“Now that the Esmé deal is secure,” Alastair began, puffing out his chest as if he were responsible for it, “we can focus on integrating new blood into the company’s leadership. Fresh perspectives.”
I took a slow sip of ice water, waiting. I knew something was about to happen that would irritate me.
“Brielle will be joining Ashworth Intimates,” he declared. “As a Junior Brand Manager. She has an incredible eye.”
I almost choked. Junior Brand Manager. For a woman who’d never worked a day in her life, now pregnant with my husband’s bastard. This was nepotism at a cartoonish level.
His father’s knife stilled on his plate. His mother’s smile froze.
“Given the… delicate situation,” Alastair plowed on, oblivious to the tension at the head of the table, “we’ll be introducing her as my cousin. A distant one.”
My eyes dropped to where Brielle’s fingers were laced with his under the table. She clung to him possessively, worshipping the money that fell out of his pockets. They wouldn’t be believable for a second—not when half the staff knew he had fucked his way through the office before he ran away. It was a pathetic, transparent lie that would become office gossip by lunchtime tomorrow.
I said nothing. I would fix nothing. His fuck-ups only put me one step closer to freedom.
The mistress seized the moment, leaning forward. “I’m so excited to contribute. I went to Harvard, you know. Studied European business trends while I was traveling abroad. I think my exposure to continental luxury markets will be invaluable.”
It was all I could do not to laugh aloud. The background check I’d commissioned had landed in my inbox at dawn.Brielle Anne Miller.She had been in community college for one semester before dropping out. “Traveling Europe” was a generous term for following Alastair from five-star hotel to five-star hotel on hisfather’s credit line. There was no Harvard. There was barely a CV.
She looked at me, her chin lifted in a challenge. “I do hope you’ll help me learn the ropes, Elara. I’d love to shadow you.”
The room held its breath. This was her play. To insert herself into my domain, forcing me to legitimize her. She wanted to make me complicit in her ascension while she slowly pushed me out of my own chair.
She could have my spot, but I’d be damned if I’d give her the satisfaction of helping her sit in it.
I placed my fork down. I looked directly at her, then at Alastair. “No,” I said, the word clean and final as a guillotine blade. “I won’t.”
Brielle’s face cracked, revealing startled offense. “I… I just thought—”
“You have the job,” I continued, my voice never rising. “He gave it to you.” I gestured toward Alastair, who was now glowering at me like the entitled brat he was. “Let him teach you.”
Mrs. Ashworth made a small, distressed noise. Mr. Ashworth looked like he wanted to argue, but he stayed silent. He knew I was stubborn, and I think he could feel the end was near. He didn't need me quitting; he needed me compliant.
Alastair’s face turned red. “Elara, be reasonable. As my wife, it’s your duty to—”
“My duty? My duty is not to manage your mistress.” I cut him off, standing. I laid my napkin on the table like a white flag. “My duty was to secure the partnership that saves this company’s quarterly projections. It is done. My other duties, as defined by you, involve staying out of your private life. I suggest you manage your new… cousin accordingly.”
I didn't wait for a dismissal. “Thank you for dinner. I have an early morning.”
I walked out, leaving the silence sputtering behind me. As I climbed the stairs to my room, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Julian.
JULIAN:Did you tell them what you did to save them and their company?
A ghost of a smile touched my lips. He was fishing for a reaction.
ELARA:I told them nothing. But they told me my husband’s pregnant mistress will be joining the company. He’s introducing her as his cousin.
The three dots appeared instantly.
JULIAN:Pathetic. He doesn’t deserve to breathe the air you walk through.
And then, a second message:
JULIAN:Six months is too long. I’m renegotiating terms before I have to kill him.
I paused at my bedroom door, the cool brass knob in my hand. Alastair’s petty power plays were a tedious chore. But Julian Hale was a problem.
ELARA:I’m tempted to change it to a year, if that’s the case.
