Page 85 of LA Reign

“Well, yes, and I guess I would be feeling much worse right now—except we have a new, mysterious benefactor in place. They’ve doubled Mr. Conroy’s pledged donation and agreed to fund your post indefinitely. It’s been quite the roller coaster.”

“Indefinitely? My post?”

“Yes, and at a much higher salary too.”

“Oh,” I say. I’m certain I now know who the mysterious benefactor is, and possibly also why Bobby backed out. My expression must give me away.

“Do you know something about this?” she asks.

“Probably,” I say with a sigh. “I’m pretty sure our new mystery donation is coming from the Montoya Corporation.”

“Your husband’s company?”

“Yes.”

“But they already donated a sizable amount this year.”

“I know. But…I don’t know how to tell you this, and in all honesty I’m a bit embarrassed…”

She gives me a gentle smile, and I’m reminded of why so many women trust her with their lives. “You know I won’t judge,” she says quietly.

“I know. Okay, so I’ll just lay it all out for you. Bobby Conroy is my ex-boyfriend from high school. I’m not sure that his offer to fund my post and donate to the shelter was entirely altruistic.”

“Oh, really?” Kristen replies. “And he seemed so nice.”

“And maybe he is. But I saw a different side to him last week. He said some things to me that were, well, at best inappropriate.” I shake my head.

She frowns and purses her lips. “In that case, Alana, maybe we’re better off without him. The whole ethos of this place is about empowering women, not about putting them down. And that includes our staff.”

“Thank you, Kristen, that means a lot. But to continue being honest, I suspect the donation has disappeared because of Alejandro. My husband has a touch of the egomaniac to him, and he very much did not want my ex-boyfriend paying my salary. I’d never really considered how much better it would be for you if the post was properly funded, secure, and Bobby’s offer made sense. So, while I will be having words with my husband later, I’m glad he’s stepped in.”

Kristen nods. “Well, as long as you’re happy with the arrangement, it works out well for the shelter.”

“It’s all fine by me. But I’m sorry about the app. That sounded promising.”

She shrugs, patting one of her Buddhas on the head. “Well, we won’t miss what we never had. The most important thing is that women are given better options to escape their abusers, not who has the kudos of working on the app. I think I’ll try and track Mr. Conroy down and tell him there are no hard feelings. That app needs to be developed, and if it’s not with us, then sadly I know of many other shelters like ours who would be pleased to take part.”

I wonder if I should volunteer to contact him, but I stay quiet. That would be too much for Alejandro. I’m annoyed at him for doing this behind my back, but we are where we are. Me speaking to Bobby will only make everything worse.

“That sounds like a good plan,” I agree, before I make my excuses and leave. Hugo will be waiting for me outside. I nod at him and we walk together to my office.

“I need to speak to Alejandro,” I tell him outside the door. “And it needs to be private.”

He nods and stays on duty in the corridor.

It takes a few rings for him to answer his cell, and when he does, he sounds breathless. “Hola, princesa,” he pants out.

“Hi. Is this a bad time? Are you, uh, at the gym or something?”

“Something. But I always have time for you Alana. What is it?”

“Did you warn Bobby off donating to the shelter?” I ask bluntly

“Hang on,” I hear him sigh, and then he barks out some orders in Spanish. A few seconds later, he’s back on the line. “Ask me that again?” he says, sounding exasperated.

“I asked you if you were responsible for Bobby’s company withdrawing their donation to the shelter.” A pause.

“Yes,” he snaps impatiently. “I told you I don’t trust him.”