She turned back to her laptop, trying to focus, but she couldn’t stop playing that scene over and over in her mind. Ruby, kneeling on the bed before her, surrounded by Yvonne’s toys. Ruby, looking back at her, her eyes filled with a desperate yearning. Ruby, on her hands and knees, at Yvonne’s feet…

Yvonne shut her laptop. She needed a distraction.

She left her office, heading toward the office of Mistress’s CFO. If Yvonne was lucky, Lydia would still be around. Unlike the rest of the members of the executive team who had started Mistress together, Lydia had only joined them recently, although she’d worked with Mistress as a consultant for longer. Yvonne didn’t know her very well, but she had a question about finance, Lydia’s area of expertise.

Yvonne reached Lydia’s office. The auburn-haired woman was still inside, packing up her desk. Yvonne knocked on the door. Lydia waved her in.

“Do you have a moment?” Yvonne asked. “I’ll make it quick. I have a finance question, but it’s personal, not business.”

Lydia shut her bag. “Go ahead.”

“I need to set aside a sum of money for someone without her spouse being able to touch it. How would I go about doing that?”

Lydia frowned. “That’s a little complex. Normally, I’d suggest you create a trust, but in case of a married couple, both spouses would be legally entitled to the money in it. I’d recommend you speak to legal, especially given the circumstances of your marriage.”

“My marriage?” Did Lydia think Yvonne was talking about herself? “This isn’t about me. This is for someone else. A friend.”

“If you say so.”

“I mean it. I want to give someone money she can use for her family’s needs, but I don’t want her husband to have access to it.”

“I see.” Lydia paused in thought. “She has children?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, a trust for the children could work, with their mother as the sole trustee. If you include a provision that the money can only be used for expenses related to the children and their care, it will prevent her husband from getting his hands on it. The definition of ‘care’ is broad enough that there’s a lot of wiggle room, so she’ll still be able to spend the money relatively freely. But once again, I’m not a lawyer. You definitely need to speak with one.”

“I will,” Yvonne said. “I’m just looking into options right now. Thank you for your help.”

“Any time.” Lydia paused. “Is everything all right?”

Yvonne nodded. “Just trying to help a friend.”

Fortunately, Lydia didn’t pry. Yvonne appreciated that about her. She was cordial but reserved.

Yvonne nodded to her. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

She left Lydia’s office and headed back to her own, taking a seat behind her desk and opening her laptop again. Yvonne didn’t actually have any work to do because ever since Ruby had moved in, she’d been staying late at the office. She’d gotten all her extra work done already.