Page 48 of Twisted Truth

I want to call Asher back and tell him he’s being ridiculous. But since I have three Langford Holdings employees and Jenkins in here with me, I don’t. Instead, I fidget and shift as the elevator takes forever to reach its first stop halfway up the building.

“We’ll get out here and catch the other elevator back down,” Jenkins says when the doors finally open.

We file out after the two men, and as we wait for the next elevator, one of the men turns to me.

“You’re Ella, right? Ella Hale from PR and marketing? The one dating Mr. Langford?”

“Yes,” I say through a tight smile.

“So, you’re just, like, dating the big boss man.”

I nod.

Other people working on the floor have noticed the man staying to talk to me, and now they’ve noticed me. Whispers and curious eyes take in Jenkins and me as we stand there, awkwardly waiting to leave right after arriving.

“How did that happen?” the man presses.

“We met at a work function,” I say, reciting the story the team devised.

“That had to be some work function. Have you been dating since?”

Another nod. Now others start to make their way toward us.

“Is that her?” a woman asks, not even bothering to whisper.

“She’s dating Mr. Langford?” another woman asks.

“Talk about sleeping your way up,” yet another woman says, giggling to a coworker.

Finally, the elevator dings, and Jenkins and I hurry inside. Two women try to get on with us, but Jenkins stops them.

“You’ll have to catch the next one,” he tells them, firmly.

They both tut, mouths open, clearly offended and annoyed as the doors close in their faces.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I say. “We could have shared the elevator with them.”

“They weren’t getting in to actually use the elevator, Ms. Hale. They wanted the opportunity to corner you and ask questions.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’ve been in security for many years. And I heard their conversation. Those two were after gossip, not a destination.”

We make the trip back down to the west lobby, then walk across the building to the east lobby, and Jenkins swipes his card so that the elevator will travel to the top level. I check my phone as we get there, anxious. I’ve already lost ten minutes due to this little demand of Asher’s, and I really do have work to get to.

“Mr. Langford is expecting you,” the receptionist says. “Go right in.”

“Thank you.”

Asher hangs up a call just as I walk into his office. “There you are; that took a minute.”

“I was already almost to my floor on the other side of the building, so I had to stop and go all the way back down and then around. What is it that you wanted?”

“I just wanted to see you with my own eyes and make sure you’re okay.”

I can’t stop the sigh of annoyance that slips through my lips. “You really summoned me all the way here to see me with your own eyes when I told you I was fine? And I’m sure your security team reported to you the same thing I did. This is ridiculous.”

Asher is quiet for a moment. He turns and looks out the window, and I stand where I am, confused. What the hell is going on? Is our conversation over? Did he see me, verify my well-being, and now I can go?