I look down to find that my friends removed my shoes, but they didn’t touch the clothes on my body, leaving me to sleep in the uncomfortable pantsuit I chose to wear to Owen’s trial.
I smell coffee and bacon and groan again, but this time out of pure pleasure.
Declan laughs. “Jax and Evan made breakfast.”
I snap my head to him, wagging my eyebrows.
He shakes his head like I’m a child, and I giggle like one.
“I don’t know whether to hug you or punch you for interfering with me and them,” Declan says.
“The correct answer is to thank me.”
He snorts, pointing at the clothes I’m supposed to change into. “You have five minutes, or we’ll be late, and then the board will definitely throw your ass in jail.”
I huff, but it sounds more like a whine.
Declan chuckles and shakes his head again. “Five minutes.”
He’s out the door before I can protest.
I take a deep breath, straightening myself out. I can do this. I can get through this one last thing.
I flip through the notifications on my phone before heading out to the kitchen, where the three men are flirting with each other. It’s filled with messages from Ella, Parker, and Noah, all checking in with me and asking if I’ve heard from Owen.
The answer is a resounding no.
I try not to pout while I make my way to the kitchen, but of course they all notice, frowns falling on all three faces.
“Haven’t heard from him?” Jax asks as Evan rounds the counter and plops a plate of food in my face.
I shake my head, not hesitating to dig in. I can’t even remember the last time I ate a full meal without feeling queasy.
“Have you tried contacting him?” Declan asks.
I nod. “I texted him to tell him congratulations on the outcome of the trial.”
“And nothing?” Evan asks, surprised.
“Nothing,” I say, my heart in a vice.
No one speaks. What can they say? I know Owen is mad. I just hoped he’d at least saysomething.
I interrupt the awkward silence. “I’m meeting with Parker about my current position with Regenerative Industries and requesting a transfer, obviously. I can’t be Owen’s assistant anymore, and plus, I already gave the position to Peyton.” I wink, trying to hide my devastation.
None of them falls for it. They all frown at me.
I throw up my hands. “Can I just get through today, and you can all hound me about this tomorrow?”
They nod and rush to help me get out the door.
I’m grateful for them, but there still seems to be a gaping hole in my chest, and I don’t know how the hell to get it to go away.
The board peppers me with a million questions, and I answer them with nothing but the absolute truth. I present my case in a way that lets themknow I didn’t follow protocol, but I use the evidence to help them understand why I made the decisions I did.
Declan testifies in my favor, which isn’t common for directors to do. They are supposed to remain unbiased. Declan made it clear from the start that he had no intention of remaining neutral, and if he loses his job, then it is a sign that he shouldn’t work for the organization anymore. I agreed to his request to help me, even though I wanted to protect him from this.
We’re both exhausted as the questions continue past lunch, and the board doesn’t make any move to release us for a break.
