I stopped counting. “Stealing?”
“Yes.”
“Janelle…. was stealing from the agency?”
“Yes. She was also stealing from the staff. And from the models.”
My jaw dropped.
“She was stealing from you.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I can show you proof. She was skimming everywhere she could, dollars at a time. Claire knew about it.”
“What! Sweet little mousy Claire?” I could hardly believe it. “The woman was afraid of traffic! She took the bus to work because she was scared to drive in the city.”
“Well, apparently she was also afraid of Janelle. Enough to keep silent about it.”
“Oh my God.”
Shocking.
Yet, somehow… I believed it.
When I’d finally reached Claire on the phone, she’d told me that she’d signed some contract when Dane dismissed her, and it had a non-disclosure clause. Meaning she couldn’t discuss what happened.
And I hadn’t been able to reach Janelle at all. Obviously, she was avoiding me.
“You had them both sign a non-disclosure?”
“Yes. I did. To protect the agency. And to settle the matter quietly. I was more than fair with both of them. It was theft. We could’ve had them charged.”
“Shit.”
He held out his hand to direct me back to the chair I’d come from.
Not. Fair.
Why was he telling me thisnow?
I blew out a breath and went back to the dining room. I sat, fucking floored by this new information.
I watched Dane settle into his chair. He always seated himself like a king about to address his sniveling subjects.
God, I hated that he had my attention on this.
“So, you withheld that information from me,” I said, before he could open his mouth, “and from the other staff, and now you’re telling me privately, as part of this whole manipulative proposal? To try to make yourself look like a hero?”
His cool green eyes held mine, unflinching. “Consider this. If someone, other than me, who was incredibly successful in your industry, told you they had a legit business proposal for you, one that would allow you to buy back your agency, would you hear them out?”
“Of course.”
“What if that proposal involved a temporary marriage for the sake of public appearances and helping that person in business, so they could help you in business?”
“I’d saynoto that proposal on account of this fictional stranger sounding like a fucking pervert.”
He frowned.
