The heavy double doors of the boardroom clicked.
Outside in the hallway, Carli Ward walked toward the room. She carried a sleek, insulated designer lunchbox. She wore a pristine white Chanel suit. Her hair was perfectly curled. She looked like the picture of a devoted, loving partner.
Jesse Meyer stood guard outside the doors. He saw Carli approaching and stepped into her path.
"Ms. Ward," Jesse said. His voice was polite but firm. "Mr. Holloway is in a highly confidential meeting. No one is allowed inside."
Carli smiled. It was a sweet, fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh, Jesse," she purred. "You know Butler always makes time for me. I brought him his favorite lunch from Le Bernardin."
She didn't wait for Jesse to argue. She sidestepped him. She reached out and pushed the heavy mahogany doors open.
The doors swung wide.
Carli stepped into the room. The smile on her face froze.
At the end of the long table, Butler was leaning over a woman in a black suit. He had her trapped against the edge of the table. His hand was near her face. The physical intimacy of the pose was undeniable.
The woman turned her head to look at the door.
Carli's heart stopped beating. All the blood drained from her face, leaving her skin a sickly, ashen gray.
It was Eleonora.
The designer lunchbox slipped from Carli's fingers. It hit the hardwood floor with a loud crash. The lid popped off. Expensive soup spilled across the polished wood, staining the expensive rug.
Carli's knees buckled. She grabbed the doorframe to keep from collapsing. She stared at Eleonora like she was looking at a ghost crawling out of a grave. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.
Eleonora looked at Carli's terrified face.
The memory of Carli standing in that hospital room, holding the forged hysterectomy papers, burned in Eleonora's mind.
A dark, vicious thrill shot through Eleonora's veins.
She had planned to shove Butler away. Instead, she let out a soft, melodic laugh.
Eleonora raised her arms and wrapped them intimately around Butler's neck. She pressed her body against his chest.
Butler stiffened. He was completely caught off guard by her sudden shift. But he didn't pull away. His hands naturally settled on her waist.
Eleonora tilted her head. She looked at Carli and smiled. It was a sweet, deadly smile.
"Long time no see, Ms. Ward," Eleonora said. Her voice was smooth and dripping with poison.
Carli let out a choked gasp. She took a step backward. Her high heel caught on the edge of the rug, and she stumbled.
Eleonora lifted her left hand. She pretended to brush a piece of lint off the lapel of Butler's suit.
The overhead lights hit the ten-carat pink diamond on her ring finger. The stone flashed brilliantly.
Carli saw the ring. Her eyes widened in pure horror. She knew that ring. It was the Holloway family heirloom. The ring meant for the true matriarch of the family.
"Thank you so much for keeping my husband company while I was away," Eleonora said. She emphasized the word husband. "But as you can see, I'm back now. I won't be needing your services anymore."
Carli's sanity snapped. The jealousy and fear clawed at her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks, ruining her perfect makeup.
"Butler?" Carli sobbed. Her voice was high and desperate. She looked at him, begging for him to explain, to push Eleonora away.
Butler turned his head. He looked at Carli. His eyes were flat. Empty. He felt nothing for the woman crying at the door.
He didn't say a word. He just tightened his grip on Eleonora's waist, pulling her flush against him.
That silent gesture was the final blow.
Carli let out a loud, ugly sob. She covered her face with her hands, turned around, and ran out of the room. The sound of her heels clicking frantically down the hallway echoed in the silence.
Eleonora watched her run. A fierce sense of satisfaction settled in her chest.
The second the door closed, Eleonora's smile vanished.
She dropped her arms from Butler's neck. She placed her hands flat against his chest and shoved him backward with all her strength.
Butler stumbled back a step. He looked at his empty arms. A dangerous, dark glint appeared in his eyes.
"Excellent acting," Butler sneered. "You almost had me convinced."
Eleonora wiped her hands on her skirt, as if touching him had made her dirty.
"If we're going to play a fake marriage," she said coldly, "I'm going to give the best performance of my life. Just to make sure the people who deserve to suffer, suffer."
She grabbed her purse from the table and walked out of the room, leaving him standing alone in the silence.
