Chapter 2 - The Script Flipped
The silence in the hallway was heavier than concrete.
The only sounds were Chloe’s pathetic sobbing from inside the glass cage and the sound of Sarah hyperventilating behind me.
“What did you just say?” Eleanor choked out, her voice barely a whisper.
I stepped closer to the frosted glass, tapping my manicured fingernail against the pane.
“I said, I hope you enjoyed the coffee you drank on my sofa last Thursday, Eleanor.”
Marcus stopped banging on the door.
Inside the spa room, the cheating couple froze completely.
“I know everything,” I announced, my voice echoing off the high ceilings of the estate.
“I know about the late-night gym sessions. I know about the amber perfume on the Tom Ford suit.”
I turned my gaze directly onto Eleanor, who looked like she was about to faint.
“And I know all about your brilliant little strategy, Eleanor.”
“What strategy?” David asked, stepping between his mother and me, looking utterly bewildered.
“Ask your mother, David,” I replied smoothly.
“Ask her how she sat in my living room and advised her son to keep sleeping with the maid.”
Sarah let out a disgusted gasp. “Eleanor, tell me she’s lying.”
Eleanor couldn't speak. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish suffocating on dry land.
“She told him to play the perfect husband,” I continued, my voice rising in power and authority.
“She told him to milk me for two more years. To funnel my business assets into joint accounts so he could leave me and take half my empire.”
Marcus slammed his fist against the glass again.
“Clara, please! Let us out! Let me explain!” he begged, sounding like a cornered rat.
“Explain what, Marcus?” I laughed, a cold, bitter sound.
“Explain how you were going to use my labor, my brilliance, and my money until I was stripped clean?”
I reached into my blazer pocket and pulled out a small, black remote control.
“I didn't just lock the door, Marcus.”
I pressed a button on the remote.
Instantly, the exhaust fans in the spa room shut down.
The temperature controls for the massive jacuzzi automatically cranked to maximum heat.
The heavy steam began to rapidly fill the small, enclosed space, turning it into a suffocating sauna.
Chloe screamed, coughing as the thick, hot moisture invaded her lungs.
“Clara, stop it! We can't breathe in here!” Marcus coughed, his voice filled with genuine fear.
“You couldn't breathe when Chloe used the eucalyptus oil either,” I reminded him coldly.
“But remember what you told me? You told me to show some grace.”
May you like
I leaned closer to the glass.
“This is my grace, Marcus. Enjoy the heat.”
