Chapter 3

"Good evening, Mrs. Lane. You look beautiful today." Emily seemed completely oblivious to my displeasure. She flashed me a bright, cheerful smile, looking almost genuinely innocent.

Andrew looked perfectly calm too, as if he didn't see anything wrong with the situation.

My expression hardened. I yanked open the passenger door and said coldly, "Get out."

Emily's smile froze. After a moment, she mumbled, "Mrs. Lane, Mr. Lane was giving me a ride home. I get carsick, so I sat up front."

She glanced at Andrew, eyes pleading for help.

Andrew looked at me helplessly. He knew me well enough to try to speak up for her.

I repeated myself, even more coldly, "Get out."

Andrew finally spoke. "Let my wife sit there."

Emily bit her lip and reluctantly got out of the car. She was about to open the rear door when I stopped her. "Who said you could get back in?"

Emily froze.

I took a deep breath, pulled some money from my purse, and slipped them into her coat pocket. "You can't even afford Uber? Times must be pretty tough for you. Here, I'll cover the fare. Go home, and be careful."

Andrew looked awkwardly between the two of us, trying to find a way to smooth things over.

I turned to him with a sweet smile. "Andrew, this is on you. One of your employees can't even afford an Uber home. As her boss, shouldn't you be doing something about that?

"Starting tomorrow, transportation allowances for all employees at Lane Corporation and Newman Group at Grade Three and above will be increased by ten percent. Put it on Newman Group's account."

Emily's eyes turned red. Tears welled up in them, trembling on the verge of falling. She somehow managed to look like a stubborn little damsel in distress.

"Mrs. Lane," she said in a trembling voice, "I may be poor, but I still have my dignity. How dare you use your position to humiliate me?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're so broke you can't even afford an Uber home, and you had to hitch a ride in the CEO's car. How exactly is me paying for your Uber an insult to your dignity?

"Or does your dignity only stay intact if the CEO himself drives you all the way home?

"Your dignity must be worth a fortune, then. Just standing here for a few minutes has already cost me and Mr. Lane a million dollars in business.

"If we had to waste even more time driving you home, how exactly were you planning to make up for the loss? With your dignity?"

I scoffed, no longer interested in watching her face fall. I slid into the car, and slammed the door shut.

Andrew started the car without a word. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Emily still standing there, biting her lip and looking as though she had been deeply humiliated.

The silence in the car felt heavy, but I had no intention of being the one to break it.

Andrew cleared his throat and tried to explain. "Her apartment is close to the Lane estate. It's really no trouble to drop her off. There was no need to—"

"Andrew." I met his eyes through the rearview mirror. "I told you before that I like you because you have boundaries and I am too.

"I already let the steak-cutting incident slide. But today, you let her sit in your passenger seat and she even moved my spot.

"I only give the people close to me three chances. Today was your second.

"I'm not asking for much. All I want is for you to keep the same distance and boundaries with other women that you always have. That shouldn't be difficult for you.

"Andrew, don't disappoint me."

Andrew didn't say another word, and the car fell silent again.

I couldn't be bothered to wonder whether he was upset. I had never needed to walk on eggshells around anyone.

The car smoothly pulled into the parking area of the Lane estate.

When we got out, I slipped my arm through Andrew's as usual, as if the argument in the car had never happened. "You know our marriage isn't about the two of us.

"If you don't want tomorrow's headlines to send both families' stock prices into a tailspin, smile.

"We're all adults here. Don't make this harder than it needs to be, okay?"

My smile was warm, but my words were ice-cold.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andrew force a passable smile onto his face. Satisfied, I walked into the house with him.

*****

The moment we stepped inside, Andrew's mother, Melissa, greeted me warmly and pulled me into a hug. "Charlotte, you're getting prettier every day. Come sit next to me."

Andrew followed and took the seat beside me.

The Lane family was large and prosperous, with plenty of relatives gathered around the table.

Melissa kept chatting with me while piling food onto my plate. "That project our two families are working on together is going incredibly smoothly. Charlotte, you really are something."

"Melissa, you're too kind. We're family now. There's no need to make a distinction between your side and mine," I replied.

Melissa suddenly frowned and looked at Andrew, who had barely said a word all evening. "What's gotten into you? Why are you so quiet? And you haven't even been tending to your wife."

Andrew looked a bit awkward. "You two were having such a good conversation. I didn't want to interrupt."

Melissa tucked her hair behind her ear and casually brought up, "I heard you've got a new assistant. She hasn't exactly been on her best behavior, has she?"

Andrew's hand stopped halfway to his plate. He frowned and looked over, his eyes moving between Melissa and me.

Melissa acted like it was nothing, but her words were sharp. "I've already told the head of HR to let her go.

"She's just an intern. She has neither the skills nor the judgment for the job. We'll give her three months' severance and let her find work somewhere else."

Andrew slammed his fork down. "Mom, I'm the one running the company now. Don't you think you should have talked to me before firing someone who works directly for me?"

Melissa calmly placed a shrimp on my plate. "You handle everything else well, but you're way too soft on these small fry. You're still young. There's no need to rush."

She gave Andrew a meaningful look. "Your marriage with Charlotte is a serious matter. When our family was choosing its successor, you stood out because you were smart and knew how to read the room. Don't lose that edge."

I pretended not to hear any of it. I simply smiled faintly and quietly carried on my conversation with the others.

There had been a small hiccup during the family dinner, but overall, the evening remained pleasant.

*****

The moment we got home, I walked through the door and found Andrew leaning against the entryway. He watched me take off my shoes before speaking in a low voice. "Charlotte, we need to talk."

His voice was tight with anger.