Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 267

Sh Marriage Quit, Real Heiress

Chapter 267 Cracks Beneath the Surface

Futabed

At Pinnacle Group, Fiona had taken extra time with herself before arriving. Her makeup was polished. deliberate, every detail carefully controlled.

She stopped in front of Alexander’s office, lifting her hand to knock, but no answer came.

Just as she was about to step back, two women from the adjacent conference room walked out, their conversation trailing off the moment they noticed her.

One of them tilted her head slightly, her tone overly casual. “Fiona, didn’t anyone tell you? Mr. Kingsley isn’t in today. He went over to Velmora Media first thing this morning.”

The words landed quietly, but they carried weight.

For a brief second, Fiona’s fingers tightened at her side, but her expression didn’t change. She turned toward them with a faint, effortless smile. “I know,” Fiona said lightly. “I just stopped by out of habit.”

“Right.” the other woman said, exchanging a quick glance with her colleague. “I mean, you’d know better than anyone. You’re his closest secretary, after all.”

The tone was polite enough, but the implication wasn’t.

Fiona caught it immediately, but she didn’t react. She simply smiled again, as if nothing had been said, then turned and walked away without another word.

The whispers followed her almost instantly.

“I swear, she really had us fooled before. The way she acted, I thought she was the one he was going to

marry.”

“Same. And she never corrected anyone either. Just let people assume whatever they wanted.”

“And now he’s married to Ms. Sterling, and she’s still acting like nothing changed. It’s honestly embarrassing.”

“I heard he went to Velmora Media because they had a fight…”

The words blurred together, but they didn’t need to be clear to hurt.

By the time Fiona reached her desk, the calm mask she had been holding in place finally cracked. She picked up a pen and pressed it hard against a notepad, dragging the tip across the paper with force, the lines uneven and aggressive.

Why her?

I was there first. I’m the one who should be standing next to him.

Elena doesn’t deserve any of it.

Her thoughts spiraled, sharp and bitter, and for a moment she lost awareness of everything around her.

“What exactly are you doing?”

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acks Beneath the

The voice came from behind her, low and controlled, but

u cold enough

to snap her back instantly.

Fiona’s hand jerked, the pen tearing straight through the paper. She stood up too quickly, her chair scraping against the floor, and turned around.

Alexander was standing there.

She hadn’t even heard him approach. For a split second, her face was pale.

Then relief followed, quick and quiet. At least she hadn’t said any of that out loud.

“It’s nothing.” Fiona said, forcing her voice back into a steady tone. “I was just in a bad mood and needed to get it out of my system. Do you need anything, Mr. Kingsley?”

Her posture straightened, her expression reset, every inch of her returning to the composed, capable secretary everyone was used to seeing.

Alexander didn’t answer. He just looked at her.

Not casually, not absentmindedly, but with a focus that made her chest tighten.

Fiona felt it immediately, but she didn’t let it show. She lifted her hand and lightly touched her cheek, smiling. “Why are you looking at me like that? I tried something different with my makeup today. Does it look okay?”

Alexander’s voice cut through her attempt at deflection.

“Did Declan call me last night?”

珍

The question came without warning. Fiona’s nails pressed into her palm.

She paused, just briefly, before nodding. “Yes, he did.”

“And

you

didn’t tell me.”

His tone dropped, the calm now edged with something colder.

Fiona moved quickly, her voice softening just enough to sound reasonable. “That’s on me,” Fiona said. “Declan mentioned Elena was at the hospital dealing with Nicole’s situation. You’ve never wanted her involved in that, and I didn’t want to cause unnecessary tension between you two, so I didn’t bring it up.”

She chose her words carefully, aligning them with what she knew about him, about his preferences, about the distance he kept from certain matters.

It should have worked.

It always had. But this time, Alexander didn’t let it go.

Instead, he pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and dialed a number right in front of her.

Fiona’s breath caught.

“You don’t believe me?” Fiona asked, her voice tightening despite her effort to stay composed.

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Chapter 267 Cracks Beneath the Surface

Alexander didn’t look at her. “I prefer facts over explanations”

The call connected almost immediately.

“Sir,” Declan said from the other end.

“What did you tell Fiona last night?” Alexander asked, his tone direct, leaving no room for interpretation.

Fiona felt something snap inside her.

Her nail broke under the pressure of her grip, the sharp sting barely noticeable compared to the rising panic.

“I told her to inform you that Landon was giving Mrs. Kingsley trouble,” Declan said. “She had a complication with the pregnancy, and things got a little serious.

He continued, unaware of the storm building on the other end. “Mrs. Kingsley waited at the hospital for hours. She didn’t feel comfortable going anywhere else, and she didn’t want to bother her friend either…”

Every word landed like a blow.

Fiona stood frozen, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

By the time the call ended, the silence that followed was suffocating.

“There has to be a misunderstanding,” Fiona said quickly, her voice no longer as steady as before. “If it was something that serious, why would I hide it from you?”

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