Stolen Position

Kim opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the Chanel gown hanging against the wardrobe. "Tonight," she muttered, "everything changes."

The Orchids Group Annual Gala was hours away. As head perfumer, she needed to check the final samples of 'L'Aura', the scent that had secured the company's global top-ten ranking. More importantly, the board was announcing the new Creative Director of Fragrance. Kim had poured five years of blood, sweat, and sleepless nights into that title. She swung out of bed, but an arm yanked her back. Lucas's breath was hot against her neck.

"Where are you running off to?"

"Lucas, let me go! I needed to check the final samples of 'L'Aura.."

"L'Aura samples can wait," he murmured, kissing her collarbone. Memories of the previous night, steamy and intense, flashed vividly through her mind.

"Lucas, I'm serious."

He flipped her over, pinning her wrists. "Kim, my sweet genius," he whispered, kissing her. "I am the CEO. The event doesn't start until I step in."

"You're abusing your power."

"More like prioritizing what's mine."

To the world, Kim was a genius perfumer at The Orchids Group. But behind closed doors, she was Kim Jordan, the secret wife of New York's youngest luxury tycoon.

"Tonight," Kim murmured excitedly, "I won't have to hide anymore. I'll stand on that stage as Director, and everyone will know I'm your wife. I also have a cute little surprise for you"

"Good," Lucas grinned, his eyes darkening with desire as he pulled the covers back over them. "Because you still have thirty minutes to fulfil your wifely duties."

"Lucas!" Kim gasped, but her protest was lost as his lips met hers once again, sweeping her into another wave of effortless heat.

The grand ballroom brimmed with the intoxicating scent of Orchids Group perfumes. Kim stood near the stage, holding a glass of champagne.

"I'm telling you, if it's not Kim, the board has lost their minds," Sarah, a worker at Orchids Group whispered. "She built L'Aura from scratch. That formula boosted our market share by fifteen percent!"

"Try twenty," Marcus, another co-worker, corrected. "To our soon-to-be Director. You earned this."

Kim blushed. "Nothing is official until it's announced."

The lights dimmed. Rayan Jordan, the founder, stepped to the podium.

"Tonight, we celebrate another record-breaking year. Our rise into the global top ten in the fragrance market is a testament to vision, strategy, and lineage."

Sarah nudged Kim. "Get ready!"

Kim took a deep breath, smoothing her red gown.

"To lead our fragrance division," Rayan continued, "the board has selected someone with international exposure and deep ties to our core identity."

Kim raised her head, ready to walk forward.

"Please welcome our new Creative Director of Fragrance... Miss Denise Davids!"

The applause started instantly.

Kim froze. Her heart dropped, the champagne glass slipping in her numb fingers.

Denise Davids?

"Wait... Denise?" Sarah gasped. "Who the hell is Denise?"

"She's Rayan's old business partner's daughter," Marcus growled. "She's been playing socialite in Paris for five years! She hasn't set foot in a lab!"

From the side entrance, a gorgeous woman in a backless silver gown walked graciously to the stage, accepting a bouquet of white roses.

Kim looked desperately toward the VIPs, Lucas was standing beside his father, grinning from ear to ear. All she had ever wanted was for the world to know that the genius behind The Orchids Group's top-selling perfumes was her. The countless sleepless nights, the raw, calloused hands from mixing and blending, the formulas she poured her soul into, all of it credited to Denise.

"I object," Kim's voice rang through the ballroom.

"That's the board's decision. Do they need your approval?" Rayan Jordan interrupted.

Kim hailed the first rideshare that pulled up to the curb, ducking into the backseat before anyone from Orchids Group could see the tears threatening to spill over.

As the car merged into New York City traffic, her phone buzzed in her lap. Kim’s heart leaped into her throat for a second, expecting a frantic text or call from Lucas explaining the nightmare. But the screen didn't show Lucas’s name. It was an unknown number. Attached was a short video file. Kim’s thumb hovered over the screen before pressing play. The video loaded instantly. Denise Davids appeared on screen. 

"Hello, Kim," A triumphant, mocking smile playing on Denise’s lips.

"I saw your little heartbroken face in the crowd tonight. I almost felt bad for you."

Denise took a slow sip of champagne, leaning closer to the camera lens.

"You really thought you were going to be Director, didn't you? Let me clear something up for you, sweetie. The Director position wasn't stolen from you. It was a compensation package."

"Lucas might have put that cheap little band on your finger in secret," Denise purred, her eyes flashing with cold malice. "But he put the Jordan family heir inside me six weeks ago in Paris. Rayan gave me the company division to keep me quiet and make sure the baby stays in the family."

"Enjoy your ride home, Kim. You were just the lab rat who built the throne for my child."

The video ended.

Six weeks ago was her twenty-fifth birthday. A fresh wave of tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as the painful memory rushed back. She remembered waking up that morning, expecting a quiet breakfast with her husband. Instead, Lucas had been pacing the bedroom in his suit, his face tense as he rushed through a string of frantic phone calls.

"It's an emergency supply crisis with our French distributors, Kim," he had told her, kissing her forehead hastily before grabbing his coat. "I have to fly to Paris right now. I'm so sorry, baby. I'll make it up to you the moment I'm back."

She had sat alone in their apartment on her birthday with a small slice of cake, sending him loving texts, telling him not to stress over work, and assuring him that she understood his responsibilities as CEO.

He hadn't been fixing a supply crisis. He had been with Denise.

Kim rested a hand over her stomach sobbing. She was four weeks pregnant with their child, a secret she carried close to her heart as she waited for the night’s grand celebration. She planned to whisper the news to Lucas right after she was officially announced as the company’s new Creative Director of Fragrance.

Kim buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

“I'm sorry baby, you come at the wrong time”.