Damien snorted and shook his head, staring at the building and wondering if Harmony was inside and looking at his picture.
Harmony staredat the picture Reed sent her.Why the hell was Damien from Sunrise Brews at her college?
Do you know him?
Yeah, but not well.I never told him I worked here.
I told him I’ve never met you.
Thanks, Reed.
You’re welcome.
Harmony set her phone down and picked up her sandwich.Ever since the press conference, she hadn’t been able to go anywhere without someone recognizing her.She fucking hated it.She wasn’t anyone special, but all of a sudden, everyone wanted a piece of her.Of her money.Money she never asked for and didn’t really want.
Reed had been surprisingly kind about the whole thing.Harmony figured he understood more than a lot of people what it was like to have money and have people wanting to get close to you because of it.He’d appointed himself as her unofficial bodyguard, sitting near the door when she was in the break room so no one could wander in and find her.When Harmony was in the basement, behind security doors, she was safe, but upstairs came with risks.
She traded her sandwich for her phone again and looked at the picture Reed took of Damien.Why was he there?They weren’t friends.It was less of a shock that he’d found her than that he’d shown up.Too many people had been showing up on campus and outside her apartment lately.
Harmony didn’t want the money before it was broadcast on TV.And after, she felt like she couldn’t do anything.She was being followed constantly, and the only place she felt safe was in the lab.
She huffed a sigh and stood.She popped her last bite of sandwich in her mouth and cleaned up her area, throwing away the trash and wiping down her space before walking out of the break room.
Three grad students were a few feet ahead of her, not bothering to keep quiet as they discussed how unworthy Harmony was of the money she was given.
“Have you seen her?I mean, come on.She should use the money to get a gym membership.”
“I think she should buy some new clothes.”
“Maybe she can do whatever the hell she wants.You’re both jealous,” the third one said.“She’s nice, and she did something I’m not sure I would have had the guts to do.”
The first one scoffed.“What, do you have a crush on her?”
“Seriously?That’s the best you can come up with?Suggest I’m gay, as if that’s some horrible thing to be?”the third one asked.
The second one rolled her eyes, then glanced Harmony’s way, her eyes going wide when she realized the entire conversation was overheard by the subject.“Ms.Gibbs.We didn’t see you.”
“I assume not.After all, you’re unlikely to insult someone to their face.It’s so much better to keep it behind their back so they don’t know you think so little of them.And their clothes.”Harmony slid her gaze to the first one.“Or their figure.”She met the eyes of the third.“But I have to say, I think you would have done the same thing as me.You clearly aren’t afraid to be honest, and that’s a very valuable quality.”
“Thank you, Ms.Gibbs.”The third one blushed under Harmony’s praise.
“If I may, you would probably do better in life without people who hold you back from being who you’re meant to be.It’s not always easy, but it can be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself if you’re willing to cut ties with people who don’t see all the good qualities you have.”
The third one peeked at her friends and nodded.“I agree, Ms.Gibbs.Thank you for the advice.”She turned and walked away from the other two, not bothering to say anything before she did.
The first two gawked after their friend.
Harmony focused on them.“You could learn a thing or two from your friend.Not everyone you meet is going to be the same as you.People are wildly different.In this environment, in pharmacology, we have to look beneath the surface of people.It doesn’t matter if someone meets your standard of appearance or not, if they have money or not, if they share your beliefs or not.We are doing this work to help people.If you’re only willing to help the people you decide are worthy of your help, you’re in the wrong field.”
The first one glared at Harmony, but the second one looked like she understood.
Harmony didn’t wait for them to formulate a response.She said all she needed to say, and she needed to get back to work.They’d figure it out eventually, or they wouldn’t.But Harmony was done trying with two women who didn’t respect her.
By the time Harmony was finished with her work for the day, she was exhausted and ready to go home.She’d worked through dinner and knew she didn’t have anything good at home.She caved and pulled into a drive-thru on her way home.
A dark SUV followed her into the parking lot.They pulled around and into a spot, but no one got out of the vehicle.
Harmony kept an eye on it as she ordered, doing everything possible to convince herself she was losing it.She took the bag of food, then pulled out of the lot before the SUV had a chance to back out of its spot.
