The young nurse lowered her voice, thrilled to be sharing a secret.
"Because she looks just like the one Dr. Warren never got over!"
"Seriously? The Grim Reaper has someone he never got over?"
"It’s true. Dr. Keller said it himself, and he went to college with Dr. Warren."
Claire’s lashes fluttered.
No wonder Miles had acted so strangely toward her in his office.
She touched her face.
So she looked like the woman Miles had never gotten over—the one he had wanted but could never have.
’The woman he never got over?’
Being someone’s stand-in...
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
After leaving the hospital, Claire headed to Sinclair Tower.
Her embroidery studio, Moonstone Studio, operated under Sinclair Group.
Claire asked her assistant, Wendy White, to pull all the embroidery orders from the past year.
She scanned the long list from top to bottom, and her heart sank a little more with every line.
Seventy percent of the clients were connected to Jacob.
For years, she had lived inside Jacob’s world, and Moonstone Studio had never been short on orders.
It had gone on so long that she had stopped thinking about where those orders came from.
Now she could see the truth. The studio had been thriving on Jacob’s connections.
All she’d done was flutter inside the gilded cage he’d built around her.
Claire took a deep breath. "Wendy, I want you to handle these clients from now on. Don’t pitch them any new collections, and don’t go out of your way to keep them happy."
Wendy looked surprised. "Claire, they’re some of our biggest customers."
"It’s fine. I’ll find new ones."
Claire stood and carried a stack of new embroidery designs over to the printer.
In the design department, Yvonne stood in the middle of a crowd with Jacob beside her. The two looked close.
Jacob smiled. "Today is Yvonne’s first official day with Sinclair Design. We’re going out as a team tonight. My treat."
The office erupted in cheers.
Claire felt nothing. She turned to head back to her studio, but a sharp-eyed coworker caught her arm.
"Claire, where are you going? Come with us!"
Claire looked away. "I’ll pass. I have plans tonight."
The design team lead, Monica Donnelly, had never liked Claire.
’Why does Claire get to run her own independent brand inside the company?’
Monica gave a mocking laugh. "Everyone else is going. If you’re the only one who skips it, people will think we’re excluding you. Moonstone may be independent, but the design department still oversees it. Ms. Warren is your boss now. You could at least show her some respect."
"Monica, don’t say that." Yvonne stepped forward with a gentle smile. "Claire, ignore her. Come have a drink with us. Besides, I wanted to ask you about some embroidery patterns. You’re the expert, so who better to ask?"
With a few pleasant words, Yvonne backed Claire into a corner.
With everyone watching, Claire could hardly refuse again.
***
That evening, they gathered in a VIP booth at Enigma Bar.
Jacob and Yvonne sat in the middle, clearly the center of attention.
Claire sat alone at the end of the booth, idly turning her glass of soda water while the party raged around her.
After several rounds of drinks and a few bottles of liquor, everyone loosened up and started playing games.
Yvonne suggested, "Let’s keep it simple. Everyone draws a card. Lowest card takes a dare. Sound good?"
"Yes! That’s actually fun," Monica said at once.
Everyone quickly agreed.
"You’d better go easy on us, Ms. Warren!"
The game started. A few rounds in, some people had been made to take three shots, while others had to go ask strangers in the next booth for their numbers. The table stayed loud with laughter.
Yvonne had great luck. She never drew the lowest card.
Jacob didn’t play. He sat beside her, calm and detached, watching everyone else make fools of themselves.
Whenever Yvonne looked at him, he gave her a faint, indulgent smile.
Another round began, and a card landed in front of Claire.
"Your turn, Claire," Yvonne said gently. "Don’t worry. We’re just having fun."
Claire reached for her card.
Before she could turn it over, Monica "accidentally" knocked over her drink. Half the glass spilled across Claire’s dress.
"Oh my God, I’m sorry! I swear I didn’t mean to!"
Monica grabbed a stack of napkins and leaned in to blot the stain, blocking Claire from everyone else’s view.
She also blocked the face-down card on the table.
Monica moved fast. While no one was watching, she slipped out a card hidden between her fingers and swapped it for Claire’s.
"I’m fine."
Claire took a napkin and calmly dabbed at the stain on her dress.
She had already noticed. Someone had switched her card.
"We’ve played enough boring rounds," Monica said eagerly. "Want to make it more interesting?"
Everyone looked over. "How?"
Monica’s eyes flicked toward Claire with open malice, then quickly toward Yvonne.
Yvonne gave her the smallest look of approval. Monica raised her voice with a grin.
"Lowest card has to do a striptease for the rest of us. How’s that?"
The booth exploded with louder cheers.
Claire had come prepared. She had a King of Spades, the highest card in the game, hidden behind her seat.
Without changing her expression, she reached back, ready to switch the cards.
Then her gaze drifted toward the dim hallway behind the booth.
A familiar figure was following a server toward the booth next door.
White shirt. Sleeves rolled casually to his forearms. His profile looked even sharper under the low lights.
Miles.
’What is he doing here?’
A bold idea flashed through Claire’s mind.
Her gaze swept over the people around her. Her fingers paused, and instead of switching the cards, she turned over the one in front of her.
A bright red Ace of Hearts.
"Whoa! Ace of Hearts. That’s the lowest card!"
"Claire got it?"
"I knew it. Of course the pretty girl gets the best dare!"
Several male coworkers stared at Claire with obvious excitement.
Jacob frowned, but he didn’t step in.
He was waiting for Claire to lower her head, act sweet, and apologize. It would take him one sentence to get her out of this.
Yvonne’s lips curved slightly, but a chill entered her pretty eyes.
She knew about Claire and Jacob. She had simply never called them out.
After all, Claire was nothing more than a woman Jacob kept around for fun, someone he could never openly claim.
If Yvonne confronted them directly, she would only make herself look petty.
Claire should have known her place and left quietly. Since she didn’t, Yvonne had plenty of ways to make her regret staying.
Claire stood beside the booth, her face pale as she gripped the Ace of Hearts.
Monica gave a cold laugh. "You drew the card yourself, Claire. What, can’t handle a little dare?"
Claire set the card down. Slowly, her fingers moved to the decorative buttons at the high collar of her fitted dress.
One button. Then another.
The air around the booth turned charged with anticipation.
From the corner of her eye, Claire checked the booth next door. She made sure Miles had a clear view of where she was standing.
Her fingers kept working down the buttons as she started to loosen the dress.
A small patch of skin showed at her chest.
Jacob’s gaze darkened. Irritation surged through him before he could stop it.
’Is she out of her mind? She’s actually doing it!’
Jacob started to rise.
Just then, a sharp crack came from the booth next door.