Chapter 3
The moment I stepped through the corporate doors the next morning, the receptionists stared at me with a cocktail of pity, scorn, and pure schadenfreude.
Ignoring them, I walked straight to the executive elevator.
When the doors slid open on the top floor, my stomach dropped.
My corner office door stood wide open, and Chloe's sugary voice carried down the hall.
"This chair is way too stiff. Toss it out!"
"And repaint that wall blush pink! I'm going to hang my favorite photos of Austin and me right there!"
I walked in. Chloe was lounging in my ergonomic leather chair, barking orders at several terrified HR interns.
My files, hard drives, and private documents were haphazardly piled up in the corner floor.
When the interns spotted me, their faces drained of color. "Ms. Vance..." one stammered.
Chloe looked me up and down, offering a sweet, poisonous smirk.
"Oh, morning, Sienna!"
"Austin told me your 'special advisor' title was just for show anyway. This office has the best city view, so it's mine now. You don't mind, do you?"
I glanced down at her four-inch stilettos resting boldly on my desk. "Actually, I do."
Her rehearsed smile froze.
"This is my office," I said, turning my gaze onto the trembling staff with quiet authority. "Who gave you permission to touch my belongings?"
A younger girl looked ready to cry. "Mr. Miller told us to... He said Ms. Chloe is the new lady of the house here..."
"The lady of the house?" I repeated the ridiculous words, leveling a deadpan gaze at Chloe. "And in what legal capacity are you barking orders on this floor?"
Chloe clearly hadn't expected me to call her out so bluntly. She blinked, her lower lip trembling as fake tears immediately welled up in her doe eyes.
"Sienna, I know you're still upset with me."
"But Austin said the company belongs to both of us now. I just wanted to get settled in early and help him out..."
"Help him? With what?" I scoffed. "You can't even read a basic balance sheet. Are you planning to drum up business on that miraculously healed ankle of yours? Or make corporate decisions with your tear ducts?"
"You—!" Chloe sputtered, her face turning crimson with humiliation.
Before she could retaliate, the door to Austin’s adjoining suite flew open.
He stormed over, immediately shielding Chloe behind his back while glaring daggers at me.
"Sienna! What the hell is wrong with you? Chloe was just trying to take some work off your plate. What's with this disgusting attitude?"
Watching him play the gallant savior to his damsel in distress was almost comical.
"Take work off my plate? She couldn't handle my inbox, let alone my job. Austin, let me remind you: you’d better remember who actually owns this company."
Austin’s expression hardened into pure venom. "Sienna, I am giving you one final warning. Stop causing scenes!"
"Chloe is going to be my wife. She will be the first lady of this firm! You will treat her with respect!"
Turning around, he took Chloe's delicate hands, his voice dropping into a tender murmur:
"Don't be scared, babe. With me here, nobody can touch you."
"Come on, let me show you your new private lounge down the hall."
They brushed past me as if I didn't exist.
Chloe threw a triumphant, venomous smirk over her shoulder right at me.
My gaze flickered toward the crew she brought in; one of the workers carried a toolbox with an unfamiliar wire poking out from the top.
I didn't think much of it at the time, but soon enough, I would realize exactly what that wire was for.
Around us, the employees kept their heads down, terrified to breathe.
Standing in the wreckage of my tossed office, watching their cozy retreat, I felt zero heartache—only cold clarity.
Pulling out my phone, I discreetly snapped high-resolution photos of the trashed room and the confidential financial disclosures carelessly dumped on the floor.