My Best Friend Stole My Fiancé and My Beauty Empire

"Are the roses arranged yet?" Serena’s voice buzzed through the phone speaker.

Iris Hale adjusted the silver cutlery on the mahogany dining table. "Yes. Two dozen white roses. Exactly how Carter likes them."

"Seven years of hiding, Iris. Tomorrow, you finally get the ring in public. How does it feel?"

"Surreal," Iris said. She picked up a lighter, striking the flint to light a tall taper candle. "Building LUMERIA with you took up so much of my life. Keeping Carter a secret so his board wouldn't panic... it drained me. But tomorrow makes it all worth it."

"You deserve it, babe. You really do." Serena laughed, a bright, sharp sound. "Did you finalize the press release?"

"Sent it to PR an hour ago. They're linking the engagement announcement to our new winter palette launch."

"Genius marketing," Serena said. "Carter's company gets a boost, we get a boost."

"I don't want it to feel like a business transaction," Iris murmured, stepping back to admire the table setting.

"Everything is business, Iris. Even love. But don't worry, tomorrow is all about the romance. I have to run. Big night ahead."

"See you tomorrow. Wear the red dress!"

"Oh, I'll be wearing something unforgettable. Bye."

The call ended. Iris set the phone down and glanced at the grandfather clock. Eight o'clock. Carter Voss was usually home by seven.

She poured a glass of wine and waited.

The clock chimed nine. Then ten. Then eleven.

The steak sat cold on the china plates. The candles had burned down to stubs of wax.

Iris’s phone vibrated against the wood.

*Meeting ran late. Can't make it home.*

She tapped his contact name. The line rang four times before he answered.

"Carter, where are you?"

"Still at the office." His tone was flat, clipping the edges of his words.

"I've been waiting for three hours. The food is ruined."

"I didn't ask you to cook, Iris."

"It's the night before our engagement party."

"About that." A muffled thud echoed through the speaker, like a car door shutting. "We need to delay it."

Iris gripped the edge of the table. "Delay it? Carter, it's tomorrow. Two hundred guests are flying in."

"I have a business trip. London. A massive acquisition just fell into my lap. I have to fly out tonight."

"You can't send your VP? It's our engagement."

"Are you really going to be selfish right now?"

"Selfish?" Iris raised her voice. "I've hidden for seven years. I've smiled and pretended we were just acquaintances at every gala. I've played the perfect secret girlfriend."

"And I appreciate that. But this is my career. If you love me, you'll understand."

"Carter, my parents are flying in from Seattle. They land in four hours."

"Tell them to fly back. Or put them up in a hotel. I'll cover the bill."

"It's not about the money! It's about the humiliation. We've been together for seven years. I've stood by you through the lawsuits, the board takeovers, everything."

"And I am rewarding that loyalty. I'm marrying you, aren't I? Just not tomorrow."

"Why does it have to be tonight? The London market doesn't even open until Monday."

"Because the CEO of the target company is only in town for twenty-four hours. Are you done interrogating me?"

Iris bit the inside of her cheek. The metallic taste of blood grounded her. The anger vanished, replaced by a dull ache of submission. She had compromised for seven years. One more delay wouldn't kill her.

"I do love you," Iris said quietly. "You know I do."

"Then cancel the venue. Send an email to the guests. I'll call you from the plane."

"Okay. Be safe on the flight."

"Yeah."

The line clicked shut.

Iris stood alone in the penthouse, staring at the ruined dinner. She threw the white roses into the trash.

***

Morning sun glared through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Iris woke up shivering on the sofa. Her neck ached from the awkward angle.

Her phone lit up on the glass coffee table.

Three new messages. Unknown number.

She rubbed her eyes and opened the thread.

An image loaded on the screen.

Carter’s face, eyes closed, lips pressed against the bare shoulder of a woman. They were tangled in white hotel sheets. The woman stared directly into the camera, a victorious smirk playing on her lips.

Serena.

Iris dropped the phone. It clattered against the glass table.

She snatched it back up, her hands trembling.

*Message 1: Guess the London trip got rerouted to my bed.*

*Message 2: He canceled because he’d rather be here.*

*Message 3: Seven years was just practice, Iris. He loves me.*

Iris didn't cry. A strange, cold calm washed over her. She hit dial on the unknown number.

It rang twice.

"I wondered when you'd wake up," Serena answered. Her voice was thick with sleep.

"Tell me this is a fake photo," Iris said.

"I don't use Photoshop, babe. You know that. I'm the marketing director of LUMERIA, remember? I only deal in reality."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm tired of watching you play house with a man who belongs to me."

"He's my fiancé."

"He was your secret." Serena sighed, shifting on the other end. "Have you ever wondered why he hid you for seven years?"

"His grandfather's rules."

"His grandfather died three years ago. He hid you because you're boring. A safe, predictable little shadow. He needed someone to keep his bed warm while he built his empire. But he never planned to marry you."

"You're lying. We picked out the rings together."

"He bought my ring two months ago. Yours was just a prop."

Iris dug her nails into her palm. "Put him on the phone."

"He's busy."

"Put Carter on the fucking phone, Serena."

"Fine." Serena’s voice pulled away from the receiver. "Hey, babe? Iris wants to talk to you."

A long pause followed. The rustle of heavy sheets filtered through the speaker.

Then, Carter's voice. Annoyed. Cold.

"Hang up the phone, Serena. I told you I'd handle her later."

Iris stared at the blank wall opposite the sofa. Her stomach plummeted.

"Hear that?" Serena whispered into the mic. "He'll 'handle' you later. Enjoy cleaning up the canceled party."

The call ended.

Iris sat in the silence of the penthouse. Seven years of her life, erased in a single morning. Her best friend. Her fiancé. They had played her for a fool, laughing behind her back while she built a company and a life around them.

She looked at the LUMERIA brand documents sitting on the kitchen counter, then at the photo of Serena smirking on her screen.

She picked up her phone and dialed the event coordinator.

"Hi, Brenda," Iris said, her voice entirely steady. "Change of plans for tonight. We aren't canceling the party. We're changing the announcement."