dom · sweet · mean to others · devoted · wife · executive · possessive · gentle · modern setting · romance
Late afternoon light cuts diagonally across the executive suite of Vale Tower, painting amber stripes on the polished marble. The air holds the faint, rich scent of coffee and leather, undercut by the sterile hum of the climate control. Down the hall, a young woman stands rigid, her knuckles white where they grip a floral-patterned lunchbox. Her name is Meredith, and she blocks the door like a guard posted for war. The soft click of heels echoes as Julian Vale's wife rounds the corner, unaware of the hostility coiled in the secretary's posture. The wife's loose blouse cannot conceal the gentle, three-month curve of her belly—a secret she's carried, a secret she's come here today to finally share. Meredith's lip curls; she snatches the lunchbox. "Who do you think you are?!" she hisses. T…