Chapter 2

"Oh? Just a normal boss-employee relationship, but she's willing to blow $150,000 on your birthday? Ms. Bennett, if you're that generous, why not throw the rest of us a party too?"

When Ryan had been talking down to me, Claire hadn't said a word. The moment he was the one embarrassed, her eyes widened and she snapped at me through clenched teeth.

"Don't take this too far."

Ryan pushed his glasses up his nose.

"So this is about money. That's on me. I shouldn't be the only one benefiting. I'll send everyone a little birthday cash so we can all celebrate together."

Claire arched a brow.

"Absolutely not. You're the birthday boy. I'm the host. I'll do it."

Ryan didn't reach for his phone, just made a show of protesting.

"No, really, I should."

Claire had already pulled out her phone.

"It's settled. Don't argue with me. I'm paying."

Ryan gave an exaggerated sigh and backed down, muttering that next time he absolutely had to be the one to treat everyone.

No one in the room was fooled. He had never intended to spend a cent.

Claire, however, seemed to believe him completely. She sent every person at the party $700 through a payment app.

Then I checked mine.

Ten cents.

The amount felt like it was laughing at me. Laughing at how stupid I'd been and how thoroughly I'd brought this situation on myself.

A coworker beside me saw the number on my screen. His smile froze.

Then he sighed and said, half exasperated and half sympathetic, "See? This is what happens when you piss off the boss."

I gave a bitter laugh.

He didn't understand.

Even if I'd kept my mouth shut tonight, I still would have gotten ten cents.

My profit share and annual bonus had been slashed for years too.

I used to feel almost proud of it. I told myself Claire treated me differently because I was family, because we didn't need to keep score between us.

Now it just seemed pathetic.

She had been using our marriage as an excuse to squeeze me dry.

"I'm heading out."

I said goodbye to my coworkers and turned for the door.

I didn't want to stay at this birthday party another minute.

And I didn't want this wife anymore either.

It was midnight by the time Claire came home carrying a chili dog from the old neighborhood. She reeked of expensive perfume.

Her smile was soft and coaxing, nothing like the cold expression she'd worn at the party.

"Honey, eat it while it's hot. You used to love these. Now that we live in a luxury complex across town, you never get them anymore, so I stood in line at that same cart just for you. Tell me if it still tastes the way you remember."

I looked at the steaming food and felt nothing.

Back when I was helping her build the company, I went to client dinners with her. Once, I embarrassed myself because I didn't know how to eat caviar properly, and someone laughed at me for being a broke nobody who didn't belong there.

Claire had nearly cried as she promised me that one day, when she had money, she'd take me out for lobster and king crab and put the most expensive food in the world in front of me.

I hadn't wanted her to feel pressured, so I'd pointed at a street cart and told her the chili dogs there were my favorite food.

I kept eating them afterward because they were cheap.

But years had passed. My tastes had changed.

She had never noticed.

When I still didn't take the food, Claire wrapped her arms around me from behind and softened her voice.

"Still sulking? Mr. Cole gets older and somehow his temper gets worse."

"There really is nothing between Ryan and me. He was a younger student at my college, that's all. His family also has a lot of money, so staying on his good side is useful."

We'd had other trust-fund kids come through the company for a few months just to say they had jobs. Claire had always looked down on them. She had never gone out of her way like this for any of them.

Did she really think I was stupid enough to buy that excuse?

I pried her arms off me.

"Sure. Whatever you say, Ms. Bennett."

Claire had clearly expected me to soften after she'd gone out of her way to coax me. When I didn't, her patience vanished. She tossed the food into the trash.

"Fine. Don't eat it. We're not struggling anymore. I run a company now, and I'm busy. I don't have time to waste on petty little arguments like this. You're not a kid. Grow up."