The Replacement Groom

Chapter 2

The next day, the instant the elevator doors opened at work, I knew something was wrong.

Megan Price, the receptionist, saw me and immediately looked down, pretending to sort through some papers.

When I reached my desk, I found it in complete disarray.

Coffee covered the entire surface. The proposal I had left there was soaked through, stained and wrinkled, with the pages crumpled into a pile at the corner of the desk.

I looked around at everyone's uneasy faces. "Who did this?"

Lily seemed to notice me only then. She gave me a supposedly apologetic smile, her dimples making her look so sweet and innocent.

Of course Ethan loves that sweet, innocent act.

She stepped forward, pulled out a tissue, and started wiping my desk. "I'm sorry. I just bought coffee for everyone. I must not have set your cup down properly, because it spilled."

I smiled, picked up the coffee from the desk beside mine, and splashed it across Lily's spotless white coat.

"Sorry. My hand slipped. You can use those tissues you're holding to wipe it off."

I surveyed the office with a cold stare. Some people looked angry, others disgusted, but not one of them dared to speak.

Apparently, a single cup of coffee wasn't enough to persuade anyone to fight Lily's battles for her.

Lily clearly hadn't expected me to confront her so openly in front of everyone.

Her eyes went red almost instantly. If Ethan had been there, I imagined she would have clutched his sleeve with tears in her eyes and insisted she hadn't done it on purpose.

Unfortunately for her, Ethan wasn't there.

The department manager hurried over as soon as he heard what had happened. "Claire, how dare you bully a new hire at work? Mr. Morgan already knows about this, and he says you need to apologize!"

So that's how it is. Ethan has always claimed he'd never use his position for personal gain, but apparently Lily is worth making an exception for. Now that's true love.

The manager's words broke the uneasy silence. People who had kept their heads down finally began to look up.

Someone murmured, "Claire, just apologize. You were the one who threw the coffee first..."

Another person added, "Lily was only trying to help. There's no need to make things awkward..."

The department manager lowered his voice. "Claire, Mr. Morgan said you have to apologize to Ms. Foster. You need to show some remorse. If you don't, he won't show up at the wedding tomorrow."

I almost laughed. The first time Ethan took me to meet a client, I had spent all day standing in high heels until my heels were rubbed raw and bleeding.

Ethan had stopped the meeting on the spot and taken me back to the car so I could change into sneakers.

Now he was demanding that I "show some remorse."

I smiled. "Tell Ethan I'll apologize if he comes here and says it to my face."

The department manager's face turned red. "Claire, don't push it."

"I'm pushing it? Ask him if he remembers what he promised me 5 years ago, when he was trying to win me over. He said he'd never let anyone hurt me as long as he lived. Now he's sending you to threaten me. If I don't apologize, he won't show up at our wedding? Tell him he doesn't need to come to the wedding. And I'm not apologizing today either."

The department manager stood there for several seconds before giving a cold snort and turning away.

His footsteps clicked rapidly down the hall, and the glass door slammed shut behind him.