LOGINLegal picked up on the second ring, which told me everything about how fast this was already moving."Patricia, it's Liam," he said as he put the call on speaker, setting his phone down on Amy's desk. "Tell me you've seen it.""I've seen it," Patricia said as her voice crackled through the speaker, brisk and unbothered in the way only a seasoned attorney could manage. "I've also already got three other reporters in my inbox asking for comment.""Three?" I asked as my stomach dropped further."Welcome to viral," Patricia said as papers rustled on her end. "Nina, I need you not to say anything to anyone outside this room until we've drafted a response. Not a text, not a call, nothing.""I wasn't planning on it," I said as I crossed my arms tightly, trying to keep my voice steady."Good," Patricia said as her tone sharpened. "Liam, the source is anonymous, but the language in that article is specific enough that I'd bet my license it's Camilla, possibly funnelled through someone at Sutto
The office smelled like champagne and printer toner, an odd combination that somehow felt perfectly right after the week we'd had. Ralph had brought in a bottle the moment we walked through the doors that morning, declaring it had been chilling in his desk drawer for exactly this occasion."I still can't believe you called her out by name," Ralph said as he poured another round into the mismatched mugs we'd scrounged from the break room. "In front of a reporter. With her own boyfriend standing right there.""I can't believe Drew's face didn't actually combust," Amy said as she leaned back against the edge of her desk, her laptop balanced on her knees, scrolling through something with a grin. "I've been refreshing three different gossip blogs all morning waiting for this to drop.""You should be working," Liam said as he leaned in the doorway of his office, his tie loosened, a mug of his own dangling from two fingers."I am working," Amy said as she held up the laptop without looking a
The string quartet had shifted into something slower, and waiters were circulating with trays of dessert when I spotted the opening Liam had been waiting for all night. Drew had taken the small stage near the donor wall, a microphone in hand, ready to make some kind of toast about his company's "commitment to innovation.""Watch this," Liam said as he set down his glass, a glint of something dangerous in his eyes."Liam, what are you doing?" I said as I grabbed his sleeve, though I already knew there was no stopping him once that look settled on his face."Trusting you to keep up," Liam said as he winked and started toward the stage, weaving easily through the crowd.Drew was mid-sentence, something about disruption and the future of the industry, when Liam stepped up beside the small riser, applauding lightly as if he'd simply been moved to join in."Forgive the interruption," Liam said as he raised his voice just enough to carry, his smile easy and warm for the room. "I just wanted
FEW DAYS LATER"The Hartwell Foundation benefit," he said as he read the embossed lettering. "Drew's company is a sponsor this year.""I saw that," I said as I closed my laptop and crossed my arms. "Camilla's name is on the host committee, too.""Then we're going," Liam said as he set the invitation back down, his jaw tight. "I want to see them in a room they think is safe.""Liam, there will be press there," I said as I shook my head. "Photographers. Half the city's business press in one ballroom.""I know exactly what will be there," Liam said as he looked up at me, something steady and unshakable in his eyes. "That's the point."The ballroom at the Hartwell was all gold light and white orchids, the kind of room that made you instinctively lower your voice even before anyone told you to. I smoothed the front of my dress, a deep emerald thing Liam had insisted on when I'd shown him three other options, and tried to ignore the flutter of nerves in my stomach as we stepped through the
My phone buzzed against the kitchen counter just as I was pulling a mug down from the cabinet, Elena's name lighting up the screen along with a tiny photo of her squinting into the Italian sun."There she is," I said as I swiped to answer, propping the phone against the fruit bowl so I could see her face."Nina," Elena said as she leaned closer to the camera, her hair windblown and her cheeks flushed pink from the sun. "I miss you so much it's actually embarrassing.""You're on your honeymoon," I said as I laughed, pouring water into the kettle behind me. "You're not allowed to miss anyone but Marco right now.""Tell that to my heart," Elena said as she turned the phone slightly, and Marco's face appeared over her shoulder, grinning."Nina," Marco said as he waved at the camera, his accent thick and warm even through the speaker. "Your sister has been talking about you nonstop. I think she misses you more than she misses her own bed.""That's not true," Elena said as she swatted at hi
The knock on my apartment door came right on time, three sharp raps followed by Amanda's voice calling through the wood before I'd even reached the handle."It's me, open up," Amanda said as she balanced a bottle of wine against her hip, her keys already jingling back into her bag."I figured," I said as I pulled the door open and stepped aside to let her in. "You're the only one who knocks like that.""It's an art form," Amanda said as she breezed past me into the kitchen, setting the wine down on the counter with a soft clink. "You look exhausted, by the way.""Thanks," I said as I followed her in, pulling two glasses down from the cabinet, careful to keep my face from giving anything away. "It's been a week.""That bad?" Amanda asked as she twisted the cork out with practised ease, pouring without waiting for an answer."Kevin showed up at my office," I said as I took the glass she handed me, my hand tightening around the stem."He what?" Amanda asked as she set the bottle down har
“Nina!”Amy’s voice came first, bright and immediate, cutting through everything else like it always did. She was already moving toward me before I could even properly take a step in, her heels clicking fast against the floor as she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around me.“Oh my God, yo
LIAMThe morning started like any other, structured, predictable, and controlled, and I preferred it that way. I walked into the office, nodded once at the receptionist, and stepped into my office without breaking stride. My jacket came off, my phone went on the desk, and I scanned the schedule in
NINAThe moment I stepped into the office, I felt it.Heads turned, not all at once, but enough for me to notice. Conversations didn’t stop, but they dipped slightly, like people were adjusting their tone mid-sentence. I kept walking, my heels clicking softly against the floor, my posture straight,
LIAMI kept my gaze on the laptop at first, pretending to read, watching nothing in particular, just numbers and lines that refused to register, because looking at her felt like giving something away I didn’t want her to have.“You’re staring,” I said after a while.“I’m not,” she replied immedia







