Chapter 3 Third chapter: new job

It had only been a week since the wedding, but to Jillian, it felt like months. The coldness between her and Christopher had settled into something permanent, an unspoken agreement that they would live their lives in parallel, connected only by the public façade they maintained for the world. But even the privacy of their large, sterile home felt like an endless battlefield of icy silence. Christopher kept to his office, spending hours on the phone with his executives, ensuring that the merger between Hartwell Industries and Reynolds Enterprises went off without a hitch.

Jillian, meanwhile, tried to pretend that life could somehow go back to normal. She had returned to her own job-one of the few things she had for herself. She worked as a communications director at a nonprofit organization, something she had been passionate about long before the wedding. The position gave her a sense of independence, a purpose outside the business world that now seemed to define her life. But that small piece of independence wasn't going to last. It started one evening over dinner-if you could call the two of them sitting at opposite ends of a long dining table in silence "dinner." Jillian had barely touched her food, pushing the vegetables around on her plate, when Christopher spoke, his voice calm but carrying a weight that made her tense. "You need to quit your job," he said, not bothering to look up from his plate. Jillian's fork clattered against her dish as she stared at him in shock. "What?" "You heard me," Christopher said, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "It's not appropriate for the wife of the CEO of Reynolds Enterprises to be working at some nonprofit. You should be involved with the company." Jillian's stomach twisted at the command in his voice. She had known that her position as his wife would come with certain expectations, but the idea of leaving her job had never crossed her mind. "I'm not quitting my job, Christopher," she said firmly, trying to keep her voice steady. "I've worked there for years. It's important to me." Christopher's eyes flicked up to meet hers, cold and calculating. "That job is beneath you now. You're part of this family, part of this company. Your focus should be on supporting our business, not wasting time on charity work." "It's not charity work," Jillian snapped, her frustration flaring. "It's important. I make a difference there, and I'm not giving it up just because you think I should." Christopher's expression hardened, his fork pausing mid-air. "You don't get it, do you? This isn't just about you. This is about the image we project. The merger has put a lot of eyes on us-on you. People are watching everything we do. They expect the wife of a CEO to be involved in the company, not off doing her own thing." Jillian clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "So that's what this is? You're worried about how I look to the board? To the shareholders?" "Exactly," Christopher replied bluntly. "You should be working with me. We're supposed to be a team." Jillian let out a bitter laugh. "A team? You barely speak to me. You don't even look at me unless you have to. This isn't a marriage, Christopher-it's a business deal. And now you're telling me I have to give up the one thing that's mine?" Christopher's jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening around his fork. "You will quit your job, Jillian. That's not a request." His voice was ice, final, and it sent a chill down her spine. For a long moment, they sat there in silence, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife. Jillian felt trapped, suffocated by the weight of the expectations surrounding her. But she wasn't ready to surrender just yet. "I won't do it," she said softly, her voice trembling with both fear and defiance. "I won't let you control every part of my life." Christopher set his fork down with deliberate precision, his eyes narrowing as he leaned back in his chair. "If you don't do this, there will be consequences, Jillian. Don't make this harder than it has to be." Tears of frustration burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wasn't going to let him see how much this was tearing her apart. "We'll see about that," she whispered before pushing back from the table and leaving the room. --- The fights became a regular occurrence after that. Christopher brought up the subject of her job almost every evening, each time with the same icy demand: quit. Jillian resisted, standing her ground even as the tension between them became unbearable. But every day, the pressure mounted. Her parents, worried about the merger's stability, urged her to cooperate. His family, ever calculating, subtly hinted that her role at the nonprofit was a poor reflection on the Reynolds name. Eventually, after weeks of fighting, Jillian felt herself crumbling under the weight of it all. She wasn't just battling Christopher-she was battling the entire structure of their world. And in the end, she couldn't win. One night, exhausted and defeated, she gave in. "Fine," she said quietly, her voice hollow. "I'll quit." Christopher didn't smile. He simply nodded, as if he had expected nothing less. "Good. You'll be working as my personal assistant at the company. You'll be at my side for all major decisions, representing the Hartwell name." The words tasted bitter on her tongue, but she swallowed her pride and agreed. --- Her first day at Reynolds Enterprises felt like stepping into a completely different world. The offices were sleek, modern, and filled with people who seemed to live and breathe the business. Jillian had been here before, of course-at corporate functions and during meetings for the merger. But now, as an employee, the atmosphere felt different. It was as if the building itself buzzed with intensity, every corner of it humming with purpose. Christopher had barely acknowledged her as she entered his office that morning, giving her a list of tasks before turning back to his phone calls. He treated her like an employee, nothing more. It didn't take long for the other executives to notice her presence. Whispers followed her through the halls, a mix of curiosity and envy. She was the CEO's wife, after all. But there was one man who took a particular interest in her-and not just because of her last name. His name was Alexander Crane, Christopher's biggest rival within the company. He was the head of one of the largest divisions at Reynolds Enterprises, a rising star in the corporate world, with sharp, intelligent eyes and a smile that could charm anyone. He introduced himself in the hallway during her first week, leaning casually against the glass wall of a conference room. "Jillian Hartwell," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "Or should I say Mrs. Reynolds?" Jillian turned to face him, surprised by the warmth in his tone. "Just Jillian is fine," she replied, offering a polite smile. "Jillian, then," Alexander said, his eyes flicking briefly toward Christopher's office down the hall. "I hear you've joined the company. Working for your husband, no less. That must be... interesting." Jillian raised an eyebrow, sensing the unspoken tension behind his words. "It's been an adjustment." "I imagine it has." Alexander's smile widened, a glint of something mischievous in his eyes. "You know, if you ever need a break from... all of this," he gestured vaguely at the office around them, "you're welcome to stop by my division. We're much more relaxed over there." Jillian couldn't help but laugh softly, despite the tension that had been following her. "I'll keep that in mind." As Alexander walked away, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching her closely. More than just an executive interested in his boss's wife, Alexander seemed to see something else-something deeper. And for the first time since the wedding, Jillian wondered if she had an ally in this cold, corporate world. Or perhaps, something more.