The door swung open before I could even blink. Carmen stormed in, cheeks flushed and eyes rimmed red in anger, and her mascara smeared so badly I worried she’d run out of tears. She didn’t say a word, just crossed the room in long strides and sat, running her hands over my arms and face.
Before I could catch my breath, a sharp knock sounded at the door. Lincoln told them to come in. A man roughly our age, wearing slacks and a tweed sports coat, his black hair neatly cropped, with one stormy-blue eye and one sharp emerald green. He moved with effortless detachment, shoulders squared, hands loosely at his sides, each step measured and precise. His gaze swept the room, taking in every detail before settling briefly on me with the faintest, unreadable nod, as if signaling he was here, watching, and in control, entirely unruffled by the chaos of Carmen’s entrance.
He cleared his throat. “My name is Silas?—”
“I know who you are.” Lincoln cut him off. “Mr. Managing Director. What can we do for you? Since you can’t fucking manage your people not to assault colleagues?”
“Carter, you couldn’t manage your subordinate any better and got your girlfriend fired, get off your high fucking horse, will you? Not here to talk to you.”
“No,” Carmen said with a chuckle. “He’s here to save his own ass.”
“Camacho—” He gave Carmen a hard stare, and she pressed her lips in silence. He then added, “Natasha Dabrowski’s in custody. Arrested on-site. Based on witness statements and the severity of Ms. Reyes’s reaction.” He stopped a few feet away, crossing his arms, shoulders stiff, jaw tight, assessing the way his words landed.
Carmen whirled on him. “Don’t you dare stop there. You tell them how that lawyer is scrutinizing the arrest. Tell them how you’re going to let her get out of it, Silas.” Her hand tightened around mine; I winced at the pressure, the veins along her forearm pulsing with fury.
Silas shook his head slowly, eyes narrowing. “My duty is to my company.” His fingers drummed lightly against his bicep, almost impatient.
Carmen charged him, chest forward, and glared at him. “I told you I could prove she knew about her asthma. I told you to?—”
“Enough!” Silas cut her off, his voice firm and controlled, but his jawline flexed, a subtle flare of frustration passing through him. “You’re forgetting you’re my employee. And what you’re suggesting is unacceptable.” The faint twitch of his lips betrayed his irritation. “The lawyer, a private one, will handle her defense. A separate one will handle the company’s interests. I reported what I saw in an official capacity. That’s all I can do, Carmen.”
Carmen huffed, shoulders rising and falling rapidly, eyes blazing. “That’s right. You’re good at that. Reporting what you see without getting your hands dirty. No matter how wrong you know it is.” Her gaze sharpened. “She tried to hurt her!” Her voice dropped, low and lethal, and my ribs tightened at the tension.
“I understand that, I do,” Silas said, eyes flicking to Lincoln, dark and unwavering, his posture rigid. “But mal intent? That’s on the authorities to prove.” He exhaled slowly. His hand hovered just above Carmen’s forearm, hesitation in the pause, before it fell back to his side. “Her lawyer’s good; I cannot promise the criminal outcome. But I can promise her career is finished.”
Carmen leaned in slightly, shoulders tense, yet the edge softened just enough to hint she trusted him not to let this spiral entirely. Silas remained statuesque, the rigid line of his back and tight curl of his fingers tempered by a subtle ease in his stance. The air between them charged with shared history in a way I knew well.
Carmen exhaled, jaw tight, and walked away from Silas. Then came back to me, leaning down to check the cannula still resting gently in my nose. “Expect contact from the police,” she said. “They’ll need your statements to determine next steps. Don’t expect this to be clean and simple.”
Lincoln’s hand found mine again. I steadied my breathing and let the tension seep out of my chest.
“There’s one more thing I’m here to discuss.” Silas buttoned his jacket, smoothing the fabric until it was wrinkle-free. “After looking into Mr. Carter’s allegations internally.” His different-colored irises flicked to Lincoln for just a second. “We’ve determined that your presentation to Infinity Weddings would have been most suitable. Quite brilliant, in fact. So was your presentation today.”
Lincoln snorted dismissively, a small, unimpressed sound that carried both disbelief and humor.
Silas’s shoulders tightened, then he clicked his tongue, shutting Lincoln down. “We’d like to offer you the opportunity to rejoin our company as associate creative director.”
“That’s Lincoln’s job.”
“Was, babe.”
Silas held my eyes. He shifted, hands at his sides. Silence stretched. I didn’t want the job. I didn’t want to return to the corporate world where I needed to look over my shoulder at every turn and speak out of turn, putting people down to be seen as someone worthy of a promotion. Silas tapped his foot in impatience.
“You’re doing this because your employee assaulted me.”
Silas inclined his head. “Yes.”
“But also—” I figured it out then. “I got the bid. You want BrightMark as a client.”
He didn’t nod, but his jaw hardened. “And they want you, yes. That’s not to undermine thatIthink you were and would be a tremendous addition to our team. Integrity being one of your most important qualities.”
“I told you he was here to watch out for his own ass,” Carmen chimed in.
“The company’s,” Silas said, having the decency not to deny it.
He then stood there, waiting for an immediate answer.Nosat at the tip of my tongue. But they’d offer me medical benefits; it’d keep me safe, healthy. And I didn’t know if I had it in me to reject such a safe offer.
A sharp knock at the door jolted me. The brunette nurse stepped in, her expression tight and professional. “Everyone out,” she stated, nodding toward the three people in the room. “It’s time for a neb treatment.”
