The Billionaire's Substitute: Her Final Escape

Elease slammed into the heavy wooden door of the ground-floor executive restroom.

She rushed into the furthest stall, dropped to her knees, and gripped the edges of the porcelain toilet bowl. Her stomach violently convulsed, but there was nothing to throw up. She dry-heaved, her throat burning with stomach acid.

Her hand shook uncontrollably as she reached up and slammed the flush button. The loud rush of water barely masked the desperate, broken sob tearing out of her throat.

The pain in her heart was catastrophic. It felt like a serrated knife twisting between her ribs. She pressed her forehead against the cold metal partition, cold sweat soaking through the back of her silk blouse.

Suddenly, the main door to the restroom swung open.

The sharp, rhythmic clicking of stilettos echoed against the tiles, accompanied by the overwhelming scent of Chanel No. 5.

Elease instantly stopped breathing. Pure panic and the last shreds of her dignity made her reach up and slide the deadbolt on the stall door locked. She didn't make a single sound.

Outside, Kori was complaining loudly into her phone.

"Brogan was being entirely too rigid with the press just now. He needs to relax," Kori whined, her tone dripping with the spoiled entitlement of someone who knew she was adored.

Elease sat on the floor, her back pressed hard against the door. Listening to that voice-a voice so similar to her own, yet so full of confidence-made Elease dig her fingernails directly into her own palms.

Kori hung up the phone. She walked over to the marble vanity. The faucet turned on, water splashing loudly.

Elease looked down at her watch. Her heart was beating in a terrifying, erratic rhythm. If she didn't get out of this stall and take her medication right now, she was going to go into cardiac arrest on the bathroom floor.

She took a slow, agonizing breath, forcing the emotional breakdown into a tight box in her mind.

Elease reached up, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. She walked over to the sink on the far side of the vanity.

Kori was leaning toward the mirror, applying lipstick. She caught Elease's movement in the reflection and paused.

Kori turned her head. She openly looked Elease up and down, her eyes filled with a condescending, aristocratic judgment.

Elease forced herself to meet that gaze. She kept her face completely blank and professional. She turned on the water and began washing her hands.

Kori let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"Your makeup is far too heavy for a corporate environment. It looks cheap," Kori critiqued, her voice laced with poison.

Elease turned off the faucet. She pulled a paper towel from the dispenser and dried her hands.

"This is my personal style. You don't need to worry about it," Elease replied coldly.

Kori's face darkened. Having her authority challenged on her first day was unacceptable. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at Elease.

Kori's eyes dropped to the Walton Group employee badge clipped to Elease's skirt. A malicious smile curled her lips. She slipped right into her role as the supreme boss.

"Go to the independent cafe on the corner of 5th. Get me a hand-crafted double espresso. Bring it up to the CEO suite immediately," Kori ordered.

Elease wanted to tell her to go to hell. But a sharp spasm in her chest warned her that her heart couldn't handle a screaming match right now. She needed to get outside to take her pills.

Elease kept her face expressionless. She gave a stiff nod, threw the crumpled paper towel into the trash, and walked out of the restroom with long, fast strides.

The moment she pushed through the lobby doors and hit the cold street, Elease ducked into a blind alleyway out of sight of the security cameras.

Her hands were shaking so violently she dropped the pill bottle twice before getting three pills into her mouth. She swallowed them dry.

She leaned against the rough brick wall, staring at the cafe down the street. The humiliation was a physical weight crushing her throat.

But Julian had her PTO approval. She needed that money. She had to swallow her pride for one more hour.

Elease walked into the cafe and bought the espresso.

Holding the scalding paper cup, Elease stepped into the executive elevator. As the car shot up to the top floor, the deadness inside her solidified into ice.

The elevator doors opened to the CEO suite. The thick, plush carpet absorbed the sound of her heels entirely. The hallway was dead silent.

Elease walked up to the heavy mahogany double doors. They were cracked open just an inch.

She raised her hand to knock, but her eyes caught the movement inside.

Kori was sitting sideways on Brogan's lap. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. Brogan had his head buried in the crook of Kori's neck, kissing her skin deeply.

Elease's hand jerked.

Scalding hot espresso sloshed out of the lid, splashing directly onto the back of her hand. The skin instantly turned angry red, but Elease didn't feel the burn. Her nerve endings were completely numb.

Brogan sensed something. His head snapped up, and his predatory gaze shot straight through the crack in the door, locking onto Elease.

Elease didn't flinch. She didn't look away.

She stared back at Brogan with the dead, freezing eyes of a stranger for one full second.

Then, she turned her hand over and dropped the full cup of coffee straight into the hallway trash can.