Page 39 of What Comes Around

“I hate all of you,” I said flatly.

Claire laughed. “Oh no, you love us. Also, is he hot in real life or just camera-hot?”

“He stole my chair,” I replied. “That should tell you everything.”

Nora gasped. “Red flag.”

“Massive,” Claire agreed solemnly.

“Relax,” Nora said, nudging my arm. “This will blow over. The internet finds a new obsession every twelve hours.”

“I sincerely hope so,” I said.

“Can we put this on the company website?” Claire added thoughtfully. “Sinclair Enterprises. We break markets and hearts.”

Nora tilted her head. “You do realize this is the most excitement this floor has had since the copier caught fire, right?”

“I was there,” Priya muttered. “And that copier deserved it.”

They eventually drifted back to their desks, still grinning, still whispering. I opened my computer and forced my focus back to numbers, projections, anything that wasn’t my name trending next to a shirtless fighter.

Early afternoon, Knox left the office.

I didn’t think much of it until my phone buzzed.

Amy.

She sent another video link. No explanation. How she always knew everything before anyone else was a mystery I’d stopped questioning years ago.

My mind immediately jumped to worst-case scenarios involving Leo, but I opened it anyway.

It was a video of Knox stepping out of a black car outside a downtown building. A charity board meeting, judging by the signage behind him. The moment his foot hit the pavement, cameras surged forward. Reporters. Paparazzi. Microphones thrust into his space.

“Mr. Sinclair,” someone called, “what do you think about UFC champion Leo Hartman publicly asking out your employee?”

Knox didn’t slow down.

Didn’t turn.

“Leo who?” he said coolly, never breaking stride.

Another voice pushed forward. “Is there a conflict of interest?”

Knox paused just long enough to glance sideways, irritation flickering through his eyes like a warning.

“My employees are professionals,” he said. “What strangers say into microphones isn’t my concern.”

Then he went inside the building.

The clip ended.

I closed the app and leaned back in my chair.

Across the floor, Claire was staring at her phone. She looked up, caught my eye, and silently mouthed, Leo who?

I pulled a face at her.

What a mess.