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“There’s actually no need for that, Ms. Contreras.” Her flat tone and the way she avoided eye contact sent a chill up my spine.

Confused, I stilled, watching the middle-aged woman adjust her wire-rimmed glasses, her eyes darting down to the paperwork.

“I don’t understand. Am I supposed to fill it out online or…?”

She cleared her throat. “What, exactly, is your relationship with Mr. Langley?”

Mr. Langley?

I forced a polite smile, trying to keep things professional. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what you mean. Mr. Langley’s my boss, but I haven’t actually met⁠—”

She cut me off with an exasperated sigh, as if she’d heard enough. “No, no. Not that Mr. Langley, his son.” She lifted her gaze, finally meeting my eyes, her expression sharp and assessing.

I’d been on the receiving end of plenty of judgmental looks—the kind where a person looked at me like I was clueless—but this time, I actually was. I leaned forward in the scratchy office chair, trying to sweeten my tone. “Look, Ms…” I peeked down at her name placard, “Adams, it’s my first day. The only people I’ve met so far are the receptionist, Jasmine, and Josh⁠—”

“Let me stop you there. I’m not interested in games.” Her voice dripped with impatience as she slapped a photo onto the desk. “Now, I’ll ask you again. What is your relationship with Dalton Langley?”

My breath stalled as I looked down at the photo. A perfect snapshot from that night. Dalton tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes on me like we were the only two people in the room.

It was intimate, sure, but not scandalous.

“Aha. So you do know Mr. Langley,” she said, her tone as smug as it was infuriating.

I forced my expression to stay neutral as I pushed the photo back toward Ms. Adams, my brain whirring with this new information. “I wasn’t aware that my private life would be subject to scrutiny,” I said, keeping my voice even. “I wasn’t lying to you, I don’t commonly think of Dalton as Mr. Langley.”

Because I had no clue that was his last name until two seconds ago…

“Nevertheless, our policy is clear, Ms. Contreras. We do not hire individuals with former romantic ties to active players. Mr. Langley, Dalton’s father, has a strict mandate against any risk of entanglement that could jeopardize his team’s reputation.”

She said it as if my fate had already been decided.

A rush of frustration tightened my chest. This was completely unfair. “Ms. Adams, I was hired based on my skills and experience. Whatever assumptions this photo suggests don’t change my ability to do my job.”

Her gaze remained unyielding. “It’s not personal, Ms. Contreras. I simply enforce the rules. And given your…previous connection, I’m afraid your employment here can’t continue.” She slid a severance packet across the desk. “Please sign this NDA regarding the nature of your termination. Afterward, you’ll receive severance and be escorted from the premises.”

I sat there, feeling my dreams slipping through my fingers. I’d worked too damn hard for this job, this opportunity, to make my own way, to have a photo derail my future.

If there was one thing my parents had taught me, it was when shit got hard, you worked harder. I’d experienced firsthand how my parents had fought and scraped to carve out their own place in this country, never giving up even when those more privileged told them their efforts were a lost cause.

I wouldn’t either. That lethal combination of desperation and determination kicked in, and I spat out first thing that came to mind.

“Is there a policy against employees dating?”

Ms. Adams looked surprised by the question. “No…” she dragged out the word, shifting her gaze to her computer, typing away. “Hmm. There doesn’t seem to be a policy prohibiting current employees from dating if no conflict of interest exists…”

Her response sparked something reckless in me, and I took a steadying breath, forcing myself to sound calm—like it wasn’t my last hope.

“Then let’s clarify something,” I said, meeting her gaze. “Dalton and I aren’t ex-anything. We’re currently dating.”

Her eyes narrowed as she processed my words. “Excuse me?”

I leaned in, slipping the severance packet back across the desk. “You said the policy allows for employees currently dating, and we are. So there’s no violation here.”

This move wasn’t winning me any brownie points in her book. She looked conflicted, like she wanted to push back but knew it wasn’t her place to do so. I only hoped this lie didn’t blow up in my face before I could come up with a more permanent solution.

“Fine, Ms. Contreras. I’ll inform Mr. Langley of this… development. But know this, any improper conduct and you’ll be out the door without question.”

“Understood.”