Page 44

Her vision flickered for a split second before she glanced up.

Harriet stood outside her cubicle and looked at her with concerned green eyes.

“Are you alright? Still coming for lunch?” Harriet was nice; she had no sense of humour, but was easy to be around. She pushed her glasses up, looking exactly like a junior accountant would. Her bushy eyebrows peeked over the black frames.

Right. Lunch.

“Please come. Or I’ll have to talk to Candida alone,” she said in a strained whisper. She leaned forward, the necklace around her neck swinging freely. “I think she’s still mad at me from last week.”

Riley’s mind blanked. “What happened last week?”

No one knew about Gio. Or maybe Candida had told everyone.

Ugh.

Harriet’s eyes flicked back and forth between hers. “The sunscreen thing? Remember? It was a disaster.” Harriet shuddered, rubbing her arm along her cardigan.

If work lunches with Candida were the worst thing that she experienced… good for her.

Riley shook the thought away.

“Harriet, we don’t have to go to lunch with her.”

Her eyes widened. “W-what? I’m happy to go to lunch with her. You should come too.”

Harriet’s smile pushed her cheeks up. Riley glanced at her phone.

Nico would talk to Gio, and everything could go back to normal. It’d be fine.

“For sure, just one sec.”

Riley powered her phone off and let it drop into her purse. She’d text Saint later and apologize.

Harriet’s loose skirt billowed around her legs as she walked down the hallway. Riley jammed her feet back into the stupid shoes, and they met Candida at the elevator.

Candida barely glanced at Harriet, and her eyes slowly travelled over Riley’s dress. Riley bent and pulled her heel on properly, keeping her eyes down as Candida assessed her.

“Cute,” Candida finally said. She turned and glided into the elevator, and Riley and Harriet followed like good little ducklings. Harriet met Riley’s eyes and raised her eyebrows while Candida was engrossed in her phone. Everyone could pretend everything was fine.

And then maybe it would be.

Chapter 12

Riley

Lunch was fine. They’d eaten at a trendy restaurant, Candida had put it on the company card, and she’d even been in a good mood. Riley had kept her mouth shut and forced herself to laugh at Harriet’s stories.

Riley paused outside Nico’s office, reshuffling the papers, as a low murmur bled through the cracked door. She knocked softly and eased it open.

Nico nodded her in, his phone pressed to his ear. His eyes rested on hers and then flitted away, back out to the view. He sat in the high-backed chair behind his desk, holding court over the skyscrapers out the window.

“It’s not something I’m concerned about. No—I hear you.” He paused and rolled his eyes at her. “Look, I have the application right here. It’s done.”

The other person’s voice rose, words garbled. Nico gave her a flat look.

“Do you want me to come back?” she whispered. He shook his head. Almost done, he mouthed. He listened for a second longer before the storm returned, darkening his eyes. “Then have him call me—” He cut off, and all expression fell from his face. “No. That’s not happening.”

The temperature in the room dropped. Riley shifted to back out, and Nico shook his head sharply at her. She froze.