Chapter 5. Sleeping Close to the Enemy

“What’s going on?” Evelyn asked, a file in her hand. The sharp click of her high heels echoed against the marble floor, her crimson dress hugging her figure in a way that made her look both stunning and untouchable. Under the cold white light from the ceiling, her features were sharply defined, striking and impossible to ignore.

“N-no… it’s nothing,” Chloe said, looking slightly awkward before quickly composing herself. She stepped closer and looped her arm through Evelyn’s in a practiced show of affection. “It’s just… you’ve changed all of a sudden. I’m still not used to it.”

“Then get used to it,” Evelyn replied flatly, pulling her arm free and walking toward her desk.

Chloe, as brazen as ever, dropped into the chair across from her with a flirty smile. “I still think you looked prettier before, so smart, so… sophisticated.”

Evelyn kept her head down, eyes on the contract in front of her. A faint, knowing smirk curved her lips. “Then maybe you should try the smart look yourself.”

Chloe fell silent, her face darkening for a moment.

“Anyway, there’s a change in your position I wanted to discuss,” Evelyn said, sliding a folder across the desk.

A new position? Was this because Evelyn knew about her and Lucas, and was planning to send her far away?

“I don’t want to be transferred! Evelyn, are you mad at me? Did I do something to upset you? I don’t want to be away from you.”

Evelyn ignored her whiny tone, simply raising a brow. “Open the file and see.”

Chloe hesitated, biting her lip before flipping it open.

“Evelyn…” Her expression shifted, complicated. “You want to move me closer to Lucas…?”

“That’s right,” Evelyn said, taking a sip of coffee. “You have a problem with that?”

Chloe’s eyes lit up with greedy delight.

Of course she wouldn’t refuse, being near Lucas would make it so much easier to seduce him and take Evelyn’s place as Mrs. Callahan.

But she still put on a show of reluctance.

“Evelyn, I don’t think it’s right. I’ve been by your side for years, I’ve always thought of you like my own sister. I really don’t want to leave you.”

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes as if to hide tears, sneaking glances at Evelyn’s perfectly calm face. Today, Evelyn felt… different to her.

“In that case, I won’t force you,” Evelyn said, pulling another file from her desk and opening it to reveal a résumé. “I already have another candidate in mind. If you’re refusing, I’ll give the opportunity to her instead.”

Chloe’s gaze flicked to the photo attached to the résumé.

A young, fresh-faced beauty.

If a woman like that was sent to work near Lucas, he might forget all about Chloe in an instant.

“Evelyn!” she blurted before she could stop herself.

“Hm?”

Evelyn’s fingers tapped lightly against the desk. Each tap seemed to hit a nerve.

“I was wrong to question you,” Chloe said, covering the flash of jealousy in her eyes. “I’ll work with Lucas. I won’t let you down.”

Evelyn’s smile was satisfied. “Good. Start packing up today, you’ll move to Lucas’s office immediately.”

Once she was out of Evelyn’s office, Chloe’s face hardened.

Was Evelyn really not suspicious after seeing her?

Or did she trust Lucas’s blind devotion enough to endure the humiliation?

Up in Lucas’s office, his brow furrowed when he saw Chloe walk in with her belongings. “What are you doing here?”

Closing the door, Chloe pouted. Her tone was part playful, part pitiful. “Lucas, don’t you love me anymore?”

She pressed herself against him. He took a slow breath. “That’s not what I meant.”

But Evelyn’s recent shift in behavior had put him on edge.

“She transferred me here. From now on, we can see each other every day, no more sneaking around in cars or hotels…” Chloe’s body brushed against his.

Lucas’s frown deepened. “Why would she suddenly do that?”

He didn’t get an answer, Chloe’s lips cut him off before he could.

Desire flared. His concern faded. And yet, in the haze of heat, Chloe’s face sometimes blurred into Evelyn’s, elegant, magnetic, impossible to shake.

On another floor, a finance staffer knocked on Evelyn’s door. “Mrs. Sinclair, Mr. Callahan’s office is locked. Can you sign this for me?”

Evelyn’s laugh was cold. Chloe had really rushed in fast.

After signing and sending the staffer on their way, she picked up her phone, dialed a number, and said, “Yes. Only the best quality. Have it installed tonight.”

That night, Lucas appeared at her office door, eyes curious. “Why are you still here? Let’s go to dinner.”

As he stepped closer, Evelyn caught his intoxicating scent. There was still a faint red mark on his neck, one that could only mean one thing.

She mocked herself inwardly. She’d seen marks like that on Lucas before, and in her naïve past, she’d believed his excuses, that they were just allergic reactions.

“My dear husband, I have to work late tonight,” Evelyn said slowly, a faint smile curving her lips.

Without her glasses, her eyes sparkled like pools of light.

Lucas swallowed hard and reached for her hand. “Work will always be there. We haven’t had time alone in ages.”

In the past, Lucas had barely looked at her with desire. To him, she’d been a plain, awkward wife who could never stir anything in him. But today, Evelyn had been full of surprises. He was only just realizing she was like a rare piece of jade, once polished, she gleamed with breathtaking beauty.

His hand moved almost of its own accord. But the woman he wanted so badly stepped back at the last second, and the rejection only made him want her more.

“Evelyn, stop playing games,” he said, loosening his tie. “You’ve always wanted me, haven’t you? Everyone’s gone home, no one’s going to interrupt us here.”

But the image of Lucas and Chloe earlier in his office flashed in her mind, the two of them so shamelessly satisfied it made her stomach turn.

A knock at the door broke the tension. “Mrs. Sinclair, CEO Reed is here.”

Sebastian Reed? Why was he here out of nowhere?

Her voice came out sharper than she intended. “Tell him I’ve gone home. I’ll see him another time.”

“Why not just meet him?” Lucas’s tone was reproachful. “You know how important this project with Reed is for us.”

“Oh, so now you really want me to greet him?” Evelyn laughed under her breath. She’d nearly forgotten Lucas was just a hypocrite who always put his own interests first. Then she imagined his reaction if he knew what had really happened between her and Sebastian.

At first, she’d wanted to refuse, too aware of the awkwardness. But the flash of displeasure in Lucas’s eyes sparked something else in her, something that wanted payback. “Fine,” she said. “Send him in.”

Lucas hesitated, glancing toward the door. “In that case, I’ll step out. I don’t want to get in the way of the project.” His tone was flat, but she knew he had no desire to be in the same room as Sebastian.

Straightening his tie, he walked toward the door. As he passed the staffer coming to fetch Sebastian, he moved aside without a word.