I stood up too, my eyes locked on his.
He blinked, then let out a scornful laugh.
"Fine. I admit it. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
"But you defied your own father for me. Five years of pushback, all that money, all that energy poured in. Are you really willing to burn it all down?"
His words were a poisoned blade, driven straight into my heart.
The wound was raw and bloody, but I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.
So he'd known all along.
He knew exactly how much I'd sacrificed for him. That was why he dared to be so brazen.
That night, we parted on bitter terms.
He slammed the guest room door and didn't come out for the rest of the night.
I sat in the living room until dawn.
When the first light crept through the windows, I sent my lawyer a message:
"Those documents I asked you to prepare. Where do we stand?"
The reply came almost immediately:
"Ms. Pruitt, everything is proceeding on schedule. We can move forward whenever you give the word."
I deleted the conversation. As if nothing had happened.
I'd given him chances. More than one.
Six months ago, I'd already noticed something was off.
He started working late constantly, staying out all night.
His phone was always face-down on the table.
He'd even changed his lock screen passcode to Claudia's birthday.
The first time I brought up Claudia was after I saw his social media photos from a company retreat. Everyone was looking at the camera. Everyone except him. His gaze had drifted to Claudia, tucked away in the far corner of the frame.
I told him to keep his distance from her.
He apologized. Said he'd just been spacing out, hadn't realized, and that it wouldn't happen again.
Then he turned around and promoted Claudia from administrative secretary to executive assistant to the CEO, tripling her salary.
He gave her a private office and clearance high enough to access the company's core data at will.
People at the company whispered behind my back, saying Claudia was the real future Mrs. Fox.
I was supposed to be his girlfriend, but I was treated like an outsider.
I swallowed it.
I told myself that after five years together, this was just a passing infatuation. He'd come to his senses eventually.
But my patience only made him bolder.
The next morning, I went to the office. The moment I stepped into the elevator, there was Claudia.
She was wearing the latest haute couture suit.
In her hand was a limited-edition bag I couldn't have gotten my hands on even if I'd waited in line for hours.
All bought by Evan.
When she saw me, she didn't shrink back. Instead, she smiled and sidled up to me.
"Good morning, Ms. Pruitt."
I ignored her.
She lowered her voice to a murmur only the two of us could hear.
"Ms. Pruitt, thank you for holding down the fort for Evan last night. He spent so long keeping me company, I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning."
She paused, her smile widening.
"Oh, and Evan told me the thing he hates most about you is that entitled princess attitude. You always make him feel like he's eating out of your hand. But he's a man. What he needs is emotional fulfillment, not your charity."
"If you'd like lessons on how to give a man what he actually needs, I'm happy to teach you."
"Of course, I'd have to borrow Evan for the demonstration."
The elevator doors opened. She clicked out on her heels, hips swaying, without a backward glance.
I stood in the elevator, nails digging into my palms, feeling nothing.
I walked into Evan's office.
He was reading a document and didn't even look up.
"What is it?"
"Fire Claudia."
No preamble. No buildup.
He finally raised his head, brow furrowed, irritation written across his face.
"What are you making a scene about now?"
"I'm making a scene?"
I stared at him.
"Do you have any idea what she said to me? She's lording herself over me, rubbing my face in it, and I don't even have the right to do anything about it?"
