Tiffany looked perfectly put-together, arms full of files - classic capable career woman vibes.
Paisley felt a headache coming on. She came to the company hoping to see Clive, but instead, ran straight into his precious first love.
Instead of heading to Clive's office, Tiffany took her straight into the conference room.
"Would you like some coffee, Miss Hughes? Mr. Harrington's still in a meeting, and his office is empty right now, so I brought you here. Hope that's okay with you."
Paisley got the message loud and clear - oh, so this was her way of marking territory?
Basically, without Clive around, even as his wife, Paisley wasn't welcome in his office. She was an outsider.
"Thanks." Paisley smiled politely. Since she was already here, she might as well get down to business.
Like pissing off Clive's old flame to push him into a divorce.
She took a moment to gather her thoughts, took a sip of coffee, then said casually, "You're Tiffany, right? Cute name. Fits you. You probably know who I am and what I'm here for, don't you?"
Tiffany blinked, clearly caught off guard by how blunt she was.
Paisley chuckled and went on, "You crashed my wedding. Surely you didn't think I came here just to chat over coffee, right?"
Even sitting in a random conference room, she carried herself like a queen. Confident, unfazed. She didn't come to play nice, after all.
Tiffany hesitated for a long moment, then finally muttered in a sheepish voice, "Miss Hughes, I'm sorry..."
Wow.
She legit apologized. That was practically a confession, right?
Paisley wasn't sure if Clive was worth the mess, but Tiffany? She seemed head over heels. Otherwise, why would she sign up to be the other woman?
"Sorry doesn't mean much." Paisley smiled and set her coffee down. "How about this - how much do you want to leave my husband alone?"
Sure enough, Tiffany looked like she just got slapped. Eyes wide, mouth slightly open. Yep, money talk really hits these 'true love' types where it hurts.
Her voice rose slightly as she stared at Paisley in shock. "Miss Hughes, are you trying to insult me?"
Insult? Yep.
Paisley nodded. "I literally asked you to name a price. What did you think that meant? What - two, maybe three million to walk away? Take the cash, and I'll promise to leave you alone. But you'd better keep your word."
Tiffany looked devastated. She frowned, bit her lip, then murmured, "I'm sorry, Miss Hughes. I get that it was wrong to crash the wedding. I really do. But you can't just disrespect what Clive and I have."
Now that's more like it.
If Tiffany had taken the money and bounced, Paisley might've actually lost a bit of respect for her.
As she saw Clive approaching from the other side of the room, Paisley seized the golden opportunity. Clasping Tiffany's wrist tightly, she leaned in and said, "Let me make this crystal clear - Clive is my husband. You, the side chick, will never be anything more. So either walk away now, or I'll have someone help you out the door."
