“Shall we sort out this schedule conflict somewhere more private?” Elise suggested, her professional smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Unless you’d rather discuss business in the middle of the hall.”
I weighed my options-none of them appealing. Refusing would seem childish and unprofessional. Accepting meant being alone with Elise. Between professionalism and personal comfort, I chose the former.
“Of course. The exhibitor lounge should be empty now.”
We walked in silence along the side of the hall, down a quieter corridor to a small room reserved for booth organizers. As I’d predicted, it was empty, furnished only with a few sofas, a coffee table, and a coffee machine humming softly in the corner.
“So,” I began, keeping my tone strictly professional, “about the conflicting schedules-“
“Let’s skip that part, shall we?” Elise shut the door behind her, her smile vanishing instantly. “There’s no conflict. I made that up so we could talk in private.”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“On the contrary.” She walked over to the coffee machine, helping herself as though she were in her own office. ” I’m curious how you managed to land this job so quickly. Especially considering your PR experience was limited to selling dresses.”
I kept my posture straight, refusing to show even a flicker of insecurity.
“I have a degree in PR. You know that-we studied together.”
“And yet, it was only after you got involved with a Kensington that you suddenly managed to step into the world I spent years building. An interesting coincidence, isn’t it?” She set her cup down on the table.
“There’s no such thing as coincidence. There’s hard work.”
“Oh, please, Zoey.” Elise rolled her eyes. “A man like Christian Kensington, suddenly engaged to someone like you? Everyone wondered what he saw in you.”
“Someone like me’?” I repeated, anger rising. “What exactly does that mean?”
She looked me over from head to toe, her calculating gaze disguised by a smug smile.
“You know what’s funny, Elise?” I said, keeping my voice controlled. “You’ve always had this need to feel superior. Always had to put me down to make yourself feel better. It was that way in college, it was that way when you were my friend, and it was that way when you decided you deserved to take my fiancé.”
Her expression hardened.
“That has nothing to do with what we’re talking about.”
“On the contrary-it has everything to do with it.” I took a step closer. “You can’t stand the fact that even after what you and Alex did, I moved on. I was the one Alex was engaged to. I was the one he planned a future with- until you got in the middle.”
“What are you insinuating?”
“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m stating the fact that you were my best friend, he was my fiancé, and you both betrayed me.” The venom I had bottled up for so long finally spilled out. “And now you’re trying to tear me down because you can’t stand the idea that I moved forward. That I achieved something on my own.”
“On your own?” Elise let out a cruel laugh. “Everyone knows you’re only here because of your connection to Christian!”
“At least he chose me.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Whereas Alex… well, I’m certain he’d jump into my bed in two seconds if I snapped my fingers.”
Elise’s face went pale, then flushed a furious red. Her hand cut through the air before I could react, the slap landing on my cheek with startling force.
The sound cracked through the small room, the open door allowing the echo to carry into the hallway. My face burned-more with humiliation than pain-as I realized the shocked stares of people who had stopped to watch our confrontation.
One of the event’s security guards rushed in through the doorway, followed by two organizers. Several onlookers crowded in the hall, some discreetly holding up their phones.
“What’s going on here?” The guard looked from me to Elise, taking in the obvious tension and the flush on my cheek.
“Nothing,” I said automatically, my face blazing with shame. “A professional disagreement.’
“
“She provoked me!” Elise exclaimed, tears of rage welling in her eyes. “She said horrible things about my husband!”
The whispers started immediately. I saw people in the hallway murmuring, phones subtly raised. Perfect. In minutes, I’d be the latest backstage gossip of the event.
“Ladies, this is a professional setting.” One of the organizers, a middle-aged man wearing a director’s badge, looked mortified. “I suggest you both calm down, or we’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“That won’t be necessary,” said a voice from behind the small crowd. Edward appeared, his expression wavering between concern and thinly veiled irritation. “I apologize for my employee’s behavior. I assure you, it won’t happen again.”
He shot me a meaningful look, then turned to the onlookers.
“Please, give us a moment.”
The guard hesitated, glancing at Elise.
“Are you alright, ma’am?”
“I am,” she answered, regaining her professional composure almost instantly. “It was a misunderstanding. No need for alarm.”
When the curious finally dispersed, leaving only Edward, Elise, and me in the room, the silence was heavy.
“That was completely unacceptable,” Edward said, his tone icy. “On both sides.”
“I agree,” Elise replied, adjusting her blazer with precise movements. “Which is why I suggest we keep our distance for the rest of the event.” She shot me one last frosty look. “Some of us have a professional reputation to maintain.”
With that, she left, leaving me alone with Edward and the humiliating weight of having lost control.
“Come on,” Edward said, taking my elbow gently. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”
As he guided me out of the room and down the corridor, I caught a glimpse of Christian standing near the entrance to the main hall. Our eyes met briefly, and something in his expression-surprise? concern?-made my stomach twist. Had he seen or heard what happened?
Edward led me into a small empty meeting room, shutting the door behind us.
“That was a disaster, Zoey,” he said, his voice softer now. “What happened?”
“She provoked me.” I touched my cheek, still burning. “She said things… personal things.”
Edward sighed, taking a seat in the chair beside me.
“I understand you two have history, but we need to maintain professionalism. This event is crucial for Sunvale.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” And I truly was. No matter how Elise had provoked me, I’d reacted poorly. I had let the personal spill into the professional.
“It’s not the end of the world.” Edward suddenly smiled, leaning slightly closer toward me. “In fact, it might be exactly the opportunity we needed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Elise is Elite PR’s weakness. She’s temperamental, impulsive… and she just made a very public mistake.”
I frowned, not understanding where he was going with this.
“And?”
“And that gives us an opening.” His eyes gleamed with something I couldn’t immediately recognize. “Zoey, I need to tell you a secret. The real reason I hired you.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.