Chapter 3

That evening, Matthew came home with a storm cloud hanging over his head. He tossed his briefcase onto the couch with a thud, yanked at his tie, poured a big glass of whiskey, and gulped down most of it in one go.

He said, his voice heavy with anger, "Elena, why did you have to reserve the whole Wexley Club? Did you really have to do that?"

I looked up at him, my eyes steady. "Did I have to? What about you, giving club privileges to an assistant who's barely been here two months?"

He was livid. "Sofia's a great worker. I'm just helping her grow!"

"Helping her grow with your own special perks? In your secret room? Bringing her along to all these private places?"

Matthew's anger faded to an icy silence. "Elena, are you questioning me?"

"I'm just keeping what's mine safe."

"Safe?" He laughed bitterly. "Or is it the control you're after?"

At that moment, for the first time ever, I saw a stranger in him.

"If keeping my marriage safe is controlling, then call me a control freak," I said, each word deliberate.

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. I was left alone in the silence of the room.

The next few days were a silent battle.

Matthew would head out before dawn and would not come back until after dark. Even though we were in the same house, it felt like we were worlds apart.

Then came another day to pick up Matthew from work. His secretary said he was in his private room. I pushed the door open, and there it was again, the scene I dreaded.

Matthew was on the couch with Sofia right beside him, both of them looking at a laptop. Her hand was on his arm, too close for comfort.

They both looked up when the door opened. Sofia quickly pulled her hand back, but she did not look the least bit flustered.

Matthew's eyebrows knitted together when he saw me. "Elena? What brings you here so early?"

"I'm here to pick you up from work. Seems like I've come at a bad time," I replied.

Matthew got to his feet. "We were just talking about work."

That was when Sofia chimed in, "Mrs. Carter, you've got it all wrong. I was just going over the project's data analysis with Matthew."

She sounded respectful, but her eyes held a quiet challenge.

"Really?" I stepped into the room. "Then please, carry on. Don't let me interrupt."

The room was filled with an awkward silence. Matthew cleared his throat. "Sofia, that's enough for today."

"Okay." She gathered her things slowly and deliberately. "What about tomorrow's meeting—"

"Tomorrow," Matthew cut her off.

Once Sofia was gone, it was just the two of us left in the room.

"Elena..."

I stopped him. "No need to explain. We should get going. Your mother is waiting for us."

…

A week later, it was time for the Carters' regular family dinner once more.

Juliet's voice held a touch of concern when she called me. "Elena, you have to come tonight. It's been too long since we've all been together."

I promised I would.

Dinner was as elegant as ever. Juliet did her best to keep the conversation going, while Matthew's father, Adrian, talked business with him.

I quietly sliced my steak, chiming in there and then.

However, the tension hung heavy in the air.

After we had eaten, we all sat in the dining room with our coffee, making small talk.

That was when Matthew's phone rang.

He checked the screen, and his face flickered with something unreadable, but he still answered the call anyway.

"What?" His voice was soft, but I could tell he was totally shocked. "What did you just say?

He suddenly got louder. "No way! How could that be?"

Everyone stared at him.

"Douglas? Are you sure?" He looked more and more upset.

He ended the call, then got a bunch of texts. His hands shook a little as he read them.

Juliet asked, really worried, "Matthew, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

Matthew slowly looked up, staring right at me. His eyes were full of shock, anger, and a bit of disbelief.

"Our big project in Bricklyn… The main investor just backed out," he said with a rough voice.

Adrian scrunched his eyebrows. "What? Why?"

Matthew went on, getting louder, "And that hotel deal in Granton City—someone else swooped in and took it."

He took a deep breath, like he was trying to calm the storm inside. "The Douglas family did all of this."

The room went super quiet as everyone looked at me.

Matthew's voice shook. "Elena, please tell me it's not true. Tell me you didn't do this."

I looked back at him, totally calm, and an icy smile spread across my face.

"Yes, it's true. I did it."