Things on Molly's end had reached a boiling point.
She delegated tasks one by one, then touched base with the client. When she spotted Miles, she was caught off guard for a moment.
Miles was handsome—his dark suit tailored perfectly to his tall frame—but the hard lines of his face and the cold edge in his gaze when he looked at her killed any thought of admiring the view.
Felix jogged over, looking pleased with himself. "Molly, my brother's here to help you out."
Miles, helping her?
If he'd really wanted to help, he would've come in with her when she got out of the car. The fact that he'd waited this long meant his mother must have chewed him out again.
She had no use for his reluctant charity. "I can handle this myself."
Her refusal made Miles's brow furrow deeply.
"This is company business. You don't get to throw a tantrum."
A tantrum?
In his eyes, she was either scheming or throwing tantrums—just some conniving woman who couldn't separate work from personal feelings, right?
Molly didn't bother explaining. She turned to leave.
Miles grabbed her wrist, displeasure written all over his face. "What kind of attitude is that?"
His grip hurt. She tried to pull free, but he only tightened his hold, his gaze cutting into her like a blade.
She let out a dry laugh. "Attitude? This is exactly how you've treated me for three years. I do it once, and Mr. Vance can't take it?"
Miles went still for a moment.
Molly wrenched her wrist from his grasp and shook it out—a red ring already forming on her skin—before walking into the office.
Miles's expression turned dark. He'd never imagined the wife who always hovered around him would bite back so sharply.
It left a sour knot in his chest.
Felix was equally stunned, scratching the bridge of his nose. "Is that really Molly?"
Before, the moment she heard Miles was back in the country, Molly would cook his favorite dishes herself and wait for him to come home.
When he didn't show, she'd come looking for Felix. "Felix, could you take the food to him?"
There had been eagerness in her eyes—and hope that her husband might finally see her.
But now...
"What do we do now?" Felix asked.
"This is a Vance subsidiary. There's a billion-dollar export contract on the line."
Right. So they were helping whether she liked it or not.
To keep the two of them from fighting while still getting things done, Felix stepped in as mediator.
"Molly, this is the perfect chance to spend time with him—let him really get to know you."
Molly finished replying to a work message before answering. "Save that chance for someone else."
Felix's jaw dropped. He leaned closer, pushing harder. "Walking away now would be such a waste. You haven't even slept with him yet, and he's gorgeous."
Molly nodded. "Gorgeous." Her best friend had described Miles the same way. He really was a beautiful man.
"Felix, let me ask you something. If you saw a perfect apple covered in someone else's saliva, would you still take a bite?"
Felix fell silent.
So... she was calling his brother dirty.
Before he could say anything else, Molly's assistant pushed through the door. "Ms. Harding, we've borrowed everyone we could. They've already started working."
"Good. I'll go check on them." She headed for the door, but the assistant added, "Everyone's saying Sibyl Edwards is here."
Molly's steps faltered. She turned back to Felix with a smile. "As long as he stays, I'll definitely seize this 'perfect chance.'"
Felix was speechless.
Why was Sibyl showing up now to stir things up?
At the office building entrance, Molly ran into Miles, who was about to leave.
"Something important came up. I'll have Felix stay and help you."
Molly gave him a tight smile. "Sure."
Felix grabbed Miles before he could walk off, shooting him a meaningful look. "Didn't you just say this is a Vance subsidiary with a billion-dollar contract on the line? Nothing's more urgent or important than this right now, right?"
She didn't wait for Miles's answer. She walked away, because she already knew what it would be.
Anything involving Sibyl was always important.
She, Molly Harding, would never be important—and would never be chosen.
She was grateful she hadn't let Felix's talk of "the perfect chance" get her hopes up. Otherwise, how badly would her face be stinging right now?
