A Forbidden Entanglement: Sorry, Sis, He's Mine

GWENDOLYN “I need you, Gwen. It’s time to do what you do best. I want to ruin my husband.” “I want to take everything from him, the money, the properties, full custody of Bella… I know things, dirty things we can use to bury him.” My sister’s voice echoed at the back of my mind as I stared out the window of my spacious hotel room. It’s been two days since that call and I still couldn’t decide which part annoyed me more, the fact that she only ever called when she needed a favor or the fact that I’d actually said yes to coming back here. But the thing was, she didn’t just want a random favor for a friend, she was asking me to ruin her husband, Casimir Thorne. I didn’t come out of kindness, I came because I couldn’t stand the whispers anymore. The way my co-workers looked at me after the news broke like they finally had proof that the “man-hating” divorce attorney couldn’t keep a man of her own. They said it quietly, of course, but I heard it. I heard everything. My chest tightened as I stared at the sprawling city before me, the same one I’d swore never to return to. This was definitely not how I had pictured this day. I was supposed to be walking down an aisle in Italy, getting married to the only man I had ever truly wanted in my life. My fiancee—ex-fiancée had called off the wedding a week before the date. No warning, just a text that read, “My parents think you’ll do to me what you do for your clients.” That one struck a nerve. It crawled under my skin and stayed there. I’d laughed when I read it, I always laughed when something hurts too much to admit. Maybe they weren’t entirely wrong. My job wasn’t soft. I helped women take back everything they had lost in their marriage, children, dignity and yes, sometimes, their husband’s money too. I was damn good at it. The kind of good that made men nervous. But his sister who’d always wanted to get a pound of flesh from me, leaked the news and the whispers that followed was intense. Blogs masterfully called me a gold digger, the bold ones said my fiancee was smart to call it off or else I would have stripped him clean. Even my clients looked at me differently, like the heartbreak made me less credible. None of it should have gotten to me, I’d spent years building a reputation for doing exactly that, but it did so my sister’s request was the perfect excuse. I took a leave, lied about caring for my sick mother and packed my bags before anyone could ask questions. A soft knock cut through my thoughts. I didn’t need to ask who it was because there was only one person that knew I was back in Ashborough and in this hotel. I opened the door to Audrey, my childhood friend, “Gwen!” She shrieked excitedly as she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. Seconds later, she stepped back and began to wave two sleek, black cards in the air as her eyes widened with excitement, “We’re going out.” “I’m not in the mood Audrey,” I responded coldly. “All the more reason you have to go.” She thrust a ticket into my hand, “Besides, I got these from a date who chickened out and I’m terrified to go alone. The whispers about this place… let’s just say I feel safer with a pit bull in a skirt by my side.” There was no arguing with Audrey and I eventually gave in. The club was nothing like I had expected, soft jazz and murmured conversations. The kind of place you would choose to have an off-work meeting with a client, not a place to unwind. “Really Audrey? This looks like a stakeholder’s meeting.” She just smirked and grabbed my arm, dragging me towards what looked like a storage room. Two intimidating looking men dressed in dark outfits stepped out from nowhere and Audrey quickly flashed the black ticket she was holding. As soon as they took the tickets from us, the stepped aside and one of them pressed an almost invisible button. A section of the wood-paneled wall slid back, revealing a steel elevator. Secret door? This wasn’t just a bar. I glanced at Audrey as the elevator descended, a smooth, silent drop that felt like it went on for too long. When the doors finally slid open, it was like we were in an entirely different location. A woman, stunning and nearly naked except for the strategic swirls of gold paint and a feathered half mask, glided towards us, “Welcome to Elysium.” She said with a smile as she thrust the polished silver tray she was holding in front of us. It was filled with all kinds of fancy masks. “Please, choose.” She added and Audrey and I both picked one each. After we tied it on, they took our phones claiming it was a mandatory rule before another woman led us down a dimly lit hallway and when we stepped into the main lounge, my breath caught in my throat. Naked bodies were everywhere, some of the people were clothed but everyone had a mask on, down to the security men flanked on every side of the room. Soft music echoed around us and the heavy scent of expensive perfumes and cigarettes filled the air. The things openly happening here would definitely make the front page as a blurred photo if it ever got out. At the center of it all was a stage where women danced on poles and slid their clothes off seductively while the crowd simply threw money at them. What the hell was this place?! “See? I told you!” Audrey whispered gleefully as she elbowed me. “Now for the love of God, Gwen, try to be nice. Just for one night. Don’t be… you.” I rolled my eyes at her as she continued dragging me towards the bar. A few shots in and my eyes drifted to the side, that was when I saw it. A few feet away, a man with a gold trimmed mask had a woman pinned against the wall. Her hands were flat against it and she looked like she was going to pass out any second as she glanced around the room in panic. Audrey followed my gaze and instantly grabbed my wrist, “Gwen, no. Don’t you dare. Look away.” But it was too late; my feet was already moving. I walked right up to them and inserted myself between them. “Sir,” I said, my voice calm but firm, “I think the lady doesn’t want to be with you.” He turned his glare on me, “And who the f**k are you? Get lost! If she didn’t want my attention, she wouldn’t be dressed like that in a place like this.” I gritted my teeth in disgust, I hated it whenever I had to deal with an entitled bastard. “I know what consent looks like and this isn’t it. Except you want to get sued for harassment publicly, then I suggest you let her go.” As I spoke, I softly pulled out a business card from my clutch, I didn’t hand it over to him, I just let him catch a glimpse of it, “Now, I am sure you don’t want the public digging into your business. I assume that’s why we all have this mask on.” I threatened. He stared at the card then back at my masked face. His face twisted in anger. His fist clenched and he took a half-step towards me. For a heart-stopping second I thought he was going to hit me but then, his eyes darted over my shoulder and his tensed shoulders dropped. He scowled, muttered a vicious curse and walked away. I turned around but the woman I had just saved was already gone. “You really came to a place like this with your business card?” Audrey chuckled nervously, rushing over to my side, “you can’t do that in here! Men in places like this…they’re the big shots. The ones no one messes with. You’re gonna get us kicked out.” Before I could reply, one of the security men suddenly appeared behind me, “Ladies, it’s your lucky day. Someone just gave you both an upgrade.”