Chapter 28: Tension at the Company

Ella didn't ask for any of this.

She never wanted to be the CEO's wife. She never wanted to sit in meetings where board members threw veiled insults, or walk through hallways where employees whispered behind her back.

But here she was.

And people were talking. A lot.

"Why is she here?"

"Does she have any real business experience?"

"Nepotism much?"

She heard it all. Every snide comment. Every doubtful glance.

Adrian, of course, was as ice-cold and unreadable as ever. He barely acknowledged her existence during meetings. When she spoke, his only reaction was a slight twitch of his jaw.

And yet—he never told her to leave.

That only made the rumors worse.

The Office War Begins

Ella decided she was done playing nice.

If they wanted to doubt her, fine. But she would prove that she wasn't just a pretty face attached to the CEO's name.

So when she spotted a glaring financial mistake in a report, she spoke up.

"This projection is wrong," she said, flipping through the numbers. "You're underestimating costs by at least 15%."

The room went silent.

Adrian looked up slowly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. A dangerous stare.

She knew that look.

It was the look he gave people before he tore them apart.

"Enlighten us," he said smoothly, his tone deceptively polite.

Ella took a deep breath. Fine. He wanted a fight? He'd get one.

She broke down the error step by step, proving that whoever did the math had missed key variables. By the time she finished, the senior finance officer looked like he wanted to crawl under the table.

Adrian leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

Then, to everyone's shock, he said:

"Fix it."

That was it. No further discussion. No snide remarks.

And just like that—Ella had won her first battle.

The Office Rebellion

But the employees weren't happy.

A CEO's wife correcting financial reports? Unheard of.

The whispers turned into full-fledged office gossip wars.

Some admired her. ("Damn, she's smart.")

Some hated her. ("She's just trying to prove something.")

Some were just confused. ("Are they getting a divorce or falling in love? I can't tell.")

And Adrian?

He didn't say anything about the tension. He just watched.

Like he was waiting.

Waiting for her to either sink or rise.

The Private Confrontation

That night, back at the penthouse, Ella finally snapped.

"Are you enjoying this?" she demanded.

Adrian, lounging in his expensive armchair, barely looked up from his tablet.

"Enjoying what?" he asked lazily.

Ella threw her hands up. "The fact that your employees are treating me like a freaking intruder!"

Adrian tilted his head, studying her. Then he smirked. Smirked.

"You seem to be handling it just fine."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "You could defend me, you know."

Adrian sighed, setting his tablet down. "If you want my employees to respect you, earn it."

Ella crossed her arms. "I just did."

Adrian's gaze darkened, something unreadable flashing in his eyes.

Then, in a low, amused voice, he said:

"Then do it again."

Ella hated how her pulse skipped at that.

She was going to kill him.

Right after she proved every single person in that company wrong.

Game on.