“We followed you on a business trip, and you were too cheap to spring for a real hotel. You stuck us in a hostel.”
“Brent, why don't you lock yourself in there too? See how it feels firsthand.”
Brent's patience snapped. He lifted his head and gave me a single cold look.
“That mouth of yours never stops. You could spin anything to suit yourself.”
“You look down on Marian for staying at a hostel, but where do you get off booking a thousand-dollar-a-night hotel? That's Sanchez family money you're burning through.”
I was so angry I laughed.
How did Brent Sanchez have the nerve to say something like that?
“Brent, since the day we got married, I haven't spent a single cent of yours. If you don't believe me, go check the household accounts yourself……”
“I don't need to check.”
Brent cut me off with a cold laugh.
“Georgina, that mouth of yours could twist anything.”
“Quit playing the victim out here. No matter what, today you're going to pay for what you did.”
I honestly couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong.
“All this because I didn't switch rooms for your little secretary last night?”
“Brent, did you get kicked in the head? If you're so considerate, why didn't you give her yours?”
“I told you I have trouble sleeping. I can't sleep in a hostel, so I paid out of my own pocket for a hotel room.”
“Is that a problem?”
Brent kept sneering at me.
“Oh, you're too delicate for a hostel? Everyone else managed just fine. It's company policy.”
“What makes you the exception?”
He frowned, eyes cold. “Georgina, when you act like this, people say I'm spoiling you. Using my position to play favorites.”
“What I did was to avoid that exact talk.”
“Besides, everyone already sees you as the future Mrs. Sanchez. If word gets out that you bully a junior secretary, that's bad for the company and bad for both of us.”
I drew a deep breath.
“Brent, let me out. Now.”
“Otherwise, you will regret this……”
Brent scoffed, looking me up and down with open contempt.
“Make me regret it? Who do you think you are?”
“Georgina, you rode my connections to climb your way up in this company. Now you actually think you're some untouchable career woman?”
“Without me, you're nothing.”
Every word landed like a needle straight into my chest.
Turns out when someone renders you completely speechless, you really do laugh out loud.
“Brent, did you feed your conscience to the dogs before you said that?”
“I spent three years in the Legal Department. Three years, from associate all the way to Chief Legal Officer.”
“Every case I handled, every contract, every dispute is on file. What exactly did you do for me?”
“Did you ever put in a word? Pull a string? Or even once, when I was working until dawn, come pick me up?”
That stopped him. For a second, Brent had nothing to say.
Every time I got off work late, he was busy elsewhere. Either entertaining clients, or off with his little secretary, Marian Cox.
She was always running a fever, or her cat was in heat, or her pipes had burst.
There was always some reason she needed to bother Brent.
And he never once turned her down.
It was always just a small thing, he figured. Easy enough to help.
All these years, I'd told myself to pick my battles. I never really took it to heart.
But this time was different.
To avenge some petty grudge for Marian, Brent had locked me inside that hostel. He'd crossed a line I would never forgive.
“Georgina, don't you dare change the subject!”
