What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 186

He never imagined it was a hand-me-down from Kaia, nor could he have predicted that Kaia's staff would run their mouths and use it to publicly humiliate Noelle.

Thinking about Kaia's rebellious, lone-wolf behavior lately, Finnian wondered if she was weaponizing her resentment toward him to attack Noelle.

Finnian turned around, stubbed out his cigarette, and picked up his desk phone. "Tell Kaia to come to my office."

Half an hour later, Kaia knocked and walked in.

Dressed in a sleek black cashmere coat over a beige turtleneck, she looked effortlessly elegant and completely unbothered.

She walked straight up to his desk and stood there, waiting for him to speak.

"You knew I was going to call you in?" Finnian frowned, seeing how calm and unsurprised she looked.

Kaia kept her tone neutral. "If you have something to say, Mr. Sanders, say it."

"I heard your assistant got into a screaming match at Aethelstan over Noelle's magazine cover. Are you aware of this?"

Kaia's eyes flickered. It was precisely because she was aware of it that she knew Finnian would come knocking.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to. If it's just idle workplace gossip, I think HR or Administration would be much better equipped to handle it."

Kaia had no interest in turning this into a personal battle, cleanly deflecting it back to corporate protocol.

Finnian's expression darkened. He could hear the deliberate distance and evasion in her voice.

"You knew about this. Did you condone it?" Finnian demanded, staring directly into her eyes.

Kaia looked down at the desk, her voice perfectly even. "My assistant spoke the truth. It didn't require my permission."

"Kaia!" Finnian snapped, his voice rising. "You think this is just water cooler gossip? This affects Noelle's reputation and the relationship between our two companies."

Kaia paused.

Right. In Finnian's eyes, Noelle was a fragile flower who couldn't be allowed to suffer the slightest indignity.

"Understood. I'll make sure my staff watches their tone. But please pass a message to Ms. Lawrence for me: sometimes, facing reality isn't a crime."

"Kaia, have your assistant issue a public apology," Finnian demanded, his voice thick with frustration.

Kaia's eyes turned icy, and the temperature in the office seemed to drop below freezing.

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