From Substitute Lover To Scorned Heiress

Ava Burgess POV:

Kiley turned, a dazzling, almost predatory smile on her face. "Ava! You look terrible. Did you and Bryant have another fight?" Her voice was laced with saccharine concern, but her eyes, bright and cold, betrayed the malice.

I had no fight left in me. I said nothing, just tried to walk past her, desperate to escape the suffocating air she brought into the room.

"Ava!" she called, her voice sharp. I stopped, my shoulders tensing.

"You're not a child anymore," she said, her tone dripping with mock pity. "Don't you think it's time to stop these childish games? Bryant is under immense pressure right now. The city council funding approval is hanging by a thread."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "He's carrying a huge burden, Ava. And you're not exactly helping him, are you? In fact, you're just distracting him at a critical time."

My eyebrows furrowed. I looked at her, my expression blank, carefully constructed to betray nothing.

"I am a co-founder of this company," I stated, my voice low and even. "And if Bryant can bring you in, I can certainly send you packing." The words were out before I could truly consider the consequences.

Kiley' s smile vanished. Her face froze, a mask of shock, then crumpled. Tears welled in her eyes, a performance so seamless it almost convinced me.

"I just wanted to help," she whimpered, her voice cracking. She dabbed at her eyes, a picture of fragile innocence. "Why would you threaten to fire me?"