“You are?”
She nods in a way that makes my skin prickle, then retrieves her phone with elegant, deliberate movements that suggest she’s savoring whatever’s about to unfold. “Everyone in the office is aware, Miss Lake.”
She approaches where I stand, holding the screen toward me as if presenting evidence in court. My stomach doesn’t just drop—it plummets through the floor, free-falling somewhere around the lobby fourteen floors below.
On her screen, captured in high-definition clarity, Jake and I stand frozen in our party confrontation. His fingers grip my arm, his face tense with emotion while mine blazes with unmistakable anger. The image screams of personal history, of shared secrets, of everything forbidden between colleagues.
To my left, Amanda’s smirk has transformed into something more repulsive than her sneers—a full-blown victory grin that makes my blood run cold. No doubt she behind all of this.
“Office romance is strictly forbidden at this company,” Judy says, placing her phone back on the desk’s glossy surface. “It always leads to preferential treatment and a plunge in productivity.”
Panic creeps into my voice as I say, “No, this isn’t what it looks like. That’s not what—“
Judy’s hand rises again, palm out, silencing me with the efficiency of a mute button. “Spare me the gory details, Miss Lake. Jake didn’t deny it.”
My breath catches in my throat, trapped there like a butterfly in a net. “What do you mean?”
Behind the imposing mahogany desk, Judy settles into her throne-like chair. “I spoke to Jake about it last night. Imagine my surprise when he admitted there is history between the two of you and that he still has feelings for you.” She delivers that last part with such loathing that I should probably shrivel under her gaze, but strangely, the words “still has feelings” light a fire in me I hadn’t felt since high school. Jake still likes me...and I’ve been monumentally, catastrophically mean to him. “He even suggested it would be best if you didn’t work together.”
My mouth falls open, words abandoning me completely.
“I debated firing him on the spot for keeping it a secret,” Judy continues, her fingernails tapping a light rhythm against her desk. “But he’s the best we’ve got, and our new client deserves nothing less than excellence.”
“Where’s Jake now?” My voice emerges with a slight tremble.
“He’s at the Pineridge branch with the rest of your team.”
“So you transferred him?”
“It was his idea,” Judy says, leaning back in her leather chair with a squeak. “As for you, Miss Lake, I should fire you. But Jake mentioned you were the one behind the concept of what your old team is working on, and I know what you’re capable of. Talent is hard to find, and I recognize it when I see it.”
For one fleeting, dizzying moment, hope flares to life in my chest, warm and bright—then extinguishes as quickly as a candle in a windstorm. What does she meanoldteam?
“However,” Judy continues, her voice cooling several degrees, “your relationship with Jake is problematic. That’s why I’m putting you on Tim’s team, effective immediately.”
Shifting my gaze sideways, I catch Amanda’s expression—pure terror flashes across her features before she can mask it. Clearly, she didn’t anticipate this outcome. But it couldn’t have happened better than if I had planned it. I’ll be perfectly positioned to keep an eye on whatever she and Tim are planning.
“But we don’t need her,” Amanda protests, her body itching to lunge forward, but she knows better than to agitate Judy. “Our team is already well established, and everyone knows their roles. What if she gives Jake information about what we’re doing?”
Light and dismissive, Judy’s laughter fills the room as she waves off Amanda’s concerns. “In the end, my dear, we’re all one team. All that matters is that we impress Beatrice—and two campaigns are better than one.”
“But—“ Amanda starts, her voice rising.
Like a conductor ending a symphony, Judy raises her hand once more. It’s a very good hand—now that it’s aimed at Amanda instead of me—soft but commanding instant respect. “That is all. You’re both dismissed.”
Drawing a deep breath that fills my lungs with something that feels remarkably like victory, I turn and stride toward the door.
In the hallway, Amanda brushes past me with enough force to make me step sideways, hissing, “This isn’t over.”
From the daggers shooting from her eyes, they were definitely plotting something against Jake, and now their carefully laid plan lies in tatters.
She reaches the elevator first, jamming her finger against the button, then steps inside before turning to face me. “There’s no more room.”
Like I’d want to be trapped in a metal box with her toxic energy again. Taking a deliberate step back, I offer her my warmest, most sugary smile. “See you at the next meeting, partner.”
Just before the polished metal doors slide shut between us, I glimpse the pure, unadulterated fury washing across her face.
Chapter 18
