Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Me: It was fine. You were stressed. Lunch sounds great.
“Congratulations, Letty,” another person chirps as they pass by my desk. “Front page. Unbelievable.”
This grabs my attention. “Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
The guy slaps the New York Times down on my desk. On the front page is my face. I blink once in shock. Then, I blink once more as horror sets in. My age. My location. My entire damn name. All splashed across the front page. The article goes on to not only talk about my promotion for one of the biggest acquisition firms in the country but also talks about my overcoming sexual harassment and breaking through the glass ceiling. But it’s what’s at the end of the article that has my blood running cold.
Maxwell Subsidiaries bought Slante Mortgages.
One simple sentence, stuck in at the end.
But it has me seeing red. So much so, that it overshadows for the moment that my anonymity is gone. I snatch the paper up and stalk over to Gray’s door. When I charge inside and slam the door behind me, I find him sitting at his desk with his fingers steepled as if he was waiting for me. Even Jeff wears an expectant look.
“How could you?” I seethe, my tone low and deadly.
His gaze is sharp as he skims over my blouse and skirt before roaming back up to my eyes. “How could I what?”
I slam the newspaper down on his desk. “Do you know what you’ve done?” My voice is shrill.
“That was me, actually,” Jeff pipes up. “I contacted my buddy at The Times and told him the story.”
“You don’t know what you’ve done,” I tell him, a slight quiver in my voice. When I think of Vaughn seeing the paper and knowing where I am, my knees buckle and I crash up against the desk. Jeff tries to right me but Gray has already come around the desk. I’m dragged into his powerful grip.
His scent.
His touch.
His overpowering presence.
I fall victim to his gentle touch for a moment and let him protect me from the repercussions. But just for a moment. Then, the fury sets in.
“You didn’t want me to leave so you bought Slante Mortgages?” I screech.
He rubs my back. “There’s more to the story that you don’t know.”
“So. Tell. Me.” I lift my chin and glare at him.
His jaw ticks and he nods at Jeff who slips out of the office without another word. Then, his features soften as he regards me. I try to wriggle away but his grip tightens.
“Sean has a bad history,” he grits out, anger morphing his features.
“A bad history for what?!”
“For fucking his employees.” His words are snarled out, jealousy clinging to each one.
I scoff. “You fuck your employees.”
This earns me a growl. “No, I just fuck you.”
Embarrassment causes my neck to heat. This poor guy just lost his company because my new boyfriend is jealous and doesn’t want me to quit? Unbelievable.
“That was his company,” I mutter, disgust seeping in my tone. “You just made a few phone calls and bought his company out from under him?”
“I hardly call twenty million a bad deal. I doubled his asking price.” His voice is smug and it irritates me.
“When?” I hiss. “When did you do this? After our fight on Saturday?”
His features harden. “He was pleased with my offer. After I dropped you off, I met with him and our lawyers. Everything went smoothly. This morning, the wire transfer went through. He’s staying on to manage, though. But…”
He doesn’t have to say it.
I know.
“But the caveat was he couldn’t have me.”
He has the sense to look shameful. “Violet.”
“No,” I murmur. “All of that is horrible, and I’m furious with you. But splashing my face and name all over the front page of the country’s biggest paper when you know I’m hiding from my psychotic and abusive ex? That’s unforgivable.” This time when I push away, he releases me. He looks wounded.
“You don’t understand—”
“Apparently not.” I choke back tears. “I’m taking the day off. I’m not feeling well.”
He sees through my lie but gives me a clipped nod. “Let me drive you home at least.”
I shake my head and hold my hands up. “You’ve done enough.”
I hate having to bite my tongue but I can’t tell her the truth. I can’t let her know that I had Jeff run that article so that Vaughn would come out of his hiding place. Dusty is still trying to find the slippery motherfucker. Using Violet as bait seemed like the quickest way to draw him out.
I’ve been unable to work all day. Not without Violet nearby. Instead, I’ve sat in my car across the street from her building watching for creepy assholes that might be casing the place. When it’s well past midnight, I climb out of my car and stretch my legs. I haven’t eaten or moved in hours.