Chapter 54: You’re Still My Wife
As Roxanne walked up the stone path, she could see a massive, triumphant grin spreading across Christian’s face. She recognized the exact smile and it took every single ounce of her willpower not to roll her eyes. She kept her spine perfectly straight, her expression entirely neutral as she closed the distance between them.
The moment she reached the threshold, Christian opened his arms wide to pull her into a hug. Roxanne stopped dead in her tracks and lifted a cold, flat palm to his chest.
"Don’t do that, please," she said. Her voice was ice, masking the intense flash of revulsion that spiked in her throat at the smell of his cologne.
Christian’s grin didn’t falter. He dropped his arms, his chest puffing out. "I’m glad you finally came to your senses and started thinking logically," he said smoothly. "All Richard Vance has is money and power, Roxy. Nothing more. He doesn’t actually care about you. Now that you’re back home, we can fix this little bump in the road and move forward."
Roxanne didn’t bother wasting her breath on a reply. She simply gestured with her chin for him to get out of her way. Christian smiled, stepping back to let her pass.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she froze. Crimson rose petals littered the polished hardwood floor, tracing a thick, deliberate path from the entryway all the way to the top of the spiral staircase.
Her gaze followed the long, red trail, and her stomach twisted with sudden, violent anger. For a fleeting second, her mind flashed back to the night of their wedding anniversary. She remembered standing in this exact spot, praying for a romantic surprise, only to find a trail of another woman’s discarded clothes leading up those very stairs.
Christian, completely blind to the storm brewing behind her eyes, stepped up behind her. He leaned in, his lips brushing the edge of her ear. "This is proof that I genuinely want us to work," he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, practiced purr. "I will do whatever it takes to show you how much I still want you."
Roxanne’s head snapped toward him, her gaze cutting like steel, but she kept her lips pressed tight. Defiantly, she marched straight into the center of the living room, her heels deliberately grinding the delicate red petals into the floorboards. She sat down on the leather sofa and calmly crossed one leg over the other.
Christian’s smile vanished, replaced by a deep frown. "Don’t you want to go upstairs? I set up a whole display for you in the bedroom."
Roxanne smoothed the fabric of her dress over her knee. "Sit down, Christian. Let’s get straight to the reason I’m here."
"We can have a much better conversation upstairs in bed," he insisted, his brows drawing tight.
Roxanne glanced toward the darkened staircase. "Upstairs is where we used to make all of our mistakes," she said, her voice dropping an octave as she looked back at him. "We are going to settle this right here."
Christian’s frown deepened into a scowl. "Are you calling our entire marriage a mistake?" he demanded, a sharp edge of irritation bleeding into his tone.
Roxanne remained completely silent, staring at him with unblinking eyes. Christian glared back for a long, tense moment. Then, he turned sharply to the heavy oak front door. He slammed it shut, turned the deadbolt with a loud click, pulled the brass key from the lock, and slid it deep into his robe pocket.
Roxanne watched the entire sequence play out, her pulse steady. She didn’t flinch. Instead, she simply leaned back into the cushions of the sofa, keeping her eyes fixed on him.
"I am here to give you an offer," she stated flatly.
Christian walked back toward her, pressing a stressed hand against his forehead. "Stop speaking to me like we’re in a boardroom," he snapped. He stepped into the living room and threw himself down on the cushion right next to her, leaning in close. "I know you still want me, Roxy. You always want me," he muttered, reaching a hand out to touch her thigh.
Roxanne instantly raised a sharp, warning finger, stopping his hand an inch from her skin. "Do you want to keep your position at Vance Enterprises, or do you not?" she asked.
Christian’s toxic confidence flared again, a slow smirk returning to his lips as he leaned even closer, trying to crowd her space. "I can easily have both. My beautiful wife and my career. Just like it’s always been."
Roxanne let out a quiet, mocking scoff, staring directly into his eyes. "Not anymore," she said, her tone dripping with absolute finality. "The choices you make in this room tonight will dictate whether you wake up tomorrow morning with your title as a senior executive or as a jobless, homeless man with no wife and no roof over his head."
Christian’s smirk turned into an ugly sneer. He leaned back, scoffing loudly. "You actually think you’re the one holding the cards here?"
Roxanne met his aggressive gaze head-on, giving him a slow, deliberate nod. "Yes, Christian. I am," she said, her voice cutting through the quiet room like a knife. "Now, are you ready to discuss business, or should I take my leave?"
"You do realize you are at home now and not in the office, right? Here, I am the one in charge," Christian said, his eyes narrowing into venomous slits. "I am your husband. Whether you like it or not, you’re still my wife."
Not for much longer. Roxanne let out a low, amused breath. "Does that mean your career suddenly doesn’t matter to you at all?" she asked, tilting her head. "Because if so, I am completely wasting my breath even sitting here."
"This is your home!" Christian snapped, his face flushing.
"Yet I don’t even have the freedom to come and go as I please," Roxanne countered, her voice dripping with scorn.
"Roxanne—"
"Just hand over the video, Christian," Roxanne said, extending an open palm across the gap between the sofas. "Do that, and I will personally tell Richard that you cooperated. Your termination will be pulled off the table."
Christian stared at her hand, his expression twisting as if the mere mention of Richard’s name were a heavy iron yoke tightening around his neck. He leaned back into the cushions. "And what exactly are you going to do to make that happen? Sleep with him again?"