The next morning, Eve arrived at Cross Enterprises with a headache.
She hadn't slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Claire standing in that bathroom doorway. The shock on her face. The confusion. The hurt.
The elevator doors slid open onto the executive floor. Eve stepped out, clutching her coffee and trying to convince herself that everything was still under control.
It wasn't.
The moment she reached her desk, she grabbed a folder and headed toward the employee restroom. She needed a moment to breathe before facing Ethan.
The bathroom was empty when she entered.
Eve placed her purse on the marble counter and stared at her reflection.
"You've handled worse," she muttered.
A few splashes of cold water later, she was beginning to regain her composure.
Then the door opened.
Vanessa walked in.
Eve immediately stiffened.
Vanessa was one of the company's senior managers, a woman known for her ambition and her habit of knowing things she shouldn't.
The lock clicked behind her.
Eve frowned.
"Can I help you?"
Vanessa leaned against the sink beside her.
"Actually, I think I can help you."
Something about her smile made Eve uneasy.
"What do you want?"
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"I've been sending messages to Claire."
Eve's stomach dropped.
"What?"
Vanessa looked amused by her reaction.
"Telling her how close you've become to Ethan. Suggesting there might be something inappropriate happening between the two of you."
Eve felt her blood run cold.
"Why would you do that?"
"I was curious."
Vanessa tilted her head.
"Imagine my surprise when Claire informed me that wasn't the problem."
Eve's expression froze.
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Vanessa laughed softly.
"She told me enough to figure out what's going on."
Eve's pulse began hammering in her ears.
"Claire told you that?"
"Not directly."
Vanessa shrugged.
"But she told me enough."
The silence stretched.
Eve's mind raced.
If Vanessa knew, she could tell Ethan.
She could tell everyone.
Months of planning could disappear overnight.
Vanessa seemed to enjoy watching the panic slowly build in Eve's eyes.
"You look nervous."
"What do you want?" Eve repeated.
This time her voice was sharper.
Vanessa smiled.
"There it is."
She pushed herself off the counter and took a few slow steps forward.
"I was wondering how long it would take before you asked the important question."
Eve didn't move.
"Vanessa."
"No, hear me out."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Claire told me enough to figure out you're not interested in Ethan."
The words hung in the air.
Eve's jaw clenched.
Because that wasn't true.
"What do you want?"
Vanessa's eyes traveled over her.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then she smiled.
" I want You to fuck me."
Eve stared at her.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Vanessa leaned against the sink.
"I want you."
"You're insane."
"No."
Vanessa laughed softly.
"I'm curious."
Eve's expression hardened.
"I'm not sleeping with you."
"I didn't say sleeping, i said fucking eve, know the difference."
The smile on Vanessa's face widened.
Silence.
Eve felt her pulse hammering.
"Absolutely not."
Vanessa's smile vanished.
Just like that.
The playfulness disappeared.
She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.
"Then I suppose Ethan should know about the rumors surrounding his assistant."
Eve's eyes narrowed.
"You'd destroy my career because I rejected you?"
Vanessa shrugged.
"I'll do whatever benefits me."
She slipped the phone back into her purse.
"And right now, what benefits me is getting what I want."
Eve looked away.
Every instinct screamed at her to walk out.
To tell Vanessa to go to hell.
But she couldn't ignore the risk.
Not now.
Not when everything depended on maintaining Ethan's trust.
Vanessa could see the conflict on her face.
The hesitation.
The calculation.
And she knew she had won.
"So?" Vanessa asked.
Eve remained silent for several seconds.
Then she finally looked back at her.
The disgust in her eyes was impossible to miss.
"This doesn't mean anything."
Vanessa's smile returned.
"It doesn't have to."
For the first time in years, Eve felt completely trapped.
And she hated it.
So she had to agree
I'd send you an adress, don't be late", vanessa said and walked out...