Wife You Discarded is a Billionaire's Crush novel Chapter 76

Her words died in her throat as she noticed a fresh scratch mark on his neck, half-visible above his shirt collar. Her heart sank.

"Something came up," Cedric said, taking the file from her hand without meeting her eye. He walked past her to his desk, opened the file, and immediately started working.

Sylvia followed him to the desk. "I was wondering if I could take a half-day this afternoon? I have a meeting with the renovation company."

"As long as your work is done, your schedule is your own," he replied without looking up.

"It is your condo, after all. Don't you want to come and take a look?" she asked, leaning over the desk, her eyes full of hope. She wanted him to come with her. If they showed up in front of Liliana together, the impact would be devastating. Then, perhaps, there would be no more marks left by Liliana on his body. The sight of that scratch filled her with a wild, consuming jealousy.

"I don't have time." Cedric was already at his wit's end with Liliana. He had no interest in anything other than work.

Sylvia's face fell, but she feigned nonchalance. "Alright, then I'll just decorate it according to my own taste."

"Fine," he said dismissively.

As soon as she left his office, Sylvia called Nina to schedule the contract signing at Cyan for that afternoon. Nina, still fuming that Liliana hadn't finished organizing the files, readily agreed.

"Designer Shepherd, you're just setting me up to fail." This wasn't an opportunity; it was a trap. She was just an assistant, barely a day into the job, and Nina wanted her to handle a client on her own? Cyan's clientele were wealthy and discerning. They expected top designers. If she lost the client, Nina would blame her, and she would be one step closer to being fired.

"Company policy doesn't say we fire interns for losing a potential client. If you can't land the deal, the loss is on me. If you succeed, the credit is yours. This is your only option." Nina systematically dismantled all her excuses and cut off any path of retreat.

Liliana knew if she refused, Nina would make a scene, putting her in an even worse position. So, she agreed. After all, Nina herself had said that if the client walked, it wasn't her fault.

That afternoon, she followed Nina into the client reception room. The woman sitting in the head seat was Sylvia. Liliana's heart lurched.