Clara had noticed the tension between Martin and Fiona the mont the eting ended.
She had been watching them closely all day the way Martin’s eyes kept drifting to Fiona’s desk, the way Fiona avoided looking at him, the charged silence in the elevator earlier. Clara’s sharp instincts picked up on every little detail. The slight stiffness in Martin’s posture when Katherine was near. The guarded look in Fiona’s eyes. The way the air seed thicker whenever the two of them were in the sa room.
During the mid-afternoon break, when most of the team headed to the cafeteria or the break room, Clara saw her opportunity.
She waited until Katherine was alone near the large windows overlooking the bay, then approached with a casual smile.
"Katherine, do you have a quick second?"
Katherine turned, her perfect smile still in place.
"Of course, Clara. What is it?"
Clara leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"I don’t an to cause any trouble, but... I’ve noticed so things. Martin and Fiona — the girl from marketing — they’ve had so close monts. I saw them talking privately .The way he looks at her... it’s not just professional. There might be sothing more between them."
Katherine’s perfect smile faltered for the first ti.
Her eyes widened slightly, and she blinked, processing the words. The confident, polished mask slipped for a split second, revealing a flicker of insecurity and doubt.
"Are you sure?" she asked, voice quiet.
Clara nodded, her expression sympathetic but sharp.
"I wouldn’t say anything if I wasn’t. I just thought you should know. You deserve the truth, especially with the wedding coming up."
Katherine nodded slowly, her grip tightening on the coffee cup in her hand.
"Thank you for telling ."
Katherine headed straight to Martins office.
She entered and closed the door behind her and turned to face him, arms crossed.
"Martin, we need to talk."
He looked up from his desk, sensing the change in her tone.
"What is it?"
Katherine took a step closer, her voice steady but laced with emotion.
"Clara told she’s seen you and Fiona having close monts. She suggested there might be sothing more between you two. Is that true?"
Martin froze for a fraction of a second, then shook his head.
"No. There’s nothing romantic between us."
His denial ca quickly, but he struggled to hide his discomfort. His jaw tightened, his eyes flicked away for a mont, and his hands clenched slightly on the desk.
Katherine noticed.
She pressed him, her doubts from earlier resurfacing stronger than before.
"Be honest with , Martin. Are you in love with her?"
Martin’s shoulders tensed.
He rubbed a hand over his face, clearly torn.
"Katherine... it’s complicated. But I’m not going to lie to you. I care about her. But I’m here. I’m trying to do what’s expected of ."
Katherine’s eyes filled with hurt.
"Trying? That’s not enough for a marriage. I deserve soone who wants to be with , not soone who is forcing himself to stay for the sake of the rger and his father’s approval."
The confrontation left Martin feeling trapped —caught between his growing love for Fiona, the pressure from his family, and the guilt of hurting Katherine.
Katherine left the office feeling insecure about her upcoming wedding for the first ti.
Her perfect smile was gone
Her mind had been disturbed with the thought that Martin could be in love with another woman — and that woman worked right here, in the sa building.
The way he had tensed when she ntioned the wedding plans. The way his answers had been chanical and distant.
She had to act fast.
If Fiona remained at Voss Éclat, the two of them would keep seeing each other every day. The tension would continue. The risk would remain. Katherine couldn’t allow that — not when her wedding was so close, not when the rger depended on this union looking strong and unbreakable.
She needed Fiona gone.
At least then they wouldn’t have to see each other.
At least then her wedding would feel more secure.
Katherine sat in the quiet corner of the executive lounge on the 45th floor, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping lightly.
She had always known Martin didn’t love her the way a husband should. Their engagent had been arranged — a strategic alliance between families and companies. She had accepted it as her duty, as the price of being a Thorne. But the possibility that he was in love with soone else — soone who worked under him.
She couldn’t let this continue.
Katherine pulled out her phone and sent a short, carefully worded ssage to Clara.
*Can we et privately? I need your help with sothing regarding the marketing team.*
Clara replied almost instantly.
*Of course. I’m free now. et in the small conference room on 38?*
Katherine stood, smoothed her cream dress, and took the private elevator down.
When she entered the small conference room, Clara was already waiting, a knowing smile on her face.
