Paisley figured she'd already crossed a line with what she said - surely Clive would blow up this time.
Then they could finally have a clean break. She could go live her life without the shadow of being "Mrs. Harrington" ruining everything she wanted to try.
As expected, Clive strode in with a dark face and pushed the door open. His first words: "Who exactly do you want to kick out?"
Yup, he was pissed.
Paisley told herself to calm down - if she got kicked out for this, all the better. Goal achieved, right? No point stressing over mere formalities.
Tiffany, standing off to the side, clearly knew how to read the room. Seeing Clive's grim expression, she quickly stepped forward and said, "Clive, don't get mad. Miss Hughes didn't mean it like that... She's probably just upset."
Paisley looked at Tiffany, all soft-spoken and delicate - classic first love material. Playing the long game, no doubt.
Clive furrowed his brows, silent for a beat, then asked in return, "Oh? Upset? What for?"
What for?
Tiffany was clearly caught off guard. It took her a second before she replied, "Maybe... she's jealous?"
As soon as Tiffany got that out, Paisley clearly saw Clive actually smile.
Wait, he smiled?
Then he threw out, "Come with me to my office."
Seriously? That's not how this was supposed to go. The guy was just all doom and thunder - looked like he was about to erupt. She was ready to get rained on.
Now... one "she's jealous" and suddenly it's all sunshine again?
What kind of logic was that?
"Patrick ordered takeout from Velvet & Ash. You're really not coming?" Clive had only dropped by to grab her for lunch - and found her and Tiffany mid showdown instead.
And honestly? The fact that Paisley might be jealous kind of made his day.
"You're the best, babe. Thanks, hubbie." Paisley glanced at Tiffany, then brazenly walked past her and planted a kiss right on Clive's cheek.
Hang in there, Paisley. Don't blow your cover.
Because seriously, if Clive had a thing for Tiffany and actually cared about her, there's no way he'd just let her take this kind of hit, right?
But next thing Paisley knew, Clive took her hand - and didn't let go. Fingers interlocked - they left the conference room together.
Once inside the office, Paisley switched right into her dramatic mode. Munching down on the Velvet & Ash food, she threw out, "Clive, don't think that bribing me with fancy lunch earns you a pass. That sneaky little fox of yours? I'm not letting her off that easy, got it? I'm not exactly a pushover. If you won't sign those divorce papers, fine. We'll just keep dragging this out. Let's see who gives in first - your sweet little fox or stubborn old me."
Clive didn't say a word, just kept eating.
To Paisley, that silence meant only one thing - he felt guilty.
So he's still pushing this act, huh? For Granddad Harrington's sake?
"You divorce me, and I can keep up appearances around your grandpa. I'll even keep pretending for a while," she added, figuring she'd cleared every single hurdle.
But Clive's face just got darker.
"Why are you making this so hard for yourself? Eat your food. You're Mrs. Harrington now. You always will be. You really wanna keep fighting me?" His tone was low, but there was a threat buried underneath.
That made Paisley's head ache.
She wasn't in Clive's league, not really. If she kept testing him, who knew? Maybe he'd lock her up again just like before. And that... wasn't just a scare tactic.
But what - he wouldn't even give his first love a real title?
