Chapter 102

Douglas glanced at Liliana in the rearview mirror.

Since he'd insisted, Liliana could only agree, though she made a mental note to keep him out of the kitchen once they got home.

But things rarely went according to plan. The moment she walked through the door, Juniper grabbed her and pulled her down onto the sofa.

Douglas slipped off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Douglas, let me," Liliana said, trying to push Juniper's hand away.

Before she could even get to her feet, Juniper yanked her back down.

"You're miserable right now. What state are you in to cook?" Juniper argued adamantly.

Liliana pushed at her. "I'm not miserable!"

"How could you not be? Tomorrow you have to go see Sylvia Woods, apologize, and beg her to come back to your husband's side. I've never seen such a doormat for a wife!"

Juniper twisted the knife, doing whatever it took to keep her out of the kitchen.

The thought of bringing Sylvia back was something Liliana had been subconsciously trying to avoid. She stopped struggling and fell silent, her brow furrowed in a tight knot.

"What's so spineless about it? Apologizing won't kill me, and it gets me a divorce from Cedric. Why wouldn't I do it?"

Juniper stared at her, shocked. "You're really that okay with all this?"

Liliana forced a smile. It wasn't that she was okay with it. It was the only path she had, and she had no choice but to grit her teeth and see it through.

"You just reminded me," she said, pulling out her phone. "I need to schedule a meeting with Sylvia."

She sent a quick text.

[Miss Woods, would you be free to meet sometime tomorrow?]

She knew Sylvia was staying in the house that was meant to be her and Cedric's, but showing up unannounced felt too aggressive. She wanted a dignified exit, and that meant observing the proper courtesies.

Sylvia, at least, met her halfway.

[Tomorrow at eight in the morning.]

No location was mentioned, but Liliana knew exactly where she meant: Expo Manor.

"Bring your marriage certificate

when you go tomorrow," Juniper declared rubbing her hands

together. I'll call a pack of reporters and let everyone see that jerk Forrest shacking up with his mistress in his own marital home!"

Just the thought of the scene made her grin with satisfaction.

Liliana barely registered the words, knowing it was just Juniper letting off steam. She picked up her phone again and sent a flurry of messages to Hale The image of him breaking down in her arms earlier was seared into her mind, and she couldn't Shake the worry. She sent message after message, telling him not to let it get to him, to focus on getting his strength back, and to pull himself together so he could get his life back on track.

After her stream of texts, Hale sent back just two words. [I'll try.]

Liliana set her phone down and looked over at Juniper, who was furiously channeling her resentment for Cedric into a video game. She stood up and went into the kitchen "Douglas, is there anything I can do?"

"If you really want to stay, you can just talk to me," Douglas said, finding nothing for her to do. "That Nina Shepherd... she's not easy to get along with, is she?"

"She's okay." Liliana didn't mention the bet Nina had made with her. Aside from finding Nina difficult, she didn't think she had done anything particularly unfair.

"Nina is one of Cyan's most talented designers, basically the cornerstone of the company right now. She's made quite a name for herself in the design world here. You'll benefit from working with her."

Douglas knew Nina was tough and that she hated nepotism more than anything. Still, he had assigned Liliana to her team. He trusted that Liliana had what it took to win Nina over on her own merit.

"Douglas," Liliana began, changing the subject, "you left the country so suddenly two years ago, and now you're back just as suddenly. Was it for work?"

She thought that if Douglas had stayed to manage Cyan, the company would be even more successful than it was now.

Douglas's hand paused over the vegetables he was chopping, then resumed its steady rhythm a moment later. His voice was light, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"It was because of someone."