Sweet Venom Chapter 2

I took a deep breath and met his gaze directly. "I have. And that's what I'm here to talk about. Ryan, those rumors are completely baseless. I need you to know that."

He leaned back in his chair, the picture of discomfort. "Look, Mel… sometimes she just speaks without thinking. She's been a little spoiled, you know? But she doesn't have a malicious bone in her body."

"Ryan, that 'joke' has made it impossible for me to do my job! Everyone in this office now thinks I slept my way to the top. This is a catastrophic blow to my professional reputation!"

"Isn't that a little dramatic?" he countered, his brow furrowing. "The truth will out. People know your work ethic. My father's opinion of you isn't going to change over a few whispers. You're being too sensitive."

My heart sank. He didn't get it. He had no concept of the malice behind that comment, of the unique and devastating damage it could do to a woman's career. He was taking the easy way out: placate me and excuse his fiancée.

Perhaps Ryan said something to her, because that afternoon, Melanie Pierce herself deigned to visit my desk. She sauntered over, Birkin bag swinging, with the regal air of a visiting monarch.

"Claire, busy?" she asked, her voice just loud enough for the entire department to hear.

I looked up. "Can I help you, Melanie?"

She produced a smile that was laced with apology. "I came to say I'm sorry. At the gala, I might have been a bit thoughtless. It was just a silly joke, and I never imagined it would cause all this gossip. I feel terrible."

Before I could respond, she leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You've been sleeping with him for a while now, haven't you? I mean, why else would Arthur and Ryan protect you so fiercely? All this 'hard-working career woman' act… who do you think you're fooling?"

A wave of nausea and fury washed over me. I leaned back sharply, putting space between us. "Melanie," I said, my voice dripping with scorn, "is your mind capable of thinking about anything that isn't disgusting?"

"For the record, my conduct is, and always has been, unimpeachable. My relationship with Arthur and with Ryan is purely professional."

I leaned forward again. "And if we're talking about old family connections, Ryan Sterling should be calling me 'Aunt Claire.' So you just came over here to ask me if I'm sleeping with my own godson? Because if you're not disgusted by that idea, I sure as hell am."

When Arthur's company was on the verge of collapse years ago, my father risked everything, injecting the capital that saved it. Arthur, half-joking and half-deadly serious, had said, "I can never repay you. Let me make Claire my goddaughter. In my family, she will be treated like a princess. Everyone will show her respect."

To this day, my family's investment still accounted for twenty percent of the Sterling Group.

The color drained from Melanie's face. She clearly had no idea about the depth of our families' history. For a second, I thought that would be the end of it.

Then she sneered. "Godmother? That's not a real title. It doesn't mean anything."

"It's a name, a convenient little cover story, isn't it?" she hissed. "Makes it all the more thrilling, doesn't it? Hiding in plain sight, a little forbidden spice to keep things interesting."

I was shaking with rage. It was as if she couldn't form a sentence without a smear of filth.

I took a breath, forcing myself into a state of icy calm. "Melanie, I accept your apology. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Unlike some people," I added, looking her directly in the eye, "I don't have time to invent drama and spread malicious lies."