I wasn’t quite sure I believed him, but the door was opening to the conference room and people were walking out. Maya was waiting for me, pleading with her eyes for me to join her.
So I nodded, and then I gave him a chaste kiss. “You’ll text me to let me know how it goes?”
He nodded in return and then squeezed my hand.
I wanted to tell him I loved him—that’s what this was, right? This fierce protectiveness that was flooding my veins and making me want to stay and lash out at every single person threatening his position?
Every nerve in my body protested as I followed Maya out the door and it shut behind us. For extra measure, I could hear the click of the lock. That sound barely had time to register before I watched Maya get in the face of Jude’s assistant.
“What the fuck, Owen? You didn’t tell me this!” Her face was red. I’d never seen her so angry before.
The man, a good six inches taller than Maya, had the good sense to act apologetic. “I had no idea he was going to do that!”
“If you did, would you have told me?” she questioned.
All of us in the hallway stared, waiting for his answer.
After a long pause, a small jerk of his head to the side was his answer. He was loyal to Jude, the same way Maya was loyal to Bryce. Still, she looked disgusted as she regarded the man. “I don’t know how you could work for such asnake.”
“I could say the same thing about the company you keep,” Owen responded.
It seemed like there was more to his answer, but Maya gnashed her teeth and said, “Let’s go, Jada.”
I followed her, my heart racing. My baby jittered in my stomach, thrown off by the chaos like I was. “What does this mean?” I hissed.
Her gaze darted around. “Let’s get somewhere private. I don’t want to be overheard.”
I understood the need for privacy, but the walk to Bryce’s office while remaining in the dark was still painful, even if it was short. Because I knew that Jude was punishing Bryce for his involvement with me. I couldn’t help but think if we hadn’t run into Jude at the gala, this wouldn’t be happening.
This wouldn’t be happening if I wasn’t in the picture.
As soon as the door to Bryce’s office closed, I rushed out, “There has to be something we can do. Jude is just trying to get back at Bryce for—” I cut myself off, remembering my agreement with Bryce.
If we move forward, this baby is mine.
God, how I wished she was biologically his.
“For what?” Maya asked. “For the baby?”
My lips parted. “You know?”
She gave me a wry smile. “I found out the same day Bryce did.”
But did she know what Bryce and I discovered Saturday? That the baby was biologically Jude’s? I couldn’t tell her. I refused to betray Bryce’s trust. “What happens if they vote Bryce out? Is it like a probation period?”
Maya was somber as she shook her head. “If they vote Bryce out, he’ll have no access to the company anymore. He’ll continue to get paid, but will have no job, no say, nothing.”
My eyes widened at the cruelty of it. “They can do that?”
“According to the bylaws, they can,” Maya said. “They’ve never actually tried before today.”
I felt like I was going to be sick. “There’s got to be something we can do to stop this.”
She shook her head slowly and spoke like the words made her sick. “All we can do is wait.”
66.Bryce
“The meeting is called to order,”Ángel said, hitting his gavel on the table.
