He Fell for Her, I Rose Alone

"Ms. Parker, what a coincidence!" I said, my gaze sliding past Nick to Diana, who was trying to slip out the hotel's front door. "Fancy meeting you here."

A bead of sweat glistened on her temple, trailing down her face.

I gave a light, mocking laugh and shrugged. "I thought you'd be busy revising the tender for the East City project. Doesn't seem like your company is in much of a hurry."

Diana approached with her head down, but I caught a flicker of resentment in her eyes. She muttered, "Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Doyle. I had a last-minute project meeting here, but I'm heading back now to revise the tender as you requested."

Sensing her discomfort, Nick looped his arm through mine, his voice syrupy. "Come on, honey, Ms. Parker is my boss, and she's always looked out for me at work. Don't make things hard for her."

He turned to her with a grin. "Ms. Parker, you're too honest. You know the East City project is owned by my wife's company. You should've told me, and I'd have convinced her to hand it to us for my sake."

I bit back a sneer, keeping my expression neutral. Even now, he thought I'd be foolish enough to hand a lucrative deal to his mistress.

"If I'd known Ms. Parker was so good to you, I wouldn't have been so tough on her," I said smoothly. "But the tender does have issues. Please revise it carefully, Ms. Parker, and we'll discuss next steps."

Relieved, Diana thanked me and hurried off. Her reflection in the hotel's glass doors revealed a smug, mocking smirk.

She could laugh while she could. Soon enough, I'd make her cry.

I gently disentangled myself from Nick and took his arm, leading him deeper into the hotel. His cheeks flushed as he probed, "Where are we going?"

I didn't answer, just guiding him to the elevator and pressing the button for the floor of the presidential suite. As the doors closed, he leaned in close, his eyes soft and suggestive.

But his breath carried a faint, nauseating odor that made me recoil inwardly. In the confined space, it was impossible to ignore.

He froze, clamping his mouth shut, and his eyes darted to the floor indicator. That was when he finally realized where we were headed to the same floor where he'd just been with Diana.

Sweat glistened on his forehead again. His voice was small, hesitant. "This is sudden. What's the plan, honey?"

The elevator dinged, and I pulled him out, marching toward the presidential suite. His steps grew heavier, his body trembling as we neared the door.

At the suite's entrance, he was shaking so badly he could barely stand. I pulled a keycard from my pocket, swiped it, and pushed him inside.