Charlie followed Milo Vance out of the executive elevator.
She walked straight toward the massive double mahogany doors that guarded the apex of the Logan Group.
Milo pushed the doors open for her, gestured inside, and then quickly stepped back, pulling the doors shut behind her.
The penthouse office was blindingly bright, the afternoon sun pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Alyce was sitting on the edge of Kayson's massive oak desk, her legs crossed, casually twirling his limited-edition fountain pen in her fingers.
Kayson was sitting in his leather chair, reviewing a document.
At the sound of Charlie's footsteps, Kayson looked up. His eyes were sharp, hostile, and impatient.
He ignored Charlie completely. He turned to Alyce, his voice dropping to a soft, gentle register. "Go lie down in the suite for a bit. The doctor said you need to rest."
He reached under the edge of his desk and pressed a hidden button.
A section of the mahogany bookshelf slid open with a soft hum, revealing the luxurious private suite hidden behind it.
Charlie's lungs tightened.
That suite was Kayson's absolute forbidden zone. In three years of marriage, she had never been allowed to step foot inside.
Alyce shot Charlie a triumphant, mocking smirk. She slid off the desk, swaying her hips as she walked into the hidden room.
The bookshelf slid shut. The office was suddenly suffocatingly quiet.
Kayson slammed the document down on his desk. The loud smack echoed in the large room.
"Are you done throwing tantrums?" Kayson demanded, his voice laced with ice. "Firing employees in the hallway? Is this your pathetic way of getting my attention?"
Charlie looked at him. There was no fear in her eyes anymore. No desperation.
She reached into the pocket of her blazer and pulled out a crisp white envelope.
She walked up to the desk and placed it gently in front of him.
"This is my resignation letter," she said, her voice completely flat. "Since the agreement is signed, there is no reason for me to stay."
Kayson stared at the envelope. His jaw clenched tighter. He thought this was just another one of her manipulative games.
"You think threatening to quit gives you leverage?" he sneered, his eyes dark with cruelty. "Leave Logan Group, Charlie, and you are absolutely nothing."
Charlie offered him a small, empty smile. "You're right. That's why I'm leaving."
Before Kayson could respond, a sudden clatter came from behind the bookshelf. It sounded like a glass shattering.
Alyce let out a soft, distressed cry.
Kayson shot out of his chair. Panic flared in his eyes. He lunged toward the hidden door, yelling out in a frantic, desperate voice, "Allie!"
The name bounced off the high ceilings of the empty office.
Charlie's entire body went rigid.
For a split second, the acoustics of the room twisted the sound. Her brain, desperate and pathetic, processed the frantic yell as Charlie.
In three years, he had never called her name with that much raw terror and concern.
The realization hit her like a physical blow.
Charlie let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh. She crushed the last microscopic fragment of hope she didn't even know she was still holding onto.
She didn't look at his back as he rushed into the suite.
She turned around. She kept her spine perfectly straight.
Her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood floor. She pushed the heavy mahogany doors open and walked out, leaving the lies and the humiliation behind her forever.
