Chapter 8

Willow had suffered in silence in a family like this for years, and all for the sake of a scumbag.

Her heart sank. She shut her eyes and dried her tears. When she opened them again, a trace of determination flashed in them.

"Willow? Willow, why have you locked the door?"

Quentin had followed her upstairs. He'd already been worried about losing control and having car sex with Sonia after she'd seduced him. The fact that Willow had stayed out all night only worried him more.

Had she really noticed something?

"Willow, open the—"

The door was unlocked. Quentin was taken aback for a second before he pushed the door open. "Willow, are you okay? What are you—"

Willow stood before him, looking like a completely different person. She had a full face of makeup on, and she looked gorgeous. Her black-framed glasses were nowhere to be seen, and her hair cascaded over her shoulders in gentle waves.

She wore a sexy red dress. That, coupled with her beautiful face, made her seem unbelievably attractive.

"Willow, why are you …" Quentin trailed off. He started feeling aroused.

He'd always known that Willow was beautiful, but because she rarely dressed up after they married, he'd slowly forgotten what she originally looked like. This was such a surprise.

A trace of mockery flashed past Willow's eyes when she saw Quentin stutter, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she smiled. "What's wrong, honey? Don't you like it when I dress like this?"

"No, it's not that." Quentin gave her a loving look. "I was just surprised."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That surprised, huh? Is it because I'm older now and don't deserve to dress like this?"

"Of course not." Quentin hurried forward and gave her a tender look. "To me, you'll always be the most beautiful woman in the world."

He lowered his head, wanting to kiss her.

Willow was smiling, but her heart was dead and cold. She averted her head when he was inches away, pressing a finger to his lips. "You're such a sweet talker."

"No, everything I say comes from the heart." Quentin held her hand, looking like the most devoted husband in the world.

Willow clenched her fist lightly but kept her smile in place. "Alright, alright. That's enough fun. I have to head to the company to deal with some things."

She pushed him away lightly, sidestepped him, and left.

Quentin was left standing there, burning with arousal. He felt awkward and lost.

…

Willow ignored Gina's and Stephanie's mockery as she headed downstairs. She left to go to the company.

She was the center of attention as soon as she stepped into the building.

Since her first day of work there, Willow had always dressed frumpily. Now that she'd changed overnight, she became the talk of the company.

"Is that Ms. Jett? Am I seeing things?"

"God, Ms. Jett's gorgeous! She has both beauty and brains. I'll be frank with you—I'm a woman, but I think I'm falling for her."

"Whoa, Ms. Jett's actually so pretty. In the past, I thought she wasn't worthy of Mr. Strand despite her being great at running the company. But now, I think Mr. Strand's the one who isn't worthy of her …"

"Who's not worthy of who?" Sonia walked in, feeling delighted.

She'd gone to such an extent last night that she refused to believe Willow hadn't noticed anything. She would like to see how much longer the ugly old hag would shamelessly hold on to being Quentin's wife.

"Sonia!" The receptionist was on pretty good terms with Sonia. She said, "Hurry and go take a look at Ms. Jett. You'll be super surprised!"

Willow? Had she done something humiliating after being provoked by last night's events?

Sonia smiled while holding her coffee. "Sure."

She headed to Willow's office and barged in without knocking. "Willow!"

She didn't see anyone behind the desk. Sonia frowned and was about to turn around when Willow's voice rang out. "I'm here."

"Where were you last night, Willow? You—" Sonia stopped abruptly as she stared at Willow.