“Wait, what?” Rishi clues in now. “Who approved that?”
Jackson leans in, eyes gleaming. “I did. And if it helps us win? I guess I’ll be the villain.”
“You already are.”
Tammy appears before I can murder him in cold blood, a flash drive clutched in her hands like it’s radioactive. “Rorie Report,” she says, tone flat.
Jackson cranes his neck to peek. “Nice. A dossier on your crush. Adorable.”
“Go make yourself useful, Jackson,” I mutter, snatching the drive. “Rishi I’ll brief you on everything later.”
He nods, walks back toward his office. Jackson smirks then follows suit.
Once they’re gone, I motion Tammy into my office and shut the door.
She folds her arms. “You sure about this?”
I raise a brow. “It’s just competitor research.”
She studies me for a beat. “If this is just strategy… why does it feel like stalking?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. Not with her staring straight through the suit and the ego and down to whatever messy, twisted motive is actually driving me.
“I’ve seen what’s in that file, Nolan.” Her voice softens. “It’s not just LinkedIn summaries and old yearbook photos. There’s real shit in there. Herlife.You open it, you’re not just learning about her. You’re taking it. Without permission.”
I flip the drive around my fingers, contemplating.
She gives me one last look. “You wanna win this? Fine. But don’t forget, Rorie Adams isn’t a stepping stone. She’s a person. Don’t treat her like a checkbox.”
And then she leaves, the softclickof the door landing louder than it should.
I stare at the small stick. Then I slide it into my computer, open the documents, and stop.
What am I doing?
I yank the flash drive out and shove it into the front pocket of my briefcase.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
Kind of.
My phone buzzes. A new notification.
Clinic Results: Confidential
View Your Lab Report.
I click it open before I can overthink it.
Negative.
Thank fuck.
Sinking back into my chair, heart racing, I scrub a hand over my face.
One disaster averted.
Now to figure out how to survive the next thirty days—and, somehow,notlet Rorie Adams get too much further under my skin.
