Page 152 of What Comes Around

“Oh my God. Is it true?”

I blinked up at her. “Which part?”

Her smile widened. “Don’t play innocent. The fiancée part.”

Heat crept into my face before I could stop it. “Yes.” Saying it out loud still felt unreal.

Claire spun around in her chair beside her, eyes bright. “I knew it. ‘Complicated,’ my ass.”

Julian leaned back, studying me for a moment before giving a single nod. “Good.”

I frowned slightly. “Good?”

He shrugged. “Means I should probably stay on your good side. Being on friendly terms with Mrs. Sinclair could be very beneficial for my career.”

Priya snorted. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I’m practical,” he said, not even trying to deny it.

Nora rolled her chair closer, her expression softer. “We’re happy for you. Really.”

Claire nodded quickly. “And honestly, after everything your sister pulled, you deserve something good.”

Something in my chest tightened at that, but before I could respond, Priya’s attention snapped back to her phone.

“Speaking of your sister… have you seen this?”

She turned the screen toward me. I pushed back from my desk slightly to see it better.

The headline hit instantly.

Reynolds & Co. confirms Apple Richards attempted similar deception with CEO Nick Reynolds. Legal action under review.

Good. He deserved that much, at least.

Julian let out a low whistle. “Your sister is… something else.”

That was one way to put it.

But before I could say more, my phone buzzed with an unknown number. I pushed my chair back and stood, stepping away from the cluster of desks as I answered.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Richards,” a man said, “this is Detective Jackson with the Chicago Police Department. We wanted to update you on the investigation.”

“Just a second.”

I slipped into an empty conference room and closed the door behind me. The hum of the office faded instantly.

“Go ahead,” I said.

There was a brief rustle of papers on his end. “We’ve identified the individual behind the burner phone used to coordinate your abduction.”

My grip tightened around the phone. “And?”

“It was Apple Richards.”

Even expecting it didn’t soften the impact.