“The hospital?” he repeats, his voice carefully neutral.
I open my mouth to say something, to push just a little more because I know what I saw.
“Miss Ross.”
I freeze.
My stomach plummets.
Slowly, reluctantly, I turn to see Anderson watching me.
Oh god.
“What did I just say?” he asks smoothly.
I blink.
Think.
And then, with soul-crushing realization, I come to the only possible conclusion.
I was absolutely not listening. Not even a little.
“Um…” I stall, shifting slightly in my seat. “Sorry, I’m not sure.”
His mouth presses into a line, disappointment practically radiating from his posture. “Well,” he says, with far too much satisfaction, “if you weren’t listening, I suppose you can answer this question for me?”
Oh.
Oh, that’s evil.
I don’t get a chance to respond before I catch Lilia’s face out of the corner of my eye.
She’s looking at me, her brows raised slightly, mouth pressed into something that isn’t quite a smile but isn’t exactly concern either. It’s encouraging, or at least it’s trying to be. Her best attempt, knowing what we were just talking about minutes before.
And I don’t have time to appreciate the effort because Anderson is already clicking a button on his remote, and the projector screen flickers to life. A single question appears in bold white font against a dark slide.
What makes a fair business?
I somehow manage to rip my gaze away from the question—only to make an entirely new mistake.
I catch Berlin’s eye.
She’s looking directly at me, and all I see is ice-cold disdain. Or more accurately, a full-on glare.
She really doesn’t like me.
Great. Love that for me.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. My mind is blank, my throat dry. This is the kind of question I should know how to answer—theoretically. But now that all eyes are on me, the words don’t come.
Anderson waits, expectant.
I clear my throat, speaking slowly. “Um… I guess… a fair business would be one that… treats people equally?”
It comes out almost like a question, which is humiliating, and I internally cringe.
Anderson tilts his head slightly. “Expand on that.”
