Chapter 3
"I'm fine. You really shouldn't have stayed up all night with me," Xavier said.
Eliza froze. 'Wait, all night? Does that mean they were together the whole time?' she wondered.
"But that report is due today..." Dahlia's words died in her throat as she spotted Eliza sitting inside.
Eliza spotted her too. Dahlia was rocking a light blue blouse and a swipe of bright red lipstick.
"H... Hello, Mrs. Delacroix," Dahlia stammered, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of her files.
Eliza's gaze shifted from Dahlia's bold red lips to the coffee cup, then slowly made its way back to Xavier's face, her eyes unreadable.
"Eliza? What brings you here?" Xavier's eyes lit up, and he practically rushed over, leaning in to kiss her.
Eliza instinctively turned her head aside, so his lips barely grazed her hair.
"Where were you last night?" she asked, no beating around the bush.
Xavier froze mid-movement, but he answered honestly.
"There was a sudden system glitch, so I had to stay late at the office," he said.
"So you and Dahlia were working alone together all night?" Eliza asked directly.
"It wasn't just us. The entire IT department was there," Xavier replied with a frown. "I messaged you, remember?"
Eliza pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and held it up for him to see. "Nope, not a single one."
Xavier's face went completely still.
He quickly pulled out his own phone, scrolled through his messages, and then opened his contacts. His expression soured instantly.
"Someone blocked you from my phone," Xavier said, his voice dropping. "That's why you didn't get any of my messages."
Eliza let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Nice try."
"Eliza," Xavier said, leaning in and grabbing her hand. "We've been married three years. When have I ever lied to you?"
His palm was warm and dry, the calluses on his fingers showed just how many years he'd spent with a pen in hand.
Eliza tried to pull her hand away, but he just held on tighter.
"Then how do you explain this?" she said, gesturing toward the coffee cup.
Xavier froze for a second when he noticed the mark, then turned to Dahlia. "Did you use my cup?"
Dahlia glanced nervously at the coffee. "W-when I was pouring your coffee this morning, I grabbed the wrong cup by mistake... As soon as I noticed, I switched it out for a new one."
"And what about the lipstick mark?" Eliza pressed.
"I..." Dahlia's cheeks flushed deep red. "I was worried it was too hot, so I took a sip to test it."
Eliza looked at Dahlia, who was clearly flustered, then at Xavier, his brows furrowed in tension.
"Step outside," she said to Dahlia.
Eliza stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"I saw you hugging her out front of the office yesterday afternoon," she said.
"Her grandmother passed away yesterday. She'd just gotten the news and was crying so hard she could barely stand up," Xavier explained.
Eliza's shoulders stiffened just a bit.
"Eliza, with the system upgrade these past few days, I haven't had a proper night's sleep in three days. If I've missed anything, I'm sorry," Xavier said.
"I know what you're thinking, but Dahlia's just an intern. I'm only looking out for her because she's fresh out of college. That's it, you get that?" he added.
"You're the one who doesn't understand," Eliza said, grabbing her purse. "It's not about what she did. It's about how far you let her get away with things."
Before Xavier could respond, she was already out the door.
Downstairs, Eliza got into her car and told the driver to head straight to the Enchantment Club.
Half an hour later, Eliza was standing right in the middle of the VIP suite at the Enchantment Club.
The crystal chandelier threw a dazzling light over the champagne flutes, and in front of her stood two neat rows of twelve male models, each towering over six feet tall and decked out in all kinds of sharp outfits.
"Ms. Carrington, these are our club's top escorts," the manager said, handing her a tablet with a fawning smile. "Want to pick out a few more?"
"No need," Eliza replied, pulling a black card from her purse. "I'm booking the whole place today. Clear out the other guests. Just have them stand around. No need for any service."
The manager's eyes went wide. "Just... stand there?"
"Yeah, just stand there so I can admire the view," Eliza said, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "Each of you gets a 70-thousand-dollar tip."
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
Eliza settled gracefully onto the leather sofa, picked up a glass of champagne, and took a slow sip.
The alcohol burned down her throat, but it did nothing to douse the fire raging inside her.
"You," Eliza said, pointing at the guy on the far left, the spitting image of a young Xavier. "Come stand under the light."
The boy stepped forward without hesitation, his sharp profile looking even more defined in the glow of the spotlight.
Eliza narrowed her eyes and pulled out her phone, which she'd just powered on.
Three missed calls and twelve unread messages, all from Xavier.
She didn't bother with any of that, just raised her phone and said, "Come on, give me a smile."
As the shutter snapped, the VIP suite door was suddenly flung open.