Guilty by Default

"Isn't there anything sweet in the breakroom?" Gideon asked. He kept his posture relaxed, projecting a calculated indifference to the assistant's frantic news.

"The cleaning crew cleared everything out last night," the assistant replied, her voice hushed. "The new vendor hasn't delivered yet, and Mallory is starving." She shifted her weight, glancing pointedly at Cordelia. "Since you are dining in, Mr. Drexel, perhaps Mallory could have a small portion to stabilize her blood sugar? Mrs. Drexel, you wouldn't object to sharing, would you?"

Cordelia maintained her perfect posture. "I don't mind," she replied smoothly, wrapping her disdain in polite etiquette. "However, I did stand in the kitchen at six this morning to prepare this mushroom soup specifically for Gideon."

Before Gideon could issue a definitive ruling on the matter, the office door pushed open further. Mallory slipped inside, looking pale but carrying a triumphant air.

"Go ahead and take a portion." Gideon kept his voice steady, though he leveled a hard look at the younger woman. "Just make sure you feed yourself properly before starting your shift."

It was a veiled command to drop the theatrics while his wife was present. Cordelia understood the dynamic perfectly; Gideon's current reluctance to initiate a divorce stemmed entirely from her flawless track record in their marriage.

"Gideon, I need a drink of water," Mallory murmured, looking up at him expectantly.

Reacting on pure instinct, Gideon reached for the smart kettle on his credenza. He set the digital dial to exactly one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, poured the perfectly warmed water, and handed her the glass.

Cordelia watched the exchange in silence. The sheer precision of his care for his subordinate stood in glaring contrast to his absolute dismissal of his own wife's boundaries.

Taking a slow sip, Mallory sent a sly, provocative look toward the other side of the desk. "Thank you, Gideon. But are you absolutely sure Cordelia won't be terribly upset? I'd hate to eat the breakfast she labored over just for you."

Cordelia merely offered a cold, silent sneer.

Gideon didn't bother looking up from his paperwork. "Cora wouldn't mind. She is very understanding."

"I'm relieved to hear that." Mallory smiled. She picked up a silver spoon, sampled the creamy mushroom soup, and then took a bite of the dressed salad.

Barely a minute passed before her smug expression vanished. The color drained completely from her face. She dropped the silverware with a sharp clatter, her hands flying to her throat as she dragged in a harsh, ragged breath.

"G-Gideon," she wheezed, her voice a strained rasp.

Gideon's head snapped up. The casual detachment vanished instantly, replaced by stark alarm as he registered her distress. He shot to his feet. "What is wrong?"

"Medicine," Mallory choked out, leaning heavily against the edge of the mahogany desk. "Bring me my medicine."

"Get her inhaler! Now!" Gideon roared at the hovering assistant, panic completely overtaking his handsome features.

As the assistant scrambled out the door to fetch the asthma medication, Mallory turned a red, tear-filled gaze toward Cordelia. "The meal... what was in it?"

Cordelia stood near the sofa, utterly bewildered by the sudden chaos. "Gideon, what is going on?"

Gideon whirled on his wife, his dark eyes ablaze with raw hostility. "What exactly did you add to this food?"

The sheer venom in his voice caught Cordelia completely off guard, sounding almost like static buzzing in her ears. "I prepared the mushroom soup the same way I always do," she answered, keeping her tone even. "And I used peanut butter for the salad dressing."

"Peanut butter?" Gideon's features darkened considerably, twisting into a mask of absolute fury. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you know Mallory is severely allergic to peanut butter? You could have killed her just now!"

The sheer injustice of the accusation snapped the last thread of Cordelia's patience. The flawless, accommodating persona she had maintained every single day for four long years fractured permanently.

"I prepared that breakfast exclusively for my husband!" Cordelia shouted, the volume of her voice echoing sharply off the glass walls. "I have always used peanut butter for your salad dressing because you prefer it. How on earth was I supposed to know the medical history of your employee?"

She grabbed her designer handbag, her chest heaving as tears of profound frustration and betrayal burned her reddening eyes. "I woke up at six in the morning to take care of you, and this is how you treat me?"

Without waiting for a response, Cordelia spun on her heel and marched straight out of the executive suite.

Gideon stood frozen behind his desk. Over the entire course of their marriage, he had grown entirely accustomed to Cordelia's endless gentleness and sensibility. This was the first time he had witnessed her lose her temper.

Armed with her emergency medication, Mallory's breathing slowly stabilized. A faint, vindictive smile curled the corners of her pale lips.

Sensing an opportunity to maneuver his guilt and direct his anger at his wife, she leaned against the desk. "Gideon... could it be that Cora found out about us? Is she holding a grudge against me? That must be why she purposely..."

"Enough."

Gideon's voice was a low, heavy rumble that cut her off instantly. He leveled a grim, unyielding stare at the woman catching her breath. "Cordelia brought that breakfast for me. You are the one who aggressively insisted on eating it. Who exactly are you trying to blame right now?"

He didn't give Mallory a chance to stammer out another excuse. Snatching his heavy wool coat from the standing rack, Gideon bypassed her entirely and strode out the double doors, his long legs eating up the distance down the corridor as he hurried after Cordelia.