Page 34 of Twisted Truth

He holds up his hands. “I know. But everyone on the floor is buzzing. We came in Monday morning and a quarter of our floor was just fired on the spot. Then everyone else was split up and divided into new teams and pulled from their projects. And now there’s this new little secret team who’s meeting with Mr. Langford regularly. Everyone who isn’t on the new secret team is worried and frustrated. We don’t know what the hell is going on or what else might happen.”

“Everything is fine, as far as I know. Just focus on your new team and your new project, and it will all work out.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’ll see you around,” I say, moving to walk past him.

“Wait, Ella. Did you . . . give any thought to what we talked about last week?”

“What?”

“You know, last Thursday. I messaged you. I asked if youever want to go out sometime. Since you aren’t dating your boyfriend anymore.”

“Oh.” I hold back a groan. I do not have time for this conversation right now. And I already gave him my answer last Thursday. “I’m sorry, but what I said last Thursday still stands. I think it would be too messy to date a coworker. I’m really flattered, though. But I really do have to go. I have a meeting to get to.”

I hurry past him toward the elevator. Brad has asked me out several times since I broke up with Kyle. He overheard me talking about my breakup with a female coworker over a call when she asked why I was working remotely. And since that day, he’s asked me out two times over messaging and now once in person. How many times do I have to give the same answer? I don’t want to date a coworker. Then I snort at the irony that I’m being asked to fake date not just an employee, but the CEO of the company.

What the hell is my life?

“Mr. Langford is waitingfor you, I’ll take you up,” Robert says, waiting for me outside the elevators in the building’s east lobby. I follow him in, and he swipes a card on a pad, then pushes the floor number. “The upper three floors can only be accessed with a security card. So, if you ever need access, let Mr. Langford know. If things . . . progress, you will be given an access card.”

The elevator goes all the way up to the top floor, and we step out into a beautiful lobby of white marble floors and light gray walls. A brushed glass wall with the Langford Holdings name etched into it sits behind a large desk made of pale wood.

“Mr. Langford is expecting you,” one of the receptionists sitting at the desk says. “Go right in.”

Robert leads me down a hallway and around the corner, then down another hallway to the big corner office. Of course it’s Asher’s. Robert opens the door for me, and I’m surprised when I see Emily already sitting in a chair across from Asher’s desk.

“Have a seat,” Asher says as I walk in.

I sit next to Emily, my heart pounding in my chest.What is this about? Do they want their answer early?I still don’t know what to say.

“I don’t want this to sway your decision,” Asher says. “But something has come up this morning.”

Emily hands me her phone. It’s open to a news story:

Asher Langford’s Mystery Date Confirmed to be an Employee of Langford Holdings.

I suck in a surprised breath and scroll down. There are several pictures of Asher and I moving through the club, holding hands. I click on a video, and it shows Asher pull me away from the asshole on the dance floor. The camera caught the exchange from the perfect angle to see the fury on his face. And worse, when he pulls me toward him, I sink straight into his arms.

I scroll down the article. There are several quotes from witnesses inside the club saying how we were all over each other last night, and how in love we look. Other quotes talk about his jealous anger and how he forced us to leave early because he couldn’t deal with the men looking at me or touching me.

I look up from the article, my heart hammering in my chest. “How widespread is it?”

“Not too far, yet,” Emily says in a voice that is trying for reassuring, but fails. “But the story is gaining traction very quickly. Two other news outlets have picked it up and have rolled out stories. Your name is now a hashtag, and people arebeginning to flood your social media. Have you checked it this morning?”

“No, I didn’t sleep much last night, and then I was communicating with the lawyer on the way here. I have my notifications turned off, so I didn’t know anything was going on.”

I pull out my phone and open a social media app. I blink, not believing what I see. There are hundreds of notifications. It’s the same with the other two social media apps I use.

“Luckily, your social media is private,” Emily says. “But some friends of yours have posted screenshots of you from their own accounts. So, your pictures are still leaking bit by bit. If you have any photos or posts you don’t want shared, I suggest you remove them now.”

My head spins. I race through all three apps I use. Thankfully I’m fairly picky about what I post and how often, so there isn’t much to delete. I mostly delete photos I was tagged in that aren’t very flattering.

“Done,” I say, letting out a long breath.

Asher and Emily still sit stiffly.

“I’m sorry, Ella,” Asher says, his face drawn. “If this is something you don’t want to do, we can make this story fade, and it should be forgotten fairly quickly. You should be able to move right back into anonymity. However, we would need to be very careful about never being photographed together again. You would perhaps need to stay back from the events on my schedule. If you’re spotted at them, it could raise questions. Especially if I’m supposed to be dating someone else.”