But that wasn’t who I was. I was no hero. I was tricked, lied to, made into a fool. Firing her was the least of how to deal with people like her.
Behind me, I heard Elle let out a short, shaky laugh. “No apologies necessary. Iambetter than this. Not in the work I delivered, but this firm. I do plan to perfection. It won’t always appear that way to me, but it will to my clients.”
I turned and looked at her. This time, she looked back at me.
“I did what had to be done in order for both events to go smoothly. And sometimes you have to get creative—like wearing a fitting dress to remove an accidental raspberry from the guest of honor’s plate so she doesn’t burst into hives.”
The napkin.I shook my head.
“Or hire an old flame who happens to be a photographer and owes you a favor. I guarantee you, Dean, Starr, it was done with every single job you ever booked,” she proclaimed without a trace of doubt in her voice.
Her eyes were on me again. “But if you’re going to let some V.I.P. investor—who doesn’t even know how it works, come in here and tell you I’m not good enough—I thoughtyouwere better than this, Dean.” She blinked rapidly and took a breath. “It’s been a real pleasure,” she murmured before turning and leaving the room.
I moved from the window as soon as Elle shut the door behind her. My chest heavy with guilt and anger. Emotions whirled inside me, clouding my thoughts. Why should I feel guilty? I owed her nothing. She lied to me from the start and continued to spend weeks deceiving me. For what? Had she known who I was? The surprised look on her face suggested that she didn’t.
Dean watched the door regrettably, “Well, that was—”
“Dean, is there a private conference room where I can speak with Ms. Rybeck alone?”
Dean glared at me for a moment before answering. “You can use room B.”
33
ELLE
Completely flushed andrushing to get the hell out of that building as fast as I could, I speed-walked to my desk to gather my things. Thankfully, there was nothing that didn’t fit in my everyday tote bag.
Leave everything else.
“What’s going on?” Mimi jumped out of her chair, alarmed.
“Mimi, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Oh no,” she mumbled. “It was that VIP guy who’d been here a few times, wasn’t it? It’s always the hot ones who turn out to be jerks.”
“Can we talk later, I’ve got to go.”
“Call me,” she whispered as I raced to the elevator.
Grateful to have finally reached the front of the floor, I pushed the button and willed myself to ignore the peering eyes. How much of this was going to ruin my career?
How much did I care?
I wanted to care. I wanted to worry more about my career right now than think about Scott. And how any chance of us working things out was now burnt to a crisp. How had I not known how heavily involved and invested he was in the company I worked for?
“Come on,” I urged, pressing the button again. I couldn’t wait to get in the elevator so I could bang my head against the door seventeen times. Heartbreak combined with utter humiliation will make you do that.
Like music to my ears, the bell chimed and the stainless-steel doors opened. I stepped in and released the breath I’d been holding. I turned in place just as a familiar hand grabbed hold of one of the slow-moving doors.
“Ms. Rybeck, could we have a quick word in conference room B please?” Scott appeared a foot from me, holding the doors in place. His tone was even and his expression blank.
“I—I’m sorry, I need to be going. I’ve said everything I needed to.”
“Oh I don’t think you have.” With only a slight twist of his head, he glanced at the surrounding cubicles and drafting tables with people watching us. He turned back and pinned me with his eyes. I didn’t miss the warning promise that he wouldn’t hesitate to cause a scene.
I swallowed and whispered, “Maybe I could spare a minute.”
I followed him inside the corner conference room.
