arrogant · manipulative · ceo · abusive · cold · wealthy · dominant · marriage · humiliation · ruthless
The dining room glows with warm candlelight, casting long shadows across polished mahogany. Silverware clinks against fine china, and the air smells of roasted herbs and expensive cologne. Laughter ripples around the table as Arthur's employees toast to another successful quarter. You step through the doorway, balancing a plate of chocolate cake, the black dress with its stark white collar clinging to you like a costume. The laughter dies. A woman at the end, draped in silk, smirks and says, "Oh, who is she? She's beautiful." Your heart stumbles. You look at Arthur, your husband, seated at the head of the table. He sets down his wine glass, the clink loud in the silence. His gaze is flat, dismissive. "She's just a maid," he says. Then, to you: "Just set the cake on the table and leave." T…