Chapter 12 - The Knock on the Doorđ„ CLICKBAIT TITLE: THE MISTRESS CAME BACK TO BEG FOR FORGIVENESS... BUT WHAT SHE SAW INSIDE MY PENTHOUSE BROKE HER COMPLETELY!
Late that afternoon, a sharp, frantic knocking echoed against the heavy oak doors of the penthouse.
I wasn't expecting guests, but I didn't need to check the security monitor to know who it was. Only someone in absolute, unadulterated panic would hammer on a door with that level of desperation.
I walked down the long hallway, unlocked the deadbolt, and pulled the door open.
Standing in the doorway was Claire.
Gone was the smug, triumphant mistress from the restaurant. Her hair was a tangled mess, her makeup was smeared in dark streaks beneath her red eyes, and her expensive designer coat was wrinkled and damp from the afternoon mist. She looked like a ghost of the woman who had dared to sit in my chair.
For a second, she just stared at me, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"Emma," she breathed, her voice cracking, completely devoid of its former venom. "Emma, please... you have to help me."
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms lazily over my chest. "Help you? Thatâs an interesting request coming from the woman who spent eight months sleeping with my husband and plotting to steal my livelihood."
Claire stumbled forward, her hands reaching out as if to grab my sleeve, but she stopped short when she saw the cold, unyielding look in my eyes.
"Apex Capital fired me," she sobbed, tears spilling over her lashes. "They used me as a scapegoat! They said I botched the corporate espionage, and now theyâve frozen my bank accounts and blacklisted me from every major firm in the city. I have nothing, Emma. Not even a place to sleep."
"And you thought coming to the wife whose marriage you destroyed was the logical next step?" I asked, my voice as cold as ice.
"Daniel lied to me!" Claire shrieked, her voice pitching upward in hysterical desperation. "He promised me we would share the wealth! He said you were a pushover who would sign the divorce papers without a fight! He used me just as much as I used him!"
"Oh, I know," I smiled softly. "You two deserved each other. Two parasites feeding off a host that was always ten steps ahead of you."
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I reached into my pocket, pulled out a single, crumpled business cardâthe one Claire had dropped on the restaurant floor weeks agoâand let it flutter down onto the welcome mat right at her feet.
"You wanted my life, Claire," I whispered. "Now you get to live the consequences of trying to steal it. Get off my property before I have security throw you out."
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