Chapter 4 The Cake Smash Rebellion

Mimi's heart hammered in her chest as she watched Simeon charge toward the front of the room, his small fists shaking furiously. Before she could even notice the movement, he threw the cake box forward, causing its contents to tumble out with a horrible splash. The once-perfect, silky frosting splattered across the glass divider, the crimson icing streaming down in blood-like jagged patterns.

There was a startled stillness in the room. As Mimi watched the mess unfold in slow time, her breath stopped in her throat as the cake slid down the surface. Every second felt like it was dragging on as the insanity of the moment took hold. The smooth, immaculate walls of the boardroom suddenly appeared to be a harsh parody of the reality that was collapsing.

Simeon stood motionless, his little face twisted with the unfiltered emotion of a child who had just seen something innocent destroyed. His chest ached as he gazed at the devastation he had caused-the remains of a party transformed into an unforgivable act of rebellion.

There was no more laughter in the room than there had been a few moments before. Cameras that had previously taken the ideal picture of CrossCorp's new power couple now turned to watch what was happening in front of them. Executives and staff looked on in disbelief as the boy stood there, his fists clinched, his eyes fixed on Scarlett and James with a mix of grief and rage.

Mimi felt as though her feet were stuck to the floor, but she wanted to reach for him and pull him back from the scene's edge. She was only able to observe as the consequences of this public humiliation spread, the cake's impact bearing down on her breast.

The silence in the boardroom was thick and oppressive, as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. The debris and the moment of defiance were captured by the frantic camera clicking. Mimi sensed that everyone was watching her, and she could feel the pressure of criticism. Nobody talked, nobody moved. Everyone was waiting for someone to respond.

James's body froze in amazement as he stood there, his eyes fixed on the cake's impact site. Scarlett, however, had already calmed down, her lips forming a faint, hardly noticeable smile, as though she had foreseen this. Her grasp slowly tightened on James' arm as her eyes darted to him, perhaps to make her claim known to the world.

With her heart pounding, Mimi moved forward and extended her hand to Simeon. When she spoke, her voice was tremulous. "Honey, Simeon. Let's head out.

Simeon was not listening, though. His eyes were flaming with a mixture of betrayal and rage, and he held his ground, his little chest rising and sinking with each breath. When it did come, his voice was distinct and booming. My dad is that! My mother is that!

A hushed murmur swept through the room. The people who had all assembled to watch Scarlett's reign begin, the power brokers at CrossCorp, exchanged anxious and perplexed looks. Some looked at Scarlett, some at James, and some even at Mimi, as though they were trying to figure out what had just transpired.

The sting of humiliation burned Mimi's skin as her cheeks flushed with shame. But there was something more below it all. anything more profound. She had been too scared to speak the truth, but Simeon had just done it.

The truth, however, was a deadly weapon in this chamber.

Scarlett's lovely, sarcastic voice echoed, "Poor thing." "You appear disoriented."

James stayed put. He said nothing. He appeared to be still as he watched the mayhem play out without taking any action to halt it. Mimi could feel her own rage building, bitter and burning, in her chest. It was more than just a cake. Control was the issue. It was about her life-her family-being gradually taken from her by the woman in front of her, who showed off her triumph without hesitation.

Simeon was still clenching his little hands, and his face was flushed from fighting back tears. He said it again, more angrily, "That's my dad," his words piercing the tension like a call for assistance.

Scarlett smirked without faltering as her gaze shifted to him. Absolutely, sweetheart. "Your dad," she murmured sweetly, her tone brimming with phony love. "But not in your memory of him."

James's lips were parted, but no sound came as his gaze shifted from Scarlett to Mimi. In front of his own son's outburst, the weight of the occasion suffocated him and rendered him silent. He lacked his typical poise and the unwavering assurance of a CEO who had mastered boardrooms and power clashes. The only things left in the room were the residual tension and quiet.

Simeon's little, irate voice rang out, piercing the oppressive silence and demanding that the truth-which neither Scarlett nor James appeared prepared to face-be acknowledged for what had just transpired.

James moved ahead a step. Something transient, like remorse but also dread, was written on his face, and Mimi could see the internal fight. Her once-completely trusted man, the focal point of their existence, stood still. Mimi thought he may say anything for a second when his eyes met hers. Act. However, he did not.

Rather, he looked away, his eyes darting to Scarlett as though he was looking for her approval, the validation he no longer could find in her. With her hand resting possessively on James's arm and her triumphant stare, Scarlett grinned and helped him return to the part she had set out for him.

Mimi felt her chest constrict. I couldn't stand the cowardice. In Scarlett's hands, James had turned into a puppet incapable of speaking or standing up for what was right in the face of his son's fury and everything he had once stood for.

Her breath came in short gasps as the weight of everything fell upon her. Seeing him like this, so completely defeated, was like watching a piece of herself die, even though she had always known he was going away.

Mimi's palm shook as she tightened her grip on Simeon, her fingers shaking. She took a step back, away from the confusion, away from the humiliation in front of others, away from the dread that threatened to overwhelm her, and pulled him close without saying a word. With the world weighing down on her shoulders, she turned her back on Scarlett and James, and the camera flashes felt like daggers now, cutting through the air.

Simeon felt her anguish and gripped her hand tightly, his little body shaking next to hers. He said in a tiny but ferocious voice, "Mom," "Why is Dad letting her do this?"

Unable to shove down the knot in her throat, Mimi swallowed. She was unable to provide him with a response or reassuring words to clear the confusion in his eyes. She could only take his hand, feel his tiny fingers twitch around hers, and move toward the elevator, one step at a time, in the hopes of a brief, if brief, escape.

She caught one last look at Scarlett and James as she looked over her shoulder. With her eyes glimmering with something dark and gratifying, Scarlett's smile was a firm, victorious twist of the lips. Once warm and loving, James's eyes were now vacant, his focus split between Scarlett and the devastation he had just seen.

The betrayal was too painful for Mimi to handle, and her heart broke again. With her eyes burning with the fear of tears she would not cry in front of the throng, she glanced toward the elevator for a final glimpse of the man she had loved.

They closed the doors behind them, but the harm was already done. It weighed heavily on her chest to realize that she was no longer a part of that world.

The sound of quick footsteps, however, reverberated down the corridor as the doors started to close entirely. The turmoil and the sight of the cake smash had attracted the attention of the reporters, who had noticed them. It was like a kick to Mimi's stomach to realize that they were still under the public's scrutiny and that they weren't yet free.

A barrage of light bursts and yelled queries came from all sides before the doors had a chance to close. Cameras and microphones buzzed about them, all focused on the story they were now a part of. "Mimi, is it true that your marriage is over?" "James, is this the end of your family?"

Mimi's heart pounded as the questions poured in, each one more incisive than the previous. Feeling Simeon's petite frame against hers, she drew him in closer. But before she could even respond, Scarlett's voice broke through the crowd's cacophony.

"Some people simply don't know when to let go," Scarlett stated in a venomous tone. She was standing on the boardroom threshold, staring at Mimi with that same triumphant, mocking smirk.

Mimi's stomach sank with her heart. The challenge was tossed into the air, daring her to fight, and she could feel the weight of the words sinking into her bones. Mimi, however, remained silent. No, she couldn't. Not now, not here.

They were removed from the turmoil by the gentle thud of the elevator doors, but the tension was still there, heavy and thick. As Scarlett's comments replayed in her head, Mimi could only cling to Simeon and hope that they would weather this storm together.