Damon Sinclair's Mystery Wife

Damon was so close to begging her on his knees for her to stay at home but she didn't listen. He'll, that man was worried someone would try something crazy again and his fears were very much valid.

She needed to distract herself from the mess that just happened with Soonie, media frenzy or not.

The office felt different the moment Naomi stepped out of the elevator.

There wasn't anything visible. The glass walls were the same, the hum of computers steady, the smell of burnt coffee lingering faintly in the air. But the silence hit her first, the moment she walked into the lobby.

Conversations cut off mid-sentence, chairs stopped creaking, someone cleared their throat nervously.

Naomi adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and walked forward anyway.

She had known this was coming.

The news had been everywhere; online headlines, morning shows, social media clips dissecting the footage frame by frame.

Damon Sinclair’s Wife Identified After Shocking Kidnapping Attempt.

Her face hadn’t been shown clearly, but her name had been spoken enough times for it to stick.

She wasn’t naïve enough to think the office wouldn’t know. This was one of Damon's many reasons for begging her to stay back home with him.

Her steps didn't quicken when she approached the elevator, nor did she say a word when staff members wondered if it was okay to join her in the elevator or not. She pretended not to see them.

Rose was the first to spot her when she walked into her department. Her eyes widened, then softened almost immediately.

“Ms Naomi,” she said, standing up halfway from her chair as if unsure whether to hug her or pretend nothing had changed.

Paul froze mid-sip of his coffee. Didi’s fingers stilled over her keyboard.

The three of them exchanged quick, silent looks; What do we do? What do we say? Are we allowed to say anything?

Naomi offered a small smile. “Morning everyone..”

It seemed to break whatever invisible tension had settled over them.

“Morning,” Rose echoed, a little breathless. “We..um. Are you okay?”

Naomi nodded. “I am.”

Paul swallowed. “That… that was you on the news, right?”

She didn’t flinch. “Yes.”

Didi let out a slow exhale. “Wow.”

There was no envy in her voice, just shock. The kind that comes when the person you’ve shared lunch breaks and deadlines with suddenly feels… unfamiliar.

None of them said Mrs Sinclair out loud, but it hovered there between them.

The staircase incident started to make more sense now; her husband had the entire company on lock down when someone made an attempt on his wife's life.

Naomi turned toward her desk, set her bag down, and powered on her computer like this was just another Monday evening though her fingers trembled slightly.

That was when Tita’s voice cut through the air, clearing her throat unnecessarily loud.

“Well,” Tita said from across the room, not looking at Naomi, not even pretending to address her directly, “I suppose things make a lot more sense now.”

Heads turned. Naomi stilled but didn’t look up yet.

“I always wondered,” Tita continued, leaning back in her chair with a lazy sort of confidence, “how some people move up so quickly without the usual… qualifications.”

Rose shifted uncomfortably.

Paul frowned. “Tita..”

“I’m just saying,” Tita went on, waving a hand dismissively, still not saying Naomi’s name, as if she were discussing a concept rather than a person sitting three desks away. “It’s easy to look competent when your husband owns the building.”

The room went quiet. Painfully so.

“Some of us work hard and others…cozy up to their husbands for a few favours. Life is surely unfair.”

Naomi felt it then, not embarrassment, anger. A slow, steady burn starting in her chest and spreading outward.

She had swallowed comments like this before, letting people underestimate her because it was easier than fighting every assumption.

But today? She was damned too upset to be dealing with Tita’s nonsense.

She turned in her chair slowly and stood and walked towards Tita's desk. Every eye in the room followed her.

“Tita,” Naomi said calmly.

That got her attention.

Tita smiled thinly, finally meeting her gaze. “Yes?”

“You seem very comfortable discussing my career like I’m not in the room.”

A beat.

Tita shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”

Naomi chuckled. She took a step closer. Her voice didn’t rise, but something in it sharpened.

“Let me be very clear,” she said. “I got this position because I earned it. Long before anyone here knew who I was married to. Long before you decided my work ethic needed a scandal to explain it.”

Tita scoffed. “Please. You expect us to believe…”

“I don’t expect you to believe anything,” Naomi cut in. “Your belief has never been a requirement for my performance.”

Rose sucked in a quiet breath. Didi held back a chuckle, that served her right.

Naomi didn’t stop.

“You’ve questioned my competence since the day I walked in here. You’ve taken credit for my work, undermined me in meetings, and spoken about me like I was a problem to manage instead of a colleague.”

Tita’s smile wavered. “When did I..”

“I'm not done talking.” Naomi said, her voice cold enough to make Tita go silent.

The words landed like a slap.

“You don’t get to reduce my achievements to who I married because it makes you feel smaller. And you don’t get to imply I slept my way into a career I’ve bled for.”

Paul straightened. Didi’s eyes widened.

Tita stood abruptly. “You think marrying Damon Sinclair makes you untouchable?”

Naomi met her glare without blinking. “No. What makes me untouchable is that everything you just implied is defamatory and I have witnesses.”

Naomi gestured lightly around the room. “Including my teammates. And HR.”

All eyes shifted toward the glass office at the far end.

The HR, May, had been watching the exchange unfold through the transparent wall, her eyes narrowed on Tita with disdain.

“I could sue your sorry ass.” Naomi muttered under her breath, loud enough for just Tita to hear.

She straightened up, “So if you have a problem with my work, file it properly. If you have proof I didn’t earn my place, present it.”

She leaned in just enough for Tita to hear her next words clearly.

“But if you ever speak about me like I’m not standing right here again, I will make this very uncomfortable for you.”

Tita opened her mouth. Then closed it.

Naomi stepped back, her expression settling into something cool and composed.

“Now,” she said, turning back to her desk, “if we’re done speculating about my marriage, I have work to do.”

She sat.

The room stayed frozen for several seconds before the quiet hum of keyboards slowly returned.

Rose stared at Naomi like she was seeing her for the first time.

Paul let out a low whistle under his breath. “Damn.”

Didi smiled, she knew Naomi had always had it in her to put that woman in her damned place.

Across the office, Tita sank back into her chair, face tight, eyes burning with something that looked a lot like fear.

And behind the glass wall, staff members who had witnessed the exchange made their way to their departaments, they knew better than to spread false rumours in the staff chat now.

May smiled and returned back to her office. Heck, she might be close to invisible at the office but she wasn't dumb. She knew Naomi was married to Damon a long time ago. Maybe a little too much about their marriage even.

Naomi exhaled slowly, fingers steady as she typed. The time to play nice is over and she's definitely coming for all that's hers.