Melissa didn't leave Arinston Corporation immediately.
Instead, she sat inside her car with the engine off, fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel as thoughts churned in her head. The image of Selena sitting in that office—Jace's office—refused to leave her mind.
Too calm.
Too placed.
Too comfortable.
"She's not just a secretary," Melissa muttered to herself.
That realization bothered her far more than she cared to admit.
Melissa had existed in Jace's circle for years. Same elite gatherings. Same charity events. Same unspoken rules of their class. She knew his temperament, his distance, his indifference—and yet here was a woman who occupied his private space effortlessly.
Melissa pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hi," she said smoothly when the call connected. "I need a favor."
By afternoon, things quietly began to move.
A junior staff member in the HR department received a request—masked as routine—from an upper-level contact connected to Melissa's agency. Background verification. Employment confirmation. Nothing suspicious on paper.
Selena Ward's name surfaced.
Melissa sat in a private lounge later that evening, scrolling slowly through the information sent to her tablet.
"No elite school," she murmured.
"No powerful family."
"A mother with recurring medical issues…"
Her lips curled slightly.
"So that's it," she said softly. "Sympathy."
Something about that possibility irritated her deeply.
She leaned back, eyes narrowing.
Jace doesn't marry out of pity.
Unless…
Her fingers paused.
Unless there's something more.
While Melissa plotted quietly, pressure was building elsewhere.
Jace received the call just before the end of the workday.
"Come home tonight," Grandpa Arinston said from the other end of the line. "There are things we need to discuss."
Jace stiffened slightly. "Is this about the company?"
"It's about your future," Grandpa replied sharply. "And your marriage."
Jace exhaled slowly. "I'll come."
"Alone," Grandpa added before hanging up.
The line went dead.
Jace stared at his phone for a long moment.
When Selena returned to her desk after making copies, she noticed Jace standing by the window, jacket already on.
"You're leaving early?" she asked carefully.
"Yes," he replied, turning around. "I have somewhere to be."
"Oh… okay."
A pause lingered.
Selena hesitated, then asked, "Is everything fine?"
Jace studied her face—soft, concerned, genuine.
"Yes," he said finally. "Don't worry."
He didn't tell her where he was going.
And Selena didn't ask again.
The Arinston family residence stood tall and imposing, just like the man who ruled it.
Jace stepped inside alone.
"Sit," Grandpa Arinston said without preamble, pointing to the chair opposite him.
Jace obeyed.
"You promised to bring your wife to meet me," Grandpa said, eyes sharp. "You've delayed long enough."
Jace kept his expression neutral. "The timing hasn't been right."
"Or you're unsure," Grandpa countered. "Is this wife real, or just a name on paper?"
Jace's jaw tightened. "She's real."
"Then why is she not here?"
Silence stretched between them.
Grandpa leaned forward. "You forget too easily, Jace. Power in this family comes with order. Stability. A woman who can stand beside you without becoming a liability."
Jace's eyes darkened. "Sel—my wife—is not a liability."
"Then show me," Grandpa said firmly. "Family dinner. Soon. Everyone must attend."
Jace nodded slowly. "I will arrange it."
Grandpa studied him. "Good. Because if I find out you are playing games—"
"I'm not," Jace said, voice cold but controlled.
Grandpa waved him off. "You may go."
As Jace stood to leave, his thoughts were already elsewhere.
Selena.
That same night, Selena sat in the living room with her laptop open, pretending to watch something she wasn't paying attention to at all.
Her mind kept replaying the day.
Melissa's presence.
Jace leaving early.
The slight—but unmistakable—distance.
When the front door finally opened, Selena looked up.
Jace walked in quietly, loosening his tie.
"You're back," she said.
"Yes."
She stood. "Everything okay?"
Jace paused, then nodded. "Yes."
Again, a half-truth.
They stood facing each other in the soft living room light, words hanging unsaid between them.
After a moment, Selena smiled faintly. "I'll make tea."
"No need," Jace said gently. "You should rest."
She nodded and turned toward her room.
Jace watched her go, guilt stirring uncomfortably in his chest.
Elsewhere, Melissa stared at her screen one last time before locking it.
"So," she whispered. "Selena Ward."
Her smile was slow. Calculating.
"If you're hiding something…
I'll find it."
And far above them all, forces were aligning—family expectations on one side, quiet manipulation on the other—while two people at the center of it all remained painfully unaware that the ground beneath their fragile peace was beginning to crack.