The First Strike
Emma barely made it to the executive bathroom, her hand clamped over her mouth. The morning sickness had gotten worse over the past week, but today’s bout felt particularly vicious. As she knelt on the cold tile floor, she silently thanked the building planners for making the executive bathrooms private, single-occupancy spaces.
A gentle knock interrupted her misery. “Emma? Are you okay in there?”
Marcus. Of course he’d noticed her rushed exit from the morning briefing.
“I’m fine,” she managed, though her voice betrayed her. “Just give me a minute.”
“I’m coming in,” he announced, and before she could protest, the door opened. Marcus Wong stood there in his impeccable suit, concern etched on his face. Without a word, he wet a hand towel with cool water and handed it to her.
“Thanks,” Emma murmured, pressing it to her neck.
“So,” Marcus said, settling against the counter. “Want to tell me what’s really going on? Because this is the third time this week I’ve found you here, and I’m starting to worry.”
Emma looked up at her friend – possibly her only real friend in the company. She’d known Marcus since her first day at Barrett Industries, when he’d helped her navigate the complex office politics as a junior analyst. He’d been the only one to question her sudden promotion to Alex’s executive assistant two years ago.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
Marcus’s eyes widened. “Okay, that’s… unexpected. And the father is…?”
Emma’s hand unconsciously went to her wedding ring. “Alex.”
“Alex as in your boss Alex? Alex Barrett? The CEO?”
“Alex as in my husband Alex.”
Marcus stared at her for a long moment. “I’m going to need you to back up about ten steps here.”
Before Emma could respond, voices drifted in from the hallway. Victoria Sterling’s distinctive laugh carried through the door, accompanied by the click of expensive heels on marble.
“Of course I’ll need to tour all the departments,” Victoria was saying. “As a potential partner, I should understand every aspect of the business.”
Emma’s stomach lurched again, though this time not from morning sickness.
Victoria had spent the morning making her presence felt throughout the office. Every interaction was perfectly polite on the surface, yet somehow managed to remind everyone that she had a history with Alex – and plans to revive it.
“I remember when Alex first took over as CEO,” Victoria’s voice carried from a group of admiring employees. “He was so uncertain then, needed so much… guidance.”
The implication was clear – she’d been there during Alex’s early days as CEO, and had helped shape him into the success he was now. Emma’s position as his current executive assistant was clearly temporary in Victoria’s eyes.
Whispers had already started spreading through the office. About how Victoria and Alex had been the perfect power couple. About how his marriage must not have worked out, since no one ever saw Mrs. Barrett. About how certain executive assistants must have used other talents to secure their positions.
And Alex? He seemed oblivious to it all, too caught up in Victoria’s presence to notice the subtle warfare being waged around him.
As Emma listened to Victoria’s voice fade down the hallway, she couldn’t help remembering how different things had been two years ago. The day Alex had proposed their arrangement was still vivid in her memory.
They’d been in his grandfather’s hospital room. The old man had been dying, desperate to see his grandson settled before he passed. He’d made the inheritance conditions clear – Alex needed to be married within the month to maintain controlling interest in the company.
“It would just be business,” Alex had said later in the hospital cafeteria, his coffee untouched. “A mutually beneficial arrangement. You need help with your grandmother’s medical bills. I need a wife to satisfy the inheritance conditions. Two years, then a quiet divorce.”
Emma had agreed, telling herself it was just practical. She wouldn’t admit, even to herself, that she’d had feelings for Alex since their business school days.
Those first months had been surprisingly comfortable. They’d developed an easy rhythm, both at work and in their limited shared personal time. Alex had been different then – more relaxed, almost friendly. They’d even started having dinner together once a week, discussing business and books and family.
Now Victoria’s return had shattered that careful balance. The comfortable routine they’d built felt like it was crumbling, replaced by cold professionalism and awkward silences.
“Emma?” Marcus’s voice pulled her back to the present. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she admitted quietly. “I’m really not.”
“Want to tell me the whole story?”
Emma took a deep breath. It was time someone knew the truth.
“It started with his grandfather,” Emma began, still pressing the cool towel to her neck. “Old man Barrett was dying, but he was determined to see the company’s future secured before he went. The inheritance stipulated that Alex needed to be married.”
“And you were convenient?” Marcus’s tone held no judgment, just understanding.
“I was practical. Alex knew me from business school, knew I was discrete. I needed money for my grandmother’s medical care. He needed a wife who would understand the business side of things.” Emma managed a weak smile. “We drew up the contract right here in your office, remember?”
“I thought it was just another merger agreement.” Marcus shook his head. “You’ve been married this whole time?”
“Two years next month. It was supposed to be simple. We’d maintain appearances in public, live separate lives privately. After two years, we’d divorce quietly.” She pressed a hand to her still-queasy stomach. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”
Before Marcus could respond, heels clicked past the bathroom again. Victoria’s voice drifted through, honeyed and confident.
“Oh, Alex always did prefer a hands-on management style,” she was saying to someone. “I remember how he used to work so… closely with his staff.”
Emma’s hands clenched in her lap. Victoria had spent all morning dropping these little bombs – casual mentions of her history with Alex, subtle implications about inappropriate office relationships. Each comment seemed perfectly innocent on the surface, yet somehow managed to undermine Emma’s professional reputation.
“She’s good,” Marcus muttered, listening to the voices fade. “Every comment is technically appropriate for the workplace, but…”
“But designed to remind everyone that she was here first. That she knows the real Alex.” Emma stood carefully, testing her balance. “And Alex just smiles and lets her do it.”
“Does he know? About the baby?”
Emma shook her head. “And he can’t find out. Not now.” She smoothed her skirt, checked her makeup in the mirror. “I should get back. The merger documents need review before…”
Her voice trailed off as another memory hit her – Alex’s grandfather smiling weakly from his hospital bed as they exchanged simple rings. He’d clasped their joined hands, tears in his eyes, and thanked Emma for making his grandson happy.
“We were happy,” she whispered, almost to herself. “Not in love, maybe, but… comfortable. Friends, even. Now…”
Now Victoria was back, dismantling their careful routine piece by piece. Every shared morning coffee was replaced with private meetings. Every casual conversation is interrupted by a perfectly timed reminder of the past. Every professional accomplishment is subtly questioned.
And Alex? He seemed to be slipping back into old patterns, gravitating toward Victoria like she was the sun and he was caught in her orbit. The careful friendship he and Emma had built was crumbling, leaving only cold professionalism in its wake.
“You love him,” Marcus said quietly. It wasn’t a question.
Emma’s hand went to her stomach, where Alex’s child grew beneath her designer suit. “It doesn’t matter. This was always supposed to be temporary.”
