The truth? Carter's financial troubles.
I set my fork down quietly and met his gaze. "Carter, I need to ask you something."
He froze mid-bite, his fork suspended in air as his eyes locked onto mine. "What is it?"
I could feel my pulse accelerating, but kept my voice steady. "I've heard... you're having difficulties with the company. Is that true?"
His face went rigid. Slowly, he lowered his fork back to the plate. "Who told you that?"
I leaned back slightly, holding his stare. "Carter, I work in real estate. It's an incestuous little bubble where everyone talks about everyone. And frankly, I'm hurt you didn't tell me."
He shook his head mechanically, reaching for his wine glass like a lifeline. "Fiona, you know how this industry is. There are always rumors. But trust me, there's nothing to worry about. Everything's fine."
Are you fucking kidding me? You're really going to keep lying to my face?
I arched a brow and lowered my glass. "Challenges, Carter? I'm talking about financial troubles. This sounds like more than just a challenge."
His laugh was sharp, forced. "You don't actually believe thatnonsense, do you? The company's solid. Some minor cash flow hiccups, but that's standard in our business."
The lie was so transparent it stung—did he really think I was that naive?
"Minor hiccups? Is that why I heard you were scrambling to bring in new investors?"
Carter shifted. His gaze turned razor-edged, the smile vanishing as he set his silverware down with deliberate care, lacing his fingers together. "Fiona," he said, voice deceptively calm—the kind that precedes a storm. "Where did you hear that?"
My pulse spiked, but I kept my tone even. "Like I said, real estate's a small world. These things don't stay quiet."
"No." His stare left no room to deflect. "Only a handful of people know. And none of them would talk. So—who told you?"
I cursed inwardly. Buying time, I lifted my wineglass, took a sip, and set it down under his unrelenting gaze.
"Carter, it doesn't matter who told me," I said finally. "What matters is why you didn't."
"Doesn't matter?" A cold laugh as he leaned back. "Of course it matters. Was it one of my advisors? Or—" His voice turned lethal. "—was it Russo?"
The name hung like a blade between us. Heat flooded my face, but I schooled my features blank. "I'm not telling you who it was. That's not the point. The point is you didn't trust me, your girlfriend, enough to be honest."
"Not the point?" His voice could've cut glass. "If Russo knows, and you know, it means he's broadcasting it. So tell me—" He leaned in, eyes drilling into mine. "Have you been talking to Russo?"
My hands trembled faintly, the tremor nearly impossible to suppress. "Carter, I asked you a question. Why didn't you tell me?"
He leaned back, eyes narrowed to slits. "Because I didn't want you to worry. Because I wanted to protect you."
"Protect me?" My voice turned razor-edged. "From what, exactly? The truth? From the fact that your perfect little empire might not be as flawless as you've pretended?"
A muscle twitched in his jaw as if I'd struck him. "That's not fair, Fiona. I've built everything for us. A life we could both be proud of."
"By lying to me?" Heat crawled up my neck, my volume rising. "You shut me out, Carter. Me. Your girlfriend. Did you really think I couldn't handle it?"
His lips pressed into a thin line, visibly struggling for composure. "It wasn't like that. It was complicated. I had it under control."
"Did you?" I crossed my arms, my stare unrelenting. "You're dealing with Russo. Russo, Carter! Do you even understand how dangerous that is?"
His head snapped up, eyes sharp as blades. "So it was him."
Shit. "He's known in our industry. And like I already said: people talk. You can't tell me you didn't know what you were getting into."
"Fiona," he began, his voice subdued, almost pleading, "I had no other choice. The company... it was on the edge of the abyss. I had to act. I couldn't lose us."
