How to Fake a Marriage in the Office

1
I was eating in the company breakroom.
Suddenly, something slammed against my face.
The herbal remedy Id just placed in the company fridge this morning was now splattered all over my lunch.
My colleague, Jenna, who was currently breastfeeding, was glaring at me, her face contorted with rage.
"Willa, who told you to put this filthy concoction in the fridge? I told you, the company fridge is only for my son's milk. Nothing else is allowed!"
"Who knows what kind of disgusting disease your trashy medicine is for! If it infects my son, your life wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"
Her words sent a jolt of anger through me. I was ready to give her a piece of my mind.
My coworker, Chelsea, quickly grabbed my arm. "Don't, Willa. Her husband is Yax Croft, the heir to the Croft fortune!"
"Our own boss has to suck up to her. If you go against her, do you even want to keep your job?"
Husband? The Croft heir?
I froze.
The guy was wrapped around me just this morning. How was he suddenly someone elses husband?

While I was still processing, Jenna had clearly overheard Chelsea.
A smug, triumphant look spread across her face.
"Hah. Scared now, are you? How dare you put your filthy, mystery medicine next to my breast milk?"
Mystery medicine! This was a remedy prescribed by one of the country's most celebrated physicians.
Yax Croft himself had woken up at 4 a.m. to brew it for me.
I shook off Chelsea's hand and stood up to face her.
"Jenna, this is a communal fridge, not your private property. I'll put whatever I want in it, and it's not your place to tell me otherwise."
"Besides," I added, my voice rising, "the company provides a nursery with a dedicated refrigerator for you. But you use it to store your own snacks and drinks while you monopolize the public one. You've got some nerve!"
A few colleagues around us nodded in silent agreement, clearly fed up with Jenna's behavior.
Anna, the new intern, looked like she was about to cry. Just last week, shed put her lunch in the fridge, and Jenna had dumped the entire container over her head before screaming at her.
I had wanted to stand up for her then, but she and the others had stopped me. Id wondered why everyone was so tolerant.
Now I knew. She was just a bully hiding behind someone else's power.
Jenna, however, showed no remorse. Her arrogance only grew.
"So what? I even use Mr. Lewis's private fridge in his office. Does he dare say a word? Who the hell do you think you are to challenge me? Go on, go tattle to the boss. Let's see who gets fired!"
At that, the murmuring colleagues immediately lowered their heads and fell silent.
"What's all this shouting about?" a stern voice cut in.
It was our boss, Mr. Lewis.
"Chelsea, you tell me."
After getting the gist of the situation, Mr. Lewis's brow furrowed. He didn't say a single word of reprimand to Jenna.
Instead, he turned to me with an exasperated look.
"Is that all this is about? Willa, honestly. Jenna's situation is special. As a woman, you'll be a mother one day yourself. Can't you show a little empathy for her struggles?"
"Let's do this. You apologize to Jenna and pay her two thousand dollars for her trouble. We'll call it even."
I almost laughed in his face.
"I apologize? And pay her? Mr. Lewis, are you joking?"
His face darkened. He shot a look at his male assistant, Mark, who was standing nearby. Mark quickly pulled me aside.
"Willa, listen to me," he whispered. "Don't be stubborn. You really can't afford to cross Jenna. Her husband is Yax Croft. The boss is hoping she'll be his connection to the Croft family."
I let out a cold laugh.
"What makes you all so sure her husband is Yax Croft?"
Mark pulled out his phone and showed me Jenna's social media feed. "Look, she's been posting about it for a month."
The screen was filled with a month's worth of Jennas ostentatious posts. Designer bags, expensive jewelry, you name it. And in every single post, there was a picture of her posing intimately with an older couple.
The caption read: "Another day of being spoiled like a princess by my new family~ So grateful. You only know true happiness when you marry the right man and your in-laws adore you."
The older couple in the photo were Yax Crofts parents. They were legends in the business world, their influence spanning countless industries.
After seeing it, I didn't say another word. I immediately called Yax.
No answer.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps sounded behind me. I turned to see Jenna grabbing her bag and rushing out the door.
Confused, I walked over to Chelsea. "What's going on?"
She whispered, "Jenna just got a call. Sounds like something happened to her baby."
The mention of the child silenced me. Jenna was an awful person, but her baby was innocent.
Still, I had to get to the bottom of the so-called "in-laws" on her social media. I kept messaging Yax, but by three in the afternoon, I still hadn't heard back.
Suddenly, our work group chat exploded with notifications tagging me. I opened it to see Jenna, on another rampage.
She had posted a picture of her son's cheek, on which there was a tiny red dot.
