揥hy are you here for the board meeting??I grit out as she pulls at the chair beside me and takes a seat.
揃ecause I抦 a member of the board.?The light floral scent of her perfume surrounds me.
揘o you抮e not.?The dispute is automatic.
揧es, I am. The company bylaws state the number of shares I need to hold, and I do. Thanks to our marriage.?
I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out a long exhale, ignoring the confused looks from everyone but Asher.
This is payback for last night. I ran that show, so now she抯 taking counter measures to prove I抦 not in control. Our relationship is an endless chess match.
Scarlett opens a folder, signs some paper with a flourish, and sets it aside before looking at me, challenge dancing in her eyes. I can feel a headache forming. I抦 pissed. 揕ast night, you seemed to think I should act more like a wife,?she tells me. 揌ere to support you, Sport.?
揟his is not what I meant, and you know it.?
揗aybe you should have clarified, then. Not walked out.?
揇o you want me to show up at one of your magazine meetings??I demand.
Scarlett smirks. 揧ou can抰。 Because I own all the shares of my company, remember??
Always two moves ahead. I lean forward, trying not to get distracted by how she smells. How I can抰 help but react to her proximity. 揝carlett棓
Her phone rings. She answers it, like I抦 not trying to talk to her. Like we抮e not in a boardroom waiting for an important meeting she shouldn抰 be attending.
揌ello??A pause. 揘o that won抰 work. I don抰 care. It抯 unacceptable.?Whoever she抯 talking to replies. 揚ut him through. I抣l handle it.?
She stands and strides out of the room with the phone pressed to her ear. Everyone watches her leave.
If I were alone, I抎 bang my head against the table right now.
Asher leans closer. 揇ude.?
揘ot now.?I grit my teeth as I open one of the folders that抯 been distributed around the table, pretending to look through the graphs and expense reports.
The coffee cart comes around, delivering drinks. Asher orders an espresso, and then it抯 my turn.
揚lain coffee, please. Black.?The middle-aged woman who works the small cafe on this floor complies, placing a steaming cup of dark brown liquid in front of me.
揂nything here??She nods to Scarlett抯 bag beside me.
I抦 so tempted to say no. But I got into this mess by pissing her off. I sigh. 揇o you have non-dairy milk? Soy or something??
Asher chortles, and I give him a look that promises a slow and painful death if he utters another sound.
揧es. I have soy.?
揝he抣l have a soy cappuccino.?
Isabel walks into the conference room as the barista is making Scarlett抯 drink. The look on her face suggests she already knows who owns the stuff strewn beside me. Scarlett must not have gone far to wrap up her phone conversation. There抯 only one hallway that leads down here.
Scarlett reappears a couple of minutes later, capturing the attention of the room once more.
揇id he cry??I mutter sarcastically as she sits down beside me.
揘ope. But he did discount his fabric to half cost when I was willing to pay double.?
揌ow exciting,?I drone.
揥hat抯 this??She抯 looking at the cappuccino.
揥hat you think it is.?
揧ou got me a coffee??
揟here抯 a cart,?I reply, excruciatingly aware of how everyone in a ten-seat radius is listening to this conversation.
揑 can抰 drink this.?
I sigh. 揑t抯 soy, okay??
Her eyes burn into me as I continue to pretend to look at papers. In reality, the numbers are blurring together.
揧ou think dairy substitutes are ludicrous.?
揟hey are. I just didn抰 feel like listening to you complain about how you can抰 drink dairy, despite the fact you抮e not lactose intolerant.?
揟he way I had to listen to you complain about the missing carton of two percent??
I close the folder. 揑t抯 not missing if you threw it out.?
揑 relocated it.?
揑nto the trash.?
揧ou don抰 even take coffee to work in the mornings. I do.?
揟here抯 more oat milk in our fridge than ten people could drink in a month. But my one carton棓
揟here were three,?Scarlett interjects.
Asher laughs. He tries to hide it in a cough, but it抯 too late.
Scarlett glances past me. 揌i, Asher.?
揝carlett. Pleasure, as always. I haven抰 enjoyed a board meeting this much卐ver.?
揑t won抰 be a regular occurrence. I抳e got plenty of work already. But I抦 an overachiever, so厰
I grit my teeth as she delivers that little dig.
揑 saw the announcement about rouge. Congrats.?
揟hanks, Asher.?Scarlett sounds genuine.
揂nd it already sold out? No pressure, huh??