Mary pushed against his shoulder, but the resistance was token at best. Within seconds, she melted into him, arms winding around his neck, returning the kiss with equal fervor.
I watched. Expression blank. Pulse steady.
A horn blared from behind. The light had turned green. Dean finally pulled back, tongue dragging slowly across his lower lip, savoring her. He shifted the car into drive.
Mary sank against the headrest, fingers combing through her disheveled hair, smoothing her rumpled blouse. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, cheeks still flushed with color that had nothing to do with makeup.
"Hotel's booked?"
Her voice came out slightly breathless.
"Same place as always." Dean's eyes stayed on the road, but his smirk was audible. "Suite with the floor-to-ceiling windows. River view. You like that one, don't you?"
"Mm." A low hum of approval. Her hand drifted back to his thigh, fingernails tracing lazy circles. "And my... bonus? You know how much work it took to balance those books. A million dollars plus a car—I nearly didn't get it past those fossils on the board."
"My Mary. Always so capable."
Dean reached over and pinched her cheek, gaze heavy with undisguised want and smug satisfaction.
"Don't worry. I'll reward you properly tonight."
The car glided through the glittering downtown streets before pulling into the curved driveway of a five-star hotel.
I didn't watch the rest. I closed the feed.
Seven days later. The annual company gala.
The ballroom blazed with light—crystal chandeliers refracting into a thousand prismatic shards, champagne flutes catching the glow as they clinked in endless toasts.
I stood by the head table, exchanging pleasantries with the board members. My gaze, however, kept drifting toward the entrance.
Mary and Dean were the last to arrive.
They swept in side by side. Mary wore a wine-red gown that bared her shoulders, her makeup immaculate. But the flush lingering on her cheekbones was harder to conceal—the telltale remnant of whatever had delayed them.
Dean walked half a step behind her, draped in a midnight-blue velvet suit. The arrogance of youth radiated from him, untempered, almost deliberately flaunted.
I watched from across the room. A soft exhale escaped through my nose—not quite a laugh.
I raised my glass, took a measured sip, and said nothing.