Episode 7
1051 Words
“That’s not happening.” Lucien snapped back
“She doesn’t need experience,” someone argued. “She needs proximity. The optics alone…”
“No,” Lucien snapped again, sitting forward now. “My PA position is not a charity role and certainly not a marriage test.”
Another board member sighed. “Then prepare for continued speculation. Camille’s name is already resurfacing. The blogs are relentless.”
Lucien stood.
“I will handle my marriage,” he said sharply. “Meeting adjourned.”
As he walked out, none of them stopped him.
But none of them looked reassured either.
BACK AT THE MANSION.
Brenda was on the couch when he returned, scrolling through her phone like she was punishing herself.
She looked up when she sensed him.
“They want me to be your PA,” she said.
Lucien froze.
“…How do you know that??”
She lifted her screen.
A leaked headline.
“INSIDE VALE HOLDINGS: BOARD CONSIDERS APPOINTING MRS. VALE AS EXECUTIVE PA.”
Lucien swore under his breath.
“They think I’m trying to climb,” she continued calmly. “Sleep my way up. Prove I deserve to stay.”
“That’s not…”
“It’s fine,” she interrupted. “I already know how this story goes.”
She stood, shoulders squared.
“But if they think hiding me makes it worse,” she said quietly, “then maybe they’re right.”
Lucien studied her then, really studied her.
Not the girl he married for convenience.
Not the wife the public doubted.
But a woman standing in the middle of a storm she never asked for and refusing to crumble.
“This isn’t a game, Brenda,” he said.
“I know,” she replied. “That’s why I’m not asking. I’m telling you.”
A beat.
Then another.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
This was no longer just about perception.
This was about control.
And for the first time since the marriage began…
He wasn’t sure who would win.
……………………
The cameras were already rolling before Camille stepped out of the car.
She wore white.
Not soft white.
Not innocent white.
The kind of white that demanded attention.
Flashbulbs exploded the moment her heels touched the pavement. She didn’t flinch. She lifted her chin, sunglasses sliding down her nose just enough for the cameras to catch her face.
“Camille!”
“Ms. Laurent!”
“Are you here for Lucien Vale?”
She smiled.
“I’m here for business,” she said smoothly. “Like always.”
That was all it took.
Within minutes, her photos flooded the internet.
Camille Laurent spotted entering Vale Holdings headquarters.
INSIDE THE BUILDING
Lucien was halfway through a closed door meeting when his assistant burst in.
“She’s downstairs.”
The room stilled.
Lucien didn’t ask who.
He stood, buttoned his jacket once, and walked out without another word.
By the time he reached the lobby, Camille was already there, framed perfectly beneath the Vale Holdings logo, reporters circling like vultures.
She turned when she saw him.
Her smile widened.
“Lucien.”
Cameras all zoomed in immediately.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” he said evenly.
“I didn’t think I needed permission,” she replied, voice sweet. “We’ve never needed that before.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Someone shouted, “Are you still seeing him?”
Camille laughed lightly. “That’s a strange question.”
Lucien’s jaw tightened.
“Let’s go,” he said.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice just enough to feel intimate.
“Relax,” she whispered. “I’m just reminding people I exist.”
The internet erupts.
By the time Naya saw the videos, they were everywhere.
Camille standing beside Lucien.
Camille laughing at something he said.
Camille touching his sleeve, brief, and deliberate.
Captions flew faster than facts.
So the wife stays hidden but the mistress walks in freely?
Ughh! This marriage is a joke.
She looks more like Mrs. Vale than the actual wife.
Brenda closed her phone slowly wondering how she found herself in this whole mess all because of money and desperation.
The staff avoided her eyes.
Someone turned off the television when she entered the room, too late. Camille’s image was already burned into the screen.
THE PRESS CONFERENCE
Lucien hadn’t planned one.
But Camille had.
She stood beside him as microphones were shoved forward.
“Mr. Vale,” a reporter called out, “is your marriage purely strategic?”
Another voice followed quickly. “Why is Ms. Laurent still involved with your company?”
Camille answered before Lucien could.
“I’m not involved,” she said gently. “I’m just… familiar.”
The word landed like gasoline.
Lucien’s expression hardened.
“My marriage is not a performance,” he said flatly.
A reporter glanced down at their notes. “Then why has your wife never been seen at Vale Holdings?”
Silence.
Camille tilted her head, watching him.
Lucien looked straight into the cameras.
“That changes today.”
The crowd leaned forward.
“My wife will be working directly with me,” he continued. “Effective immediately.”
Cameras exploded.
Camille’s smile faltered, just for half a second.
“Congratulations,” she said softly. “I didn’t realize she was qualified.”
Lucien didn’t look at her.
“She will be.”
———————————
The car ride back was quiet.
Lucien stared out the window. Camille sat beside him, arms crossed.
“You chose her,” she said finally.
“I chose control,” he replied. “And besides she’s my wife.”
She laughed bitterly. “You think bringing her closer won’t ruin her?”
Lucien said nothing.
The car stopped at the mansion.
Camille stepped out first, heels clicking sharply against stone.
Brenda stood at the entrance.
Still. Composed. Watching.
Camille paused when she saw her.
“So,” Camille said, eyes sweeping her slowly, “this is the wife who you chose over me.”
Brenda didn’t respond.
Lucien moved between them.
“This is over,” he told Camille.
She smiled, eyes never leaving Naya.
“No,” she said calmly. “This is just getting started.” And with that she left the mansion.
- Writer
