Anthony doesn’t say anything. He just watches.
“Richard,” I say when the line connects. “Warren Baxter.”
There’s the usual rush of politeness on the other end. I cut through it. “You’ve had a CV dropped off today. Leoni Dove.”
He pauses, shuffling some papers. “Erm, yes, I have it here on my desk.”
“If you don’t interview her, you’re an idiot. If you don’t hire her, you’re a bigger one.”
Anthony’s mouth twitches.
“She’s intelligent, meticulous, and loyal to a fault,” I go on. “She will make your life easier, not harder.”
“I see you’re down as her reference. Why did she leave?”
“She decided to move on, much to my regret.”
I hang up without waiting for a response.
I move down the list. Another call. Then another. Each time, the same message, a different phrasing, but the same truth.
“You’d be a fool to pass her over.”“She’s better than half your staff already.”“Hire her, and you’ll thank me in six months.”
When I finally set the phone down, my throat feels tight. Anthony arches a brow.
“You realise,” he says mildly, “that she was a liability, office work was not her forte."
I glance at him. “I know,” I reply.
He studies me for a second longer. “So why help?”
I lean back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. “Because I owe her,” I say quietly. “And because this way—” I exhale slowly. “—she doesn’t have to come back to work for me to survive.”
Anthony nods once. Respect.Understanding.I close the file and slide it into a drawer.
Chapter Twenty-Four
LEONI
My phone rings for the seventh time in under two hours.
I frown, staring at the screen before answering. “Hello?”
“Miss Dove?” a man asks. “It’s Nigel calling from Lean Gate Offices. You dropped a CV off yesterday?”
“Yes,” I say, clearing my throat, glancing over at Mum, who’s watching me far too closely. “That’s right.”
“We’d love to invite you in for an interview, if possible.”
My brows lift. “Yes. That would be great.”
“Perfect. Later today? Say, two o’clock?”
I glance at my watch. “I’ll be there.”
I disconnect and just stare. Mum waits. Patient. Hopeful.
“That’s my eighth interview offer today,” I say finally.
