Chapter 5

The screen on the wall lit up. I saw flashes of data, graphs, and numbers starting to appear. Derek's face turned pale. Anita bit her lip, her hands gripping the edge of the table tightly.

Nathaniel was ready to press the next button, the button that would play all the evidence of Derek's embezzlement and affair in front of the entire board of directors.

But under the table, my hand moved.

I squeezed Nathaniel's thigh hard enough to get his attention, but not hard enough to be suspicious to others. Nathaniel turned to me, his eyebrows raised. I shook my head slowly, my eyes meeting his.

Then I whispered, barely audible, only for his ears.

"Don't rush to destroy them. I want everything slow. Let them feel safe first, let them laugh. In the end, when they're happiest and feel like they've won, that's when we destroy them. It'll hurt more."

Nathaniel stared at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly, and he pressed another button, the button that turned off the screen.

The screen went dark. The room fell silent.

"Sorry, seems like there's a technical issue. We'll discuss this at the next meeting. The meeting is adjourned," Nathaniel said.

The directors exchanged confused glances, but no one dared to object. They began to rise, gathering their documents.

Derek let out a sigh of relief, so relieved I could almost see his shoulders drop. He looked at me with an expression of anger. Anita beside him smiled cynically, as if she'd just won a small battle. But they didn't know. They didn't know this was only the beginning of their downfall.

The meeting ended. The directors filed out one by one, leaving the room growing quiet. I stood slowly, smoothing my black dress, ready to leave.

But before I could step forward, Derek was already beside me. His hand grabbed my wrist roughly, pulling me out of the room quickly.

"Hey!" I protested, but he was already dragging me down the hallway, away from the crowd.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, his eyes blazing. "What do you mean by showing up here? In a dress like that?"

I stared at him flatly. "I work here. Did you forget? Your father hired me."

"Don't play games with me! You know what I mean. That dress..." he pointed at my body with disgust, "...it's disgusting. You have no right to wear it. Look at yourself, Sera. Your body doesn't suit a dress like that. You're just making yourself look like a fat clown."

I felt my chest tighten. His words stabbed like daggers, just like he always did. But this time, I didn't cry.

Derek waited for my reaction. Maybe he expected tears, like usual. Maybe he expected me to beg, apologize, or run to the bathroom to cry.

But I did nothing.

"Did you hear me?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

I smiled faintly. "I heard you."

Derek fell silent, confused by my response, then Anita appeared behind him, her hand clinging to his arm coquettishly.

"Sir, let's go," Anita said, glancing at me cynically.

Derek looked at me one more time, then shook his head. "You're embarrassing, Sera. Go home and change that dress. Never show up at the office in a dress like that again."

He turned and left with Anita, who strutted beside him like a winner. I watched their backs, seeing Anita clinging to Derek, laughing softly as they entered the elevator.

I remained standing in the hallway. Not crying, not trembling. Just standing, in my black dress that hugged my body, with a faint smile on my lips.

They thought they won. They thought they'd humiliated me.

But they didn't know what I was planning.

^^^

"Seraphina."

Nathaniel's voice called from behind me. I turned. He stood at the doorway of his office, his eyes staring at me with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.

"Come in," he said softly.

I stepped into his office. The door closed behind me with a soft click. We were alone.

Before I could say anything, Nathaniel had already stepped closer. His hand grabbed my waist, pulling me into his embrace, and then he kissed me, not a gentle kiss like in the dining room earlier, but a kiss full of passion, full of hunger, as if he'd been holding back for years and couldn't anymore.

I was startled, but my body responded. My hands reached for his neck, pulling him closer. The kiss was deep, warm, and made me forget where I was. I forgot that I was still Derek's wife. I forgot that this was my father-in-law. I only felt his lips pressing against mine, his tongue exploring, and his hand creeping up my back.

When our lips parted, I was breathless. Nathaniel stared at me with dark eyes, his fingers touching my cheek gently.

"You look beautiful in this dress. Derek is blind. He doesn't see what I see. He doesn't see your beauty, your strength, your elegance. But I see it. I've always seen it."

I swallowed hard, my chest heaving. "Nathaniel..."

"Derek doesn't deserve to touch you. He doesn't deserve to look at you. But I want to be the only one who sees you, the only one who touches you and loves you."

I bit my lip. His words melted me, not just because they were sweet, but because for years I'd never felt loved by anyone. Derek always insulted me. People always mocked me. But Nathaniel, he saw me as a woman worthy of love.

"We can't rush this. I want Derek to suffer. I want him to feel what I felt, humiliated, betrayed, deemed worthless. But I don't want him to know about us. Not yet. I want him to think he's winning, then we destroy him when he's happiest."

Nathaniel smiled, a smile that gave me chills. "You're cruel. I like it."

He kissed my forehead, then stepped back.

"Fine. We'll do it your way. We'll let Derek think he's safe. We'll let Anita think she's won you. But every night, you'll come to me. And slowly, we'll build an empire that will destroy them both."

I nodded. "Every night?"

Nathaniel smiled wickedly. "Every night, Seraphina. I'll be waiting for you in my room."

He took my hand, kissing the back of it gently. "Now you have to go. There's much to plan, but remember, you're mine now."

I swallowed hard, then nodded. "I understand."

I turned and walked to the door. But before I could leave, Nathaniel said, "Seraphina."

I turned.

"That dress, wear it again tonight. I want to see you in it again."

I smiled, a smile I'd never given Derek. "Of course, Daddy."

The word left my lips naturally, and I saw his eyes glint with satisfaction. I stepped out of his office, leaving Nathaniel with a victorious smile on his face.

In the hallway, I walked toward the elevator. Inside the glass cabin, I stared at my reflection. Black dress, red lipstick, eyes full of revenge.

I was no longer the deceived wife.

I was a woman plotting her husband's downfall, with the help of her father-in-law who had become her secret lover.

^^^

Derek came home that night. I heard his footsteps in the hallway, but I didn't get out of bed. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, and smiled.

He entered the room without knocking. I saw his silhouette in the darkness.

"Sera, are you still awake?"

I didn't answer, pretending to be asleep.

Derek approached, sitting on the edge of the bed. I could feel his weight on the mattress. His hand lifted, almost touching my hair, but he stopped.

"I'm sorry about today. I was too hard on you, and I just don't like seeing you in that dress in front of other people. You're my wife. You should be at home, not at the office."

I stayed silent.

Derek sighed. "We'll talk tomorrow. I promise I'll be better."

He stood and walked to the bathroom. I heard the sound of running water.

In the darkness, I opened my eyes. My smile widened.

He thought he could fix it with one apology. He thought I'd forgive him like I always did?

But he was wrong.

Because tonight, while he slept beside me, my mind wasn't on him.

My mind was on Nathaniel.

On his touch.

On his promises.

And on the revenge that was about to come.

Soon after, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Nathaniel.

"Come to my room at midnight and don't forget to wear that black dress. Remember, darling, you can't back out now, and don't disappoint me. ~Your loving father-in-law."