn’t he worried I’d screw it up?

Dad looked at my thoroughly unhelpful expression, gritted his teeth, and made his offer. “Pull this off, and I’ll buy you a condo.”

My eyes went wide. I slapped the table and shot to my feet. “Dad, don’t worry. Consider it done!”

I could turn down almost anything, but not money. This undercover assignment was mine.

I’d thought I was making a brilliant move. Turned out I was just an idiot.

Never in a million years had I expected Dad’s wealthy target to be my ex-boyfriend!

Who could have guessed that the boy who used to blush just holding my hand would become the tech world’s newest golden boy?

I stared at Ethan Blake in his immaculate suit for a full minute.

Only when someone beside me prompted me did I snap out of it and stumble through my introduction. “M-Mr. Blake, hello. I’m your new assistant. My name is Sophie Lane.”

Ethan said nothing, but I could feel his eyes openly studying me.

I kept my head down, so mortified I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

I’d never imagined something this ridiculous could actually happen to me.

If I’d known it was him, nothing could have dragged me here.

I blamed the money. It had blinded me so completely that I hadn’t bothered checking who I was supposed to spy on. But I was already here. All I could do was push through.

A long silence passed. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, his rich, low voice reached my ears.

“Sophie Lane. Long time no see.”

I looked up and met his smiling eyes.

He had a beautiful smile, warm and gentle as spring sunshine.

Unfortunately, it sent a chill down my spine.

Because I was the one who’d dumped him.