Chapter 186

"What did you see? Tell us!"

The finance department women huddled around their colleague who held the binoculars.

The new hire, still naive, blurted out everything she witnessed.

Blank stares met her words.

"I'm not lying!" she insisted, cheeks flushing.

One colleague scoffed. "Sweetheart, with that imagination, you should write romance novels. If you'd said that woman was straddling the boss, tearing his shirt open while undoing his belt, maybe I'd believe you."

The boss drying her hair? Massaging her calves? Ridiculous.

Another woman adjusted her bag. "That girl's pretty, but Public Relations has stunners. In all my years here, I've never heard of the boss touching any of them. No way some designer caught his eye. Let's wait and see."

The group dispersed, leaving the newbie alone.

She squinted at the empty parking spot where the boss's car had been. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks?

Evelyn rode back to the city center with her design team.

The bus that had buzzed with gossip about her and Dominic earlier was now dead silent. Some scrolled through phones. Others feigned sleep.

The shift infuriated Evelyn, who'd basked in their attention just hours ago.

She was the first off at the office building.

Her colleagues exchanged glances.

The bigger the lie, the harder the fall.

Dominic had humiliated Evelyn publicly.

As the last employee stepped off, the department head remained seated, clutching her temples.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Just carsick. Go ahead."

Through the windshield, the head watched Evelyn storm toward a waiting yellow sports car.

The designer flung her belongings inside before speeding off.

Her designer clothes and luxury car screamed old money. By all appearances, she matched Dominic's social standing.

The department head sighed.

She'd backed the wrong horse.

Dominic leaving with Evelyn would be office gossip by Monday. The design department would be under scrutiny.

And she'd made life hell for the real object of Dominic's affection.

Forcing Evelyn to fetch coffee? Having her scrub floors yesterday?

All to please a liar.

Her stomach churned as she recalled how Evelyn and her friends had ridden in Sebastian's car while she took the bus with the plebs.

Evelyn collapsed onto her bed after showering.

She dialed Beatrice, sobbing. "Auntie, I can't do this anymore. Dominic humiliated me today. I'm resigning Monday."

"What happened?" Beatrice demanded.

Evelyn's mother entered, gesturing for her to continue.

Between sniffles, Evelyn recounted the events.

Beatrice sighed. "Darling, you must be mistaken. Evelyn's married. She has a certificate with another man!"

Evelyn froze.

Right. That forced marriage to Maxwell. She'd dismissed it as irrelevant.

Now it was her ammunition.

Her mother, overhearing, snarled, "Some married slut is stealing your man? Stop crying and put that homewrecker in her place!"

Evelyn's tears dried. "Thank you, Auntie. I know exactly what to do."

Dominic carried Evelyn upstairs.

His massage had eased her cramp, but he remained concerned.

"I'm fine," she insisted, handing him water. "Go work."

Today had been perfect.

His public rejection of Evelyn proved their relationship was fiction.

"Happy I cleared things up?" he asked, sipping.

Evelyn flushed as he stood.

He advanced until her back hit the wall, his breath warm on her lips.