Finally, Yours

'Thanks to my dear boss for broadening my horizons. He worried I wouldn't be used to the business dinner, so he ordered kid-friendly dishes just for me. Love him!'

The post came with a photo: a banquet table full of fine dishes, but in the center sat a plate of French fries and cinnamon rolls. Beside her, a man in a tailored suit was carefully placing food on her plate. And the Rolex glinting on his wrist was the very engagement gift I had given Caspian.

So, it seemed he was ready to give up being my kept man.

Later that night, when I had just finished work and was about to rest, my phone lit up with a string of messages from him. 'Giselle, what happened yesterday was my fault. I'll come find you right away. I promise I'll handle this properly.'

I chuckled to myself, curious to see what game he was trying to play. 'Alright.'

What I never expected was for him to show up bold enough to bring Susie along to pick me up from work.

I opened the passenger door and locked eyes with her. She clutched the seatbelt in both hands, looking at me timidly. "Ms. Leclair…"

My gaze turned icy as I stared at Caspian, silently demanding an explanation. But he brushed it off. "Susie twisted her ankle today. I was just giving her a ride. Don't overthink it."

Except the colorful trinkets on the dashboard and the pink cushion on her seatbelt told me otherwise. It was obvious Susie had ridden in this car before—many times. I had only been too busy chasing down projects to notice their affair until the day before.

"Huh!" A laugh slipped from my lips. "Caspian, if I fed you that same excuse, would you believe me?"

He froze for a moment before his face twisted in anger. "What the hell do you mean by that, Leclair?! If you don't believe me, fine. But to accuse me of having an improper relationship with her? Since when did you become so fond of spreading rumors?"

Listening to his pathetic denial, I lost all interest in arguing further. Talking to an idiot was a waste of time. I yanked my hand free and slammed the car door shut.

Susie clung to his sleeve, whispering, "Cas, I'm scared…"

Fuming, Caspian rolled down the window and shouted at me, "You'll regret this, Leclair! I've spoiled your rotten attitude for far too long!" Then, he slammed the gas pedal, the car speeding past me in a spray of mud.

It was the rainy season, and within seconds, I was soaked and caked in filth.

As I stood there deciding how to get home, a sleek Maybach glided to a stop in front of me. The window lowered, revealing Jace Guillard, the wealthiest man in the capital's old-money circle, his chiseled face as cold as ever. "Need a ride?"

I slid into the seat, shivering as my fingers tapped rapidly on my phone. Jace tossed a blanket over me, his voice still cool but edged with concern. "It's been years. How did you end up like this? Don't tell me the Leclair heiress who once dominated the business world has now been reduced to some lovesick fool—"

"Guillard, will you marry me?" I cut him off, meeting his gaze through the rearview mirror.

He slammed the brakes and pulled over to the curb. "Giselle, are you serious?"

I caught sight of his ears turning red and handed him my phone. "The wedding announcement with Caspian has already been withdrawn. I'm selling off my shares, pulling out my investments. And…" I pulled my ID from my bag and held it up to him. "Yes, I'm serious."

His eyes burned into mine. Then, with a broad grin, he pulled his own ID from his jacket. "Giselle Leclair, I've been waiting for this day a long time."

…

Half an hour later, the Maybach pulled up to City Hall. Our marriage certificate appeared online, along with a photo of our clasped hands. The caption read, 'Finally, yours.'

As expected, Caspian saw it almost instantly, and my phone rang nonstop.

"Giselle Leclair, how dare you cheat on me?!"

I held the phone away from my ear. "Show some respect. We're over."

The Last Straw

"Who I marry and when I marry them is none of your business."

Caspian's voice snapped back, furious and incredulous. "Over? When did we break up?"

I sneered in response. "The minute you let Susie provoke me again and again, we were over."

"Giselle Leclair, have you no shame?" His temper flared even higher. "Susie and I are innocent—how dare you spread lies about us? You're full of shit…"

Before he finished, Jace tried to get a word in, but I clapped a hand over the phone and cut him off. "Don't speak. You're my ace in the hole—keep quiet; you'll come in handy."

…

At 9:00 AM the next morning, I arrived at the office for the investment meeting on the dot.

This was a high-stakes meeting that would decide the company's next moves. Midway through, the projector behind me made a curious noise, and the room's puzzled looks turned sour. I turned to see what was playing. An AI-generated clip flashed across the screen—me in a private room, greedily feeding from a baby bottle.

Before I had time to react, Susie burst into the conference room with a gaggle of people, each carrying a tray. Lifting a lid revealed bottles filled with milk. "It's been a long meeting, everyone. Ms. Leclair specially prepared this milk. We hope you like it—after all, Ms. Leclair personally selected it."

My scalp went numb with fury, and my fists dropped to my sides, yet Susie kept chattering away. I didn't think twice—I grabbed a bottle from the tray and poured every drop straight over her head. "You like milk so much? Drink your fill!"

Caspian rushed over and planted himself in front of her. "Giselle, what are you doing? Susie tried to make amends—this is how you treat her?!"

I laughed through my teeth and slapped him across the face. "And what if I did? It's work hours—she was disrupting the meeting, so I hit back."

Caspian was livid. Susie clung to his sleeve and whispered, "Cas, you're the CEO—why does everything have to go her way?"

That was all it took. Caspian bellowed at me, "You're officially fired. Get out, now!"

The room erupted. He might not have understood the project's inner workings, but everyone else knew I ran it. Without me, there wouldn't have been this turnout of heavy hitters. Yet he chose to humiliate me in front of our guests to appease his little mistress. It was self-sabotage of the highest order.

Someone from the team tried to intervene. "Cas, the project still needs Ms. Leclair's approval—maybe you should take Susie out—"

"Anyone who speaks up for her is fired." Caspian cut them off mid-sentence.

The threat left the room in stunned silence; no one wanted to risk their jobs.

I let out a cold scoff. "Caspian Lund, heed my word: whatever happens next is on you." With that, I turned and walked out.

Susie and Caspian strutted like conquerors—until every investor who had been sitting stiff and formal rose and followed me out. "Sorry, Mr. Lund. We'll have to reconsider the investment."

Within minutes, the conference room emptied, leaving only Jace. Caspian pinned his last hopes on him—after all, Jace alone could substitute for the whole table.

"Mr. Guillard, about the investment—" Caspian began, eyes desperate.

Under Caspian's stare, Jace, with unwavering resolve, walked straight to me and took my hand. I smiled lightly and looked over at Caspian. "Caspian Lund, are you ready to face the price of betraying me?"