Standing here, knowing I can’t resolve this for her, might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
I don’t know… maybe this is what love really looks like. Not the big moments, but standing in a hallway, useless, watching someone you care about fall apart, and knowing there’s no way to put them back together again.
It’s the determined click of heels cutting through the silence that pulls me from my thoughts. I don’t have to look up to know it’s Evelyn. A faint trace of expensive perfume reaches me a second before she does. She doesn’t hurry or fidget, just glides toward me with the kind of unshakable poise she always carries.
Her green eyes lock on mine as she comes to a stop. “Are you all right?” she asks, though the way she studies me says she already suspects the answer. “That was a difficult meeting.”
“I’m fine.” I straighten. “Thank you.”
Curiosity flickers across her face. “For what?”
“For saving Rina’s job.” Even when my voice wavers, I don’t look away. “Hugh would’ve fired her on the spot. I don’t know what you said or did, but I appreciate it.” I nod toward the closed office door. “She appreciates it.”
“Rina is extraordinary at what she does.” Evelyn’s tone is even and measured, but there’s conviction beneath it. “Over the past four years, she’s helped build the Railers brand. Hugh might not realize she isn’t so easily replaced, but I certainly do.”
I nod, turning over everything she just said.
Even though it’s none of my business, the question slips out before I can stop it. “So, what’s it going to cost you?”
Her lips curve, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “That’s not something you need to worry about.”
Then, rather smoothly, she steers the focus back to me. “You care about her.”
It’s not a question.
It’s a truth laid bare, spoken with quiet authority.
“She needs someone who won’t run when things get complicated.” Evelyn’s gaze sharpens before it turns assessing. “And they will. Hugh will want this contained, but we both know that’s going to be nearly impossible.”
I brace myself for whatever might come next, but Evelyn only studies me, as if weighing me on an invisible scale.
“Don’t let her push you away,” she says. “If there’s one thing I know about Rina, it’s that she will. Whether she means to or not. I’m counting on you to be smart enough not to let her do it.”
The comment lands heavy before sinking deep, the ripples spreading through me long after she moves past.
Rina’s spent years teaching herself to stand on her own, to never ask for help. She thinks needing someone makes her weak. But I’ve seen the toll it takes. The way it wears her down, piece by piece, every time she tries to handle everything on her own.
She can push me away as much as she wants, but I’m not going anywhere.
I’ll continue carrying the weight beside her until she realizes she doesn’t have to bear it alone.
39
Rina
The drive back to the penthouse at the end of the day is made in silence.
Oliver sits beside me in his black Porsche Panamera Turbo S, the engine’s low growl vibrating through the leather seats. His hand rests loosely over mine, possessive and oddly steadying at the same time. I keep my gaze fixed on the lights streaking past the tinted window, and pretend I don’t feel the weight of his gaze flicking toward me every few minutes.
Even though I’m surrounded by quiet, it’s like I’m still bracing for impact, waiting for the next blow to fall.
By the time he eases the car into the garage and kills the engine, my thoughts are still tangled in knots. The conversation in Hugh’s office replays on an endless loop I can’t shut off. At some point, Oliver and I will have to sit down and talk it through, but right now, the words are jammed in my throat.
The garage smells faintly of oil and exhaust, every sound echoing in the stillness. Kia slips out of the back seat without waiting, her sneakers slapping against the concrete as she makes a beeline for the elevator.
“Get a move on,” she calls, holding the metal doors. “I’m starving.”
As soon as we step inside, Oliver tugs me against him. His palm slides to the small of my back, then higher, spanning my spine until his thumb grazes the sensitive spot at the nape of my neck. The gesture sends a tremor racing through me. Instead of resisting, I melt into him.
