"Uncomplicate it."
I sigh, pushing my plate away."Things happened.But not...everything.And now we're back to being professional colleagues who are pretending those things never happened."
"You realize this is Richard all over again."
"It is not," I push back, perhaps too vehemently."Callum is nothing like Richard."
"He's an Abernathy man in a position of power over you.That's already two strikes."
"He's different."I stab a piece of avocado."He's responsible.Ethical.Careful."
Viktoria raises one perfectly groomed eyebrow."So careful he slept with his Marketing Director."
"He didn't—That's not what happened."
"Whatever happened, you're now in an even more precarious position than before."Her voice softens slightly."Kari, I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"You're falling for him."
"I am not,” I say, even as my heart skips at the mere mention of his name."This is purely physical.A momentary lapse in judgment that we're both mature enough to move past."
Viktoria takes a sip of her herbal tea."Did you know Charlie asked me if 'Auntie Kari' was dating the 'kilt man from the internet'?"
I blink."What?How does she even know about that?"
"She's twelve, not dead.She has friends with phones.Apparently, you two are something called 'hashtag goals.'"
"Oh god."I drop my head into my hands."It's worse than I thought."
"Much worse.But the viral nonsense isn't actually why I asked you to lunch."
I peer through my fingers."It's not?"
"No."She glances around before opening her sleek laptop."It's about this."
She turns the screen toward me, revealing what appears to be an email thread.I squint at the sender name.
"Luke Sterling to Callum Abernathy," I read aloud, then jerk back."Is this—did you hack Callum's email?"
"I did not hack his email.I merely accessed it using security protocols I helped design for Abernathy Corp last year."
"That's literally the definition of hacking!"
"Details.The important part is what it says."
I scan the email, my stomach sinking with each word.
Callum,
Preliminary background checks for the Reeves event complete.Most guests check out, but I've found some inconsistencies in company personnel files that warrant discussion.Nothing urgent, but let's talk soon.
—Luke
"This could be about anyone," I say, trying to keep my voice steady."He's probably talking about the new marketing assistant or the IT guy who smells like salami."
"It could be," Viktoria concedes."But you know that's not how our luck runs in this family."
