“Excuse me?” My brain tripped a gear. “For what?”
“She warned me about Bree—Brianne. Saved me from a disaster.”
What the hell? “Penny called you about…?” The room tilted, like a floor settling under a heavy load.
“Yes. She connected the dots for me. If I’d known Brianne was your ex, I’d never have gone near her.” He sighed heavily into the phone. “Anyway, look, because of our friendship, I didn’t want you to find out about my plans from anyone else. No hard feeling, okay?”
He wrapped up politely and hung up, rendering me speechless and staring ahead, heartbeat hammering faster, like I’d sprinted a mile.
Matt knocked. “Everything good?”
“No, get Maya and Penny. My office. Now,” I seethed.
My jaw pulled tight, collar damp. Holden, Maya, Penny… Brianne? My Penny, calling Holden behind my back? I’d give her the benefit of the doubt and get down to the bottom of this, but my trust cracked like glass under pressure.
Tension tightened under my ribs, sharp enough to make me wince. I straightened, forcing air into lungs that didn’t want to cooperate.
Penny appeared in the doorway first, worry etched across her face. The sight of her should’ve steadied me. Instead, everything inside me kicked harder.
Maya followed, guilt written on her face.
“You first.” I pointed at Maya. “I’ll deal with you after,Ms.Fair.”
Penny deflated and stepped back.
Maya entered, composed as ever, stepping right up to my desk. “You wanted to see me?”
“Holden called. You’ve been talking to him?”
She didn’t flinch. “He told me about his desire to bring a team in-house. I listened. I find the position… attractive.”
“I have high hopes for you here. Was it the Caleb situation? I know I made the wrong call there. Give me time to fix it.”
“I haven’t accepted the position with Holden yet. I was going to talk with you today about it.”
“He beat you to it.” The pulse in my throat ticked faster. I cleared it, massaging my chest. “What’s he offering?”
“Creative director. Double my salary. Freedom to build something from the ground up.” She met my eyes. “You taught me to recognize opportunity.”
“I meantwithinBellamy.” I kept my expression neutral even as heat crawled up my neck. “You’re important here, Maya. If it’s about money, I’ll match it.”
“Archer, it’s more than?—”
“I’ll match it,” I cut in. “Comp, title, staff. You want a satellite team under your name? Done. You want control of your projects? Done.”
She blinked. “That’s generous.”
“I’m serious.” I yanked off my tie—it felt like a noose—and used it to mop my brow. “You matter here.”
Her gaze sharpened. “Are you okay? You look pale.”
“I’m fine.” My left arm buzzed with a dull ache. Probably stress. “Just tell me you’ll think about it.”
“I will. But if I leave, it’s not because of you—it’s because I want the career challenge.”
“Noted. And you’ll have that here. I promise.” My voice rasped. A hot line ran from my sternum up into my throat like a hot poker. I leaned against my desk for support. “Take a day. Two. Think about it.”
“Archer, what’s wrong?
