Samantha stared at him, her mouth slightly open, eyes wide like she'd just watched him grow a second head. The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable, broken only by the hum of the air conditioning in Cross's office.Never had she thought Cross would do this kind of thing. Not Cross. Not the man who treated relationships like disposable coffee cups, using them up and tossing them aside without a second thought."Cross, what has gone over you?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them, her voice higher than usual.She took a step closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor. "Don't tell me you've fallen for her." The words came out sharp, bitter. Like she was spitting out something that tasted bad.Cross didn't even look up from his desk where he was shuffling through some papers. His movements were casual, almost lazy. "It's not your business, Samantha."His voice was flat, emotionless. The same tone he use
Back at Cross's office, the afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Samantha had been pacing up and down, her heels clicking against the marble with each anxious step. Now she stopped, turning to face Cross who sat behind his mahogany desk, looking through some papers like nothing had happened. She couldn't take it anymore. The silence was killing her. "Cross," she said, moving closer to his desk. Her voice was tight, almost pleading. "Tell me the truth." He looked up from his papers, his dark eyes meeting hers. There was something unreadable in his expression. "Tell me this is just one of those jokes you usually make," she continued, her hands gripping the edge of his desk. "Tell me what the media is saying isn't true. Tell me they're just making up stories like they always do." Cross set down his pen and leaned back in his chair. He watched her with that calm, calculating look he always wore when he was thinking.
Samantha's eyes burned with fury as she stared at Marceline . Her manicured fingers curled into fists at her sides, knuckles white with the pressure of barely contained rage."How dare you threaten me," she snapped, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. Each word dripped with venom, her carefully maintained composure cracking to reveal the ugliness beneath. The silk blouse she wore rose and fell with her rapid breathing, betraying just how deeply Marceline's words had affected her.Marceline, in stark contrast, remained infuriatingly calm. "Oh don't say that, I'm not threatening you at all," Marceline muttered, her voice carrying that maddening tone of innocence that only served to fuel Samantha's anger further. "I'm only giving you an instance." She examined her nails with deliberate nonchalance. The air between them crackled with hostility. Samantha's chest heaved as she fought to maintain some semblance of control, but Marceline's dismissive attitude was like gasoline
The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Samantha stood there, her perfectly manicured fingers gripping her designer handbag so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Her eyes, sharp as daggers, fixed on Marceline with the kind of hatred that burns slow and deep. She looked like a predator who had finally cornered her prey, ready to deliver the killing blow.Samantha's lips curled into a sneer, her face twisting with disgust as she looked Marceline up and down like she was examining something nasty she'd found on the bottom of her shoe. The expensive perfume she wore couldn't mask the bitterness that seemed to radiate from her very pores."You've become something else, I must confess," Samantha said, her voice dripping with venom. Each word came out slow and deliberate, like drops of poison falling from her tongue. "Marceline, you have no shame at all."She took a step closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor like a countdown to destruction. Her wh
The leather chair was cold against Marceline's back. She shifted around, trying to get comfortable. The office looked like every other corporate space - all gray and black, just like Cross's soul. She ran her fingers over the armrest. Expensive stuff. The walls had awards and certificates she couldn't read from where she sat. Pictures of Cross shaking hands with suits. A world she was married into but never belonged to.Quiet. The clock on the wall was too loud. Tick. Tick. Tick. She checked her phone. Cross still hasn't been back. Typical. He called her here like she worked for him instead of being his wife. Well, wife on paper. Their marriage was more like a business deal than anything with feelings.Her wedding ring caught light from the big windows. Heavy. Expensive. Like wearing handcuffs made of diamonds. She twisted it around her finger - something she did a lot since the wedding. The diamond was perfect, the setting fancy. Cross made sure everyone knew what it cost. Image was
Marceline's fingers drummed against the polished mahogany desk as she processed Alvin's words. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across her office, highlighting the tension etched in her features. She lifted her chin defiantly, her dark eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and determination. "I'd love to see you try to get me," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper but laced with steel. The challenge hung in the air between them like a gauntlet thrown down. Alvin's jaw tightened as he straightened his tie with deliberate precision. His eyes never left her face as he took a step closer to her desk, his presence looming over the space between them. "Mark my words, Marceline," he said, his voice low and threatening. "I'll be back for you. Cross can never have you-not truly. What you two have is nothing more than a facade, and we both know it." He paused at the door, his hand resting on the brass han