"How did he know?"
That question kept repeating in my head the moment I opened my eyes, like it was stuck there and refused to leave.
Joseph knew I had gotten married and he found out too fast.
I needed to understand how that happened.
I reached the dining table at 6:58 in the morning. Gideon Cross was already sitting there like he had been awake for a long time.
He wore his jacket, held a cup of coffee, and read a newspaper like nothing in the world could disturb him.
I sat down quietly without saying anything.
Mrs. Cole placed breakfast on the table and walked away without a word. The room became very quiet. After a while, Gideon spoke without looking at me.
"There is an event on Friday. You will come with me." I suddenly stopped eating and looked at him.
"What kind of event?" I asked. He didn't answer me right away.
"My assistant will send you the details," he said.
I shook my head. "I don't want your assistant to tell me. You should tell me yourself."
That statement made him stop reading, he slowly lowered his newspaper and looked at me but I didn't look away.
"I am not something you dress up and take to events," I said carefully. "If I am going with you, I need to know what will happen there."
He stayed quiet for a moment, then he said, "There will be about three hundred people there. Business people, politicians, and reporters. Everyone will take pictures. If anyone asks, we say we met six months ago."
I nodded slowly. "Okay," I said. "Thank you," I added.
He looked at me for a few seconds longer than normal, then went back to his newspaper like nothing happened.
At 9:00 p.m., my phone rang.
It was Joseph again. I kept wondering what he wanted stared at his name for a moment before answering.
"Esther, my dear," his voice sounded warm, like someone who cared about me. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," I said.
"You don't sound fine," he replied gently.
"I am fine," I said again. "Don't worry about me."
There was a short silence. Then he spoke again. "This marriage… are you sure about it? Are you safe there?"
"I am safe," I answered.
"Esther," he said softly, "you don't have to stay somewhere that makes you uncomfortable. I have been checking things about your situation, and—"
"Joseph," I stopped him.
There was silence again.
"How did you know I got married?" I asked.
He laughed a little, like it was not important.
"People talk," he said.
"No," I said slowly. "Not this one, tell me the truth."
He paused for a long time, then he finally spoke.
"A source I trust told me," he said. "Someone saw your name connected to Cross Holdings. It was easy to understand the rest."
I didn't say anything.
"Esther," he added, "you can trust me."
Something about the way he said it made me feel uneasy, like he wanted me to believe it without asking more questions.
"I have to go," I said and I ended the call.
I stayed still for a while, holding the phone in my hand. Joseph knew too much and he did not want me to dig deeper, that made me feel uncomfortable.
I stood up slowly, If I could not get answers from him, then I needed to pay attention to everything around me.
My dress was black and very expensive.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't look like someone who was struggling, I also didn't look like someone who was desperate instead I looked like I belonged in Gideon Cross's world and that thought made me feel nervous.
There was a knock on the door.
"I give you five minutes," Gideon said from outside.
"I am ready," I replied.
I picked up my bag and walked out. Gideon was already waiting. He looked at me for a moment and said, "You look good."
I almost smiled.
"You too," I said.
We left together to the event venue. The place was full of bright lights and beautiful decorations. The tables were arranged perfectly, people stood and talked like they were very important and like they belonged there.
When Gideon and I walked in, many people turned to look at us. A man came closer and stretched out his hand.
"Cross, new guest?" he asked.
Gideon didn't hesitate. "My wife," he said. "Esther."
My wife, the words felt strange in my head.I was still thinking about it when the atmosphere of the room suddenly changed.
People became quiet, many heads turned toward the entrance. I followed their eyes.
A woman walked in wearing a red dress. She walked like she already knew everyone was looking at her. Her name was Wendy Chase.
She was a very famous actress, someone people saw in movies and on magazine covers but the way she walked showed she was not just famous.
She looked like someone who was used to getting attention. She stopped right in front of Gideon.
The whole room became very quiet. Wendy folded her arms and looked at him.
"So it is true," she said. "You replaced me very fast."
Gideon didn't answer. That silence made her expression change.
"You didn't even tell me," she said. "You just disappeared." Still, Gideon said nothing.
Then Wendy raised her hand, before anyone could stop her— A SLAP.
The sound echoed in the room, everyone gasped.
I froze. Gideon did not step back. He slowly turned his head back to her. Wendy's voice shook now.
"Is this how you treat me?" she asked. "After everything I was to you?"
Gideon finally spoke. "I didn't treat you badly," he said calmly. "I just moved on."
Wendy gave a small laugh, but it didn't sound happy. Then she turned and looked at me.
"So this is her," she said quietly.
I didn't move.
She turned back to Gideon. "This is not finished," she said.
"It is," Gideon replied.
Wendy smiled, but it looked cold.
"You will regret this," she said softly.
Then she turned and walked away, her heels clicked on the floor until she disappeared.
The room stayed silent and everyone there understood one thing very clearly:
Wendy Chase had not lost Gideon Cross, she had been replaced and she was not going to forget it easily.