Chapter 1 Sylvia Knox Returns

When Grant Walton came home, he carried a scent that didn't belong on him. It was Rose of No Man's Land. I owned a bottle too. Grant had given it to me. He'd even insisted I wear it every day, because it was his first love Sylvia Knox's favorite scent. Now that Sylvia was back, the same fragrance on my skin felt cheap, as if I were the knockoff all along. "You're still awake?" Grant asked as he loosened his tie and leaned back on the couch. He looked exhausted. When his eyes met mine, he looked away almost immediately. There was a thread of guilt in it he couldn't quite hide. I set down the scarf I'd been knitting and gave him the gentle, slightly sorrowful smile I'd practiced a thousand times. "I was waiting for you." I walked over and helped him out of his coat, just as I always did. After hanging it up, I brought him a glass of honey water, warmed to just the right temperature. "The weather changed today," I said softly. "You didn't wear much when you left. I was worried your stomach might start acting up." My eyes were fixed on him, as if my world revolved around him alone. Grant took the glass and looked at me for a long moment. "Elodie." He suddenly caught my hand, his thumb rubbing slowly over the back of it. "There was a dinner tonight. Sylvia was there." I knew he was about to confess everything. I should look shocked and hurt, hold back my tears, and say I understood. So, my body tensed a little, and my eyes teared up right on cue. I bit my lower lip, lowered my head, and let my voice shake. "So… Ms. Knox came back?" Grant sighed and pulled me into his arms. "Yeah. We're in the same circle. Running into each other is unavoidable. Don't overthink it. What I had with her is in the past." I leaned against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Inside, I was laughing. In the past? His heart was pounding so hard it was practically leaping out of his chest, and he was telling me she was in the past. And his shirt collar still had half a lipstick mark on it. Dior 999. Sylvia's favorite shade. Did he think I was blind? But I couldn't call him out. He was my boss. My job was to do whatever he said. That was basic professional etiquette. "I believe you, Grant." I lifted my head, tears clinging to the corners of my eyes, and gave him that gentle smile. "As long as you still want me, I won't go anywhere." It looked like my "confession" had touched him. He hugged me tighter, rested his chin on the top of my head, and his voice went hoarse. "Elodie, why are you so good to me?" After a brief pause, his tone softened. "Don't worry. I won't treat you badly." The next second, my phone buzzed. It was a bank notification. "Your account ending in 8888 received 200,000.00 at 11:05 pm on December 20. Remark: spending money." The tears in my eyes became instantly more sincere. Grant really was a good man. He was so generous that he transferred 200,000 dollars as compensation.