"You look troubled," Clara said, closing the door behind Katherine. "Is it about what I ntioned earlier?"
Katherine didn’t bother with pleasantries.
"I need Fiona out of this company," she said, her voice low but firm. "At least before the wedding. If she stays here, Martin will keep seeing her. I can’t have that. The wedding must go ahead smoothly. The rger depends on it. Our families depend on it."
Clara’s eyes glead with excitent.
"I can help with that. I’ve already started planting small doubts about her work during etings. If we work together, we can make her look incompetent. A few missed deadlines, so questioned decisions, a subtle campaign error... it won’t take much. She’s already emotionally raw. It’ll be easy to push her over the edge so she quits on her own — or we can build a case for termination."
Katherine nodded, her perfect mask back in place, though her hands trembled slightly.
"Do whatever it takes. Just make sure it’s clean. I don’t want it traced back to or Martin. She needs to be gone before the wedding. I won’t walk down the aisle wondering if my husband is thinking about soone else."
Clara smiled, sharp and satisfied.
"Consider it done. By the ti the wedding arrives, Fiona Flare will be nothing but a distant mory at Voss Éclat."
Katherine left the room feeling a strange mix of relief and unease.
She had taken action.
She had protected her future.
But deep down, the doubt still lingered.
What if getting Fiona fired wasn’t enough?
What if Martin’s heart was already lost?
And what if securing the wedding only ant securing a loveless marriage?
Katherine pushed the thoughts aside and returned to Martin’s side with her brightest smile.
For now, she would play the perfect fiancée.
And let Clara handle the rest.
Clara got so excited she couldn’t wait to share the news with Marcus.
The mont Katherine left the small conference room, Clara’s heart was racing with triumph. She had expected resistance or hesitation from Katherine, but instead she had received a clear, direct request: get Fiona out of Voss Éclat. The future Mrs. Mole herself wanted the girl gone before the wedding. That kind of powerful backing was exactly what Clara needed to accelerate her plans.
She grabbed her phone the second she was alone and dialed Marcus.
He answered on the second ring.
"Hey, beautiful. How’s my favorite troublemaker?"
Clara didn’t bother with small talk. Her voice was bright, almost giddy with excitent.
"Guess who also wants Fiona out?"
Marcus paused, clearly intrigued.
"Who?"
"Katherine," Clara said, unable to hide the smug satisfaction in her tone. "She just asked to help her get Fiona out of the company. She pulled aside and basically said she doesn’t want Fiona anywhere near Martin before the wedding. She wants her gone quietly, but quickly."
Marcus let out a low whistle, then laughed — a dark, satisfied sound.
"No way. Katherine Thorne herself? That’s even better than I expected."
Clara leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs.
"Exactly. With Katherine pushing from the top and working from inside the team, we can make this look completely legitimate. A few missed deadlines here, a questionable campaign decision there, so well-placed doubts about her focus... it won’t take long before she either quits or we have enough to push for termination. And the best part? Katherine will never have to get her hands dirty. She just wants the result."
Marcus’s voice dropped, laced with dark amusent.
"This is perfect. Fiona thinks she can just move on and play happy family with her boss while I watch from the sidelines? No chance. With Katherine on our side, we can crush any chance she has left at Voss. And once she’s gone, she’ll have nowhere to hide."
Clara smiled, her eyes gleaming.
"I’ll start planting more seeds tomorrow. I already dropped a few comnts in the eting today. By the end of the week, Fiona will be looking for the exit door herself."
Marcus chuckled.
"Keep updated. And Clara... make it hurt. I want her to feel every bit of this."
Clara’s smile widened.
"Oh, I will. Don’t worry. By the ti the wedding happens, Fiona Flare will be nothing but a distant mory at Voss Éclat."
She hung up the phone, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
Everything was falling into place even better than she had hoped.
Katherine wanted Fiona gone.
Marcus wanted revenge.
And Clara was more than happy to be the one who made it all happen.
She opened her laptop and began typing notes for tomorrow’s eting small, subtle ways to undermine Fiona’s contributions without being too obvious.
The ga had just gotten a lot more interesting.
And Clara was ready to play
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