Lilly headed toward the elevators. Every step carried the weight of what had just happened. The woman's lingering kiss on Mark's cheek, his effortless dismissal, and the way his voice had been so casual when he told her she could continue tomorrow. But it wasn't the dismissal that rattled her most. It was what she'd done, what they'd done, and how she had walked out of his office without her legs fully steady beneath her.
She pressed the button for the ground floor, the metallic doors sliding open. Relief flickered until Luna slipped in behind her at the last second.
The confined space seemed smaller than usual, the air heavy with hostility. Luna's perfume was sharp and sweet, cloying, pressing against Lilly's senses like poison.
Luna leaned against the mirrored wall, arms crossed, eyes narrowing with contempt, "You again," she sneered, her voice dripping with venom.
Her lips curled into a bitter smile, "Just stay away from him," she hissed, "He's mine. He always comes back to me, no matter who tries to crawl into his lap. You'll be just another name on his list, just like the rest of the women in this building."
Lilly didn't flinch. Her body still buzzed with the lingering heat of Mark's touch, and instead of cowering, she let the truth slip past her lips like a blade. She leaned just slightly toward Luna and whispered, "Well, I just walked out of his office… and my knees are still shaking."
The words hit their mark. Luna's eyes darkened, fury sparking like wildfire. With a sharp hiss, she lunged, her hand fisting in Lilly's hair, yanking her head back hard enough to sting, "You little bitch," she spat, "Do you think you're special? Do you think you're the first?"
Pain lanced across Lilly's scalp, but she refused to give Luna the satisfaction of a cry. She met her rival's glare in the mirror, lips curling with the faintest defiance, "Doesn't matter if I'm the first," she whispered back, voice steady despite the ache, "I'm the one he wants right now."
Luna's face twisted, the words landing like acid. She shoved Lilly against the elevator wall, nails digging into her scalp. Lilly shoved back, adrenaline surging, the fight turning sharp and frantic.
The elevator jolted as it descended, their tangled bodies slamming against the mirrored wall. Hair pulled, nails scratched, breath came in harsh bursts. The scene was ugly, raw, born of jealousy and possessiveness.
And by the time the doors slid open to the lobby, the chaos spilled into view. A pair of security guards standing near the reception whipped their heads toward the sound of scuffling. In seconds, they were at the elevator, prying the two women apart.
"Enough!" one barked, yanking Luna back by the arms as the other held Lilly firmly away. Both women were flushed, hair disheveled, their breath ragged.
Luna struggled, her voice sharp as knives, "You're nothing! Nothing but a stupid distraction!"
Lilly didn't respond. She only straightened her blouse, smoothing it down with trembling hands, her chin tilted high. Even as her scalp throbbed and her chest heaved, she refused to let Luna see her falter.
The guards stood between them, the tension so thick it clung to the walls of the lobby. And in that moment, Lilly knew that she hadn't just stepped into Mark's game. She had stepped into a war she never signed of.