Chapter 143: Hidden String

"Love?" Alistair looked at her like he could see her stupidity as clear as day. "No. You fell in love with the money."

Her head snapped up. "No! That isn’t true."

"You loved what being his wife did for you."

Camille’s eyes burned.

There was enough truth in that accusation to make it hurt. Maybe it had started that way. Maybe Dorian had originally been a job.

But somewhere between trying to win his attention and realizing he would never give her the part of himself she wanted, something had changed.

She had wanted him. "No! No!" she tried to argue.

"Enough!" Alistair snapped. "Tell me why my wife was invited as a co-speaker tonight."

Camille’s mouth went dry. She swallowed quickly.

Alistair watched her face for a moment before a slow smile appeared on his. He moved closer. "Someone else is pulling your strings. My... my... my." His grey-green eyes locked onto hers. "You greedy bitch. Who is it? Who?"

"Callum Sterling."

His face twisted in disbelief. "You fucking amateurs! You plan to blow all of this for me? You are taking instructions from Callum Sterling now?"

"It wasn’t like that."

"Then enlighten me."

"He just wants the girl back," Camille said quickly.

"And you both drive him right into her arms. Fools!"

Camille’s jaw tightened.

Tonight had not gone as planned.

She knew that.

Naomi was supposed to look uncomfortable beside Dorian, out of place.

Instead, she had shown up looking like she belonged there.

Alistair paced slowly across the penthouse. "I think it’s time I met the new Mrs. Heathcliffe. Maybe she will be more useful than you are."

"No." Camille immediately stepped closer. "No, no, please. Please..." Her pride could suffer later. Her penthouse, her lifestyle and almost everything else she enjoyed depended on the man standing in front of her. "I’ll do better. I have a plan."

"And that would be?"

Camille took a breath. "Dorian mentioned he needs an assistant. I was thinking of sending him a capable one. Someone competent. Someone who can get close to him, and inside his personal life. And then I can sabotage their relationship." Camille became more animated as she explained.

"I know Dorian. Just a little push and he will be throwing divorce papers at her. All I need to do is apply pressure in the right places and steer him in the right direction. I just need an insider. I can wreck it all from the inside and I will be right there to help him through it."

Alistair gave a low hum. "Hmmm... We’ll see how that works out for you. But be sure of this. My generosity isn’t limitless. I will cut you off, Camille, the moment I sense you are useless to me."

Camille nodded.

Alistair held her stare for another second before turning toward the private elevator. He stepped inside without another word.

Only then did Camille breathe properly. Then she returned to her computer. If Naomi Bennett had a weakness, Camille would find it.

If there was something hidden in her past, Camille would uncover it. And if Dorian had somehow managed to fall for this woman, then Camille needed to understand exactly why.

She sat down, pulled the laptop closer and started digging as deep as she could. Camille needed something.

Anything.

Everyone had dirt. Everyone had some buried piece of themselves they prayed nobody ever found, some skeleton shoved into a cupboard and locked away behind a carefully maintained public image.

Naomi Bennett had to be the same.

When she was finally sure there was nothing else useful to find, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the screen in frustration.

Naomi’s online presence was painfully boring.

Food.

Recipes.

Catering.

Restaurant work.

More food.

If the woman had ever publicly discussed anything remotely personal, Camille couldn’t find it. There was almost no view into Naomi’s personal life.

People who showed nothing usually had something worth hiding.

Camille closed one tab and opened another.

If the internet wouldn’t give her what she needed, people would.

She began going through her contacts.

First priority: Dorian’s assistant.

She needed someone capable enough to step into Adrian Archer’s role.

Someone Dorian wouldn’t immediately want to throw out of his office. More importantly, someone sly enough to do what actually needed to be done.

Replacing Adrian would not be easy. The man had practically functioned as Dorian’s second brain for years.

Whoever stepped into that position would need to make the transition feel effortless while quietly becoming useful to Camille.

And she needed someone else too. Someone who could dig into Naomi properly. Anything Naomi Bennett had worked hard to keep private.

Nobody was that clean.

She just had to find the stain.

*****

Dorian’s arm was dead.

Practically dead.

He couldn’t feel his fingers.

At first, still half asleep, he thought he had somehow slept on it wrong. Then he tried to flex his hand.

He frowned and moved his shoulder slightly, attempting to bring circulation back into the limb.

That was when the weight resting on his arm shifted. Then disappeared.

A loud thump followed.

"Ouch!"

Dorian’s eyes flew open.

Fuck.

"Naomi!"

Naomi was on the floor, still naked and glaring at him.

Oh.

Right.

He had completely forgotten where they were.

Or how they had somehow managed to squeeze two grown adults onto that sofa for the entire night.

"What the hell?!" Naomi huffed from the ground.

Dorian pressed a hand to his face. "I’m sorry. I forgot where I was."

"So you threw me away?"

"Accidentally."

Naomi narrowed her eyes.

Dorian immediately leaned down and grabbed her hands. "Come here." He pulled her back onto her feet.

She was still completely naked, and under any other circumstances, that would have been enough to distract him from literally everything.

Unfortunately, Naomi was clearly considering murder.

Dorian opened his mouth to apologize again.

She reached for a throw pillow from the other sofa and hit him directly in the face with it.

"Okay, I des—"

Naomi hit him again.

Another solid thump landed directly against his head.

Well, fuck it.

He tried.

She raised the pillow for another swipe, Dorian caught her wrist, tugged her toward him and wrapped both arms around her before she could escape.

Naomi struggled against him. "Let me go!"