**Playing with Fire**
«Bloody hell,» Thomas threw his head back, choking on laughter. «You told her straight to her face? In front of everyone?»
«What else was I supposed to do?» Daniel drummed his fingers nervously against the desk. «I’m married. And she wouldnt back offcompletely lost all sense of boundaries. The whole departments been whispering.»
«Mate, youre too soft,» his friend ribbed. «Most blokes wouldve jumped at the chance. Not you, thoughalways the gentleman.»
«We have very different ideas of loyalty,» Daniel shot back, though the exhaustion in his eyes dulled the edge. «At first, it was just hints. I ignored themdidnt want to be rude, make a scene.»
«And that, my friend, was your mistake,» Thomas arched a brow knowingly. «Your silence encouraged her. Gave her the wrong idea.»
«What does she even want from me? Plenty of single men around!»
«For women like her, a wedding ring isnt a barrierits a challenge,» Thomas mused. «Proof youre worth chasing.»
Emily stormed into their department like a sudden gale. She wasnt classically beautifulher features too sharp, voice low and husky. But when she smiled, the world shifted around her. HR later admitted theyd nearly rejected her until that smile changed everything.
At first, Daniel genuinely liked her. Her energy, her wita breath of fresh air in the dull office grind. He helped her settle in, shared advice. To him, it was simple kindness. A family man through and through, he saw her as a bright colleaguealmost a younger sister.
Then the lines blurred. Emilys jokes turned suggestive, her touches lingering. Daniel, introverted and conflict-averse, floundered. His moral compass spun wildly. He avoided her, skipped lunches together. But retreat only emboldened her.
***
Daniel was in his mid-thirties, the kind of man who clung to order like a lifeline. Tall but slightly stooped, as if trying to shrink. Dark hair, neatly trimmed, silver already threading at his templesheredity and stress. Calm eyes, but beneath them, a constant fatiguenot from work, but from the weight of holding himself together. He wore thin-framed glasses, which hed push up nervously when unsettled. His clothes were practical, mutednothing flashy.
He hated crowds, office politics, flirtation. Silence, routine, focusthat was his language. Conflict terrified him. Hed sooner swallow his words than fight.
Yet beneath it all lay an unshakable fortress: his family. Charlotte and the kids werent just part of his lifethey *were* his life. His loyalty wasnt virtue; it was as natural as breathing.
Emily fixated on him from day one. He was the only man immune to her charms. Seducing him wasnt about attentionit was validation. If a man like *him* broke, she *mattered*. And experience told her every «perfect husband» hid secrets.
Within weeks, she gushed to her friend Sarah about her «feelings» for Daniel. Sarah listened, uneasy.
«Another married one? Emily, stop. Hes got two kids.»
«Details,» Emily waved her off. «Hes *trapped*. His wifeCharlotteshe doesnt *get* him. Just keeps him comfortable while his soul *suffocates*.»
«How would you even know? Have you met her?»
«I dont need to! I see *him*. So *controlled*, so *proper*thats not natural. Theres pain beneath. I *know* it. I want to *free* him.»
«Christ, you sound like a bad romance novel,» Sarah snapped. «You dont want to *help* him. You want him because hes *off-limits*. This isnt a gameits his *life*.»
«You dont understand,» Emilys eyes glittered. «Were *meant* to be. His perfect family? Ill find the cracks. Just watch.»
***
The business trip to Manchester was Daniels nightmare. Who volunteered to join him? Emily. Professional as ever with clients, he almost relaxeduntil the knock came late that night.
«My rooms freezing,» she stood in his doorway, wrapped in a robe that did little to hide the silk beneath.
Daniels stomach dropped. Panic, thick and suffocating, clawed at his throat. He imagined Charlottes steady, trusting gaze.
«WaitIll get you a blanket,» he muttered, turning away.
Emily pouted but took it.
«Youve locked yourself in a cage and thrown away the key,» she murmured. «Pity. Theres a different man beneathI *know* it.»
He shut the door, forehead pressed against it, pulse roaring. Relief warred with a sickening pityfor her, for himself, for this mess.
Back at the office, Emily seemed to lose interest. Daniel exhaleduntil she asked for a ride home. He refused.
«Do I *disgust* you?»
«Youre brilliant, Emily,» he said carefully. «But I love my wife. I have a *family*.»
«So thats the *only* reason?» Her eyes lit with dangerous excitement.
«No» he stumbled, hunting for gentle words, but she was already gone. He regretted his hesitation instantly.
That night, a sharp shove woke him.
«Daniel,» Charlotte hissed, voice trembling. «What the *hell* is this?»
He sat up, disoriented. On his phoneEmily, barely covered in lace.
«Char, its not what you think» he choked out, spilling everything.
Charlotte stared, then sighedanger and affection tangled in her voice.
«You *idiot*. Fine. I believe you. But if she tries again, Ill march into that office and make a scene theyll never forget.»
The next day, Daniel called Emily into a meeting room. She strode in, triumphant.
«Emily, youve crossed a line,» he said, voice steady.
«Oh, *please*,» she stepped closer, fingers brushing his cheek. «She doesnt *deserve* you.»
He recoiled. Her hand hung mid-air.
«What are you implying?»
«That your perfect lifes a *lie*,» she purred. «Loving wife, princess daughter, heir son»
«We *are* happy.»
«Wake *up*!» She slammed a paper on the desk. «*Paternity probability: 0%*. Handy having friends in labs, hm? Believe me *now*?»
Daniels blood turned to ice. The last shreds of pity vanished.
«I tolerated your advances. But my *children*? James isnt mine by blood. Thats between me and Charlotte. His parentsher sister and husbanddied. Hes *ours* now. *Happy*?»
Emily paled. «II didnt know.»
«I dont know how you got this test, or if its even real,» he said coldly. «I thought you were lonely. Now I see youre *dangerous*. Resign. By tonight. Or I go to the police. And if you *ever* approach my kids» his quiet voice turned lethal, «*youll wish I had*.»
Emily quit that day. Daniel came home early, holding James and Lily tight, breathing them in.
That evening, he sat across from Charlotte.
«We tell him the truth,» he said softly. «Before someone else does.»
Charlottes eyes shonenot with grief, but relief. «Im scared.»
«Me too. But well do it together.»
A week later, after cake, Daniel knelt before James.
«Remember how we say familys the most important thing?» he began gently. «Well, families come in all kinds. Buddy, Im not your birth dad. Your first mum and dad were Charlottes sister and her husbandthey were wonderful, but theyre gone. We chose *you*. With all our hearts.»
James paused, then hugged them. «Can I have more cake?»
The weight lifted. In the crumbs and quiet, there was no room for Emilyor her delusions. Everything was as it should be.
