I blinked, keeping my tone flat. “Haven’t seen him.”
She gave a clipped nod. “Right. Must be avoiding me, then.”
The wind picked up her ponytail, strands sticking against her lip gloss. She didn’t bother fixing them.
I kept my expression neutral. “If you want to talk to him, do it.”
Tori scoffed under her breath before brushing her hair back. “Easy for you to say.”
I tilted my head. “Why wouldn’t it be for you?”
Her teeth caught her bottom lip, a word half-formed, before she swallowed. Then she shifted, weight sliding back. “Just… tell him I need to talk to him.”
“Want me to tell him something?”
Her eyes flashed sharp and hard. “No.”
Her refusal snapped like a lock clicking shut, and I couldn’t tell if she was protecting herself or Elise. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Which made her even more difficult to read.
For a second, though, something flickered behind the edge—hesitation, maybe even regret. Then she spun on her heel and crossed the lawn without waiting for an answer.
I stood there longer than I meant to, pulse quick and uneven. Tori wasn’t on my side. But she wasn’t fully on Elise’s either. Something was cracking open. I just didn’t know which way it would break.
My phone buzzed in my hand before I could unlock it. It was Avery.
Avery:Survived the meeting?
Me:Barely.
Avery:What happened?
Me:Same circus. Elise still center ring.
Avery:You okay?
I hesitated while crossing to my car, phone still in my hand as I slid into the driver’s seat.
Me:Not really. Can I call you?
When she didn’t immediately answer, I called. She picked up on the first ring.
“Okay.” Avery’s voice was a mix of relief and exhaustion. “Talk.”
I slumped into the driver’s seat, keys cold in my hand. “Elise is unraveling. She tried to block me from the committee completely—erase-my-name-off-the-list-level petty. And it almost worked. But someone bigger overruled her and shoved me back on.”
Avery made a sound caught between a gasp and a scoff. “Wait—what? She can just do that?”
“She thought she could.” My laugh came out thin. “The only reason I was there in the first place was because someone on the board—or one of the companies they answer to—made me. Mandated. And before you ask, I don’t know who or why. It’s not because anyone actually wants me there. Least of all Elise.”
“Okay… guess we’ll have to put a pin in that for now. But you’re back on the committee.”
“Yeah. And Elise is pretending she’s fine with it when she’s definitely not. I don’t even know what game I’m in anymore, except I’m a pivotal piece on the board being moved around at someone’s whim.”
Avery’s silence stretched. Then, carefully: “So… someone out there wants you visible. That’s not nothing, Mila.”
The words landed in my ribs, a punch I didn’t see coming. Because she was right. And I still had no answer for who—or why.
“So that’s good, right?”