"Willa, it's all your fault! Your filthy medicine contaminated my milk and now my son has a rash! I'm telling you, my son is the future of the Croft family. If anything happens to him, your pathetic life and your family's lives combined wouldn't be enough to pay for it! You just wait, this isn't over!"
I stared at the picture. The dot was so small you could barely see it. I couldn't help but laugh.
I replied: "Jenna, I suggest you make an appointment with a psychiatrist."
Almost instantly, Mark messaged me privately.
"Willa, get some flowers and a gift card ready. You're going to the hospital with Mr. Lewis to visit Jenna's son. You're paying, as a show of goodwill."
Pay for a gift for the person who was slandering me? Not a chance.
"Not going. No money."
"The boss said if you don't go, you can forget about your salary and bonus."
Ha!
As if labor laws were just for decoration. Besides, I didn't really care about the money.
"Whatever."
After sending the message, I remembered the photos from her social media feed. I had to figure this out.
So I asked Mark, "Is her husband at the hospital, too?"
He replied quickly. "Of course. That's the only reason the boss is going."
Fine. I was going to see for myself who this "Yax Croft" really was.
"I'll go. But forget the flowers and gift card."
When we got to the hospital, the man was nowhere in sight. Mr. Lewis looked even more disappointed than I was.
When Jenna saw me, her eyes were like poison darts. She ignored the fruit basket Mr. Lewis offered and shot a look at the nanny beside her.
"Take the baby out for some fresh air. We don't want him breathing in contaminated air from unsanitary people."
Then, her cold gaze fixed on me. She nodded to the two bodyguards at the door. "Hold her."
Before I could react, my arms were pinned behind my back. I couldn't move.
"Jenna, what do you think you're doing!" I shouted.
Mr. Lewis stood by, his lips moving, but not a single word came out.
Jenna walked up to me. "What am I doing? I'm teaching you some manners!"
Without another word, she raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face.
My cheek burned with a fiery sting.
"That was for running your mouth. You were so tough in the group chat. What are you now, huh? Nothing!"
I slowly turned my head back, my eyes locked on her face.
"Jenna, you. Are. Going. To. Regret. This."
Just then, my phone rang. The caller ID read "Husband."
Jenna snatched the phone from my pocket. Her eyes darted around as a sinister smile spread across her face.
She crooked a finger at the terrified Mark. "You. Come here."
Mark, completely bewildered, walked over. Jenna whispered something quickly in his ear. His eyes went wide with a mixture of terror and reluctance.
Jenna's glare hardened. Mark glanced nervously at me, then gave a stiff nod.
He answered the call and put it on speaker. At the same time, a bodyguard clamped a hand tightly over my mouth.
"My love."
Yax's voice came through the phone. "I was in a board meeting, my phone was on silent. I just saw your texts. Some colleague's baby? I honestly have no idea what's going on, are you"
"Your wife's in the shower," Mark interrupted, his voice loud and forced, following Jenna's instructions.
"Man, your wife is incredible. Married women are something else, so wild! She said you can't satisfy her, that I'm the best she's ever had! So just get used to those horns, buddy!"
The line went dead.
"Hahahahaha!" Jenna shrieked with laughter, doubling over. "See? So much fun! Now even your own man doesn't want you. A slut is a slut!"
I closed my eyes in despair.
She was done for.
Absolutely, utterly done for.
I had known Yax since we were kids. I knew him better than anyone. He would have already figured out I was in trouble. Anyone who had ever hurt me before had learned what he was like when he was angry. He was like a force of nature. He wouldn't stop until he had destroyed them, ruined their families, left them with nothing.
And he was definitely on his way to the hospital right now. He had secretly installed a GPS tracker on my phone. I'd always known, I just never said anything.
When Jenna finally finished laughing, she turned to the bodyguards. "Alright, I've had my fun. Strip her clothes off and throw her outside!"
"Stop! Don't you dare!" I struggled with all my might, my eyes darting from one person to the next.
"I am Yax Croft's wife! Any of you who touches me will regret it!"
The room fell silent.
"Hahahaha! You're Yax Croft's wife? Willa, did you get scared stupid? Are you daydreaming now?" Jenna howled. "I am the Croft family's daughter-in-law!"
Mr. Lewis scurried over, his voice placating. "Willa, stop talking nonsense! Just get on your knees and apologize to Jenna. Maybe she'll let this go!"
"Apologize for what!" Jenna snapped, cutting him off. "I'm not accepting any apology from this little bitch. I'm going to have her clothes ripped off and have her thrown out on the street. She's going to learn what happens when you cross me!"
At her command, the two bodyguards slammed me against the wall. They started tearing at my coat and the collar of my shirt. I fought back, kicking and struggling, but the difference in strength was too great.
In that moment of chaos and desperation, a voice cut through the noise.
"Stop!"

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