Her eyes widen, pupils dilating with fear.
I sit back, calm and cold. “Your brother Mason works at Ashridge & Dale, doesn’t he? Financial analyst. Still fresh, just a year in.”
She goes pale. “How do you?—?”
“If a single rumor spreads from your lips, I’ll ensure his career ends before it begins. One call. That’s all it takes.”
Tears well in her eyes now. “I swear I won’t say anything. I haven’t said anything.”
Jake finally chimes in, voice dry. “Smart choice.”
I nod once. “You’re dismissed.”
She bolts up and stumbles out the door without looking back.
Jake lets out a low whistle as it clicks shut behind her. “Damn, Ethan. You’ve really softened since falling in love.”
I shoot him a look that would wither plants.
He chuckles. “Threatening her brother, though?”
“She came here thinking I was going around seducing the female staff. I’ve seen that walk far too many times. She probably thought if Natalie and I were?—”
“Fiancée, though?” Jake walks around the desk, sinking into the chair that Charlotte had just occupied. “You proposed.”
“No. Not yet. But she knows I will, once she’s ready.However, to the rest of the world, that is how Natalie will be introduced.”
“How long do you think you can keep this under wraps?”
I rise and walk to the window, watching headlights blur beneath us, creating rivers of light.
“I don’t plan to.”
Jake raises an eyebrow.
“I’m not ashamed of Natalie. I’m not hiding her. And I’m not hiding the fact she’s mine. But I do understand her concerns. She’s the head of HR. Brilliant. Respected. The second this leaks, they’ll reduce her to nothing but my fiancée, and then they’ll call her the one who slept with the boss to keep her job.”
Jake’s faint smile fades away.
“So what’s your plan?”
“My long-time girlfriend and now fiancée. I’ve contacted my PR team to deal with this. Till then, we’ll keep this under wraps to protect her reputation.”
“And she’s okay with this?”
“She understands that it’s inevitable, but whatever decision I make, I’ll run it by her first.”
My twin stares at me. “That’s very ‘considerate’ of you. She really has changed you.”
I check my watch. I still have some time before Natalie gets done.
“I got a call from Derrick. The fingerprints on the letters didn’t belong to Lucas.”
Jake goes still. “You sure?”
“Lucas’s prints are in the system. That means it’s someone else. It could be Bridget Thorne, Natalie’s mother. Her prints aren’t in the system, and she did know where Natalie lived. According to Natalie, her mother was aware of the incident which was referred to in the letters.”
“But to go so far as to threaten her daughter?” Jake looks unconvinced.
