I looked down. “Why would he do that, Devon?”
“Because other men recognised your worth and desired you. Oliver needed you, but not you him. He was insignificant and nothing. He wanted your love and to own you. Oliver desperately needed someone to validate him. You did that.”
“I’m not sure which one of us that makes tragic.”
“Oliver. Always going to be Oliver. He struck when you were vulnerable and used your parents’ death to work his way in. Alicia, you did nothing wrong. You have to keep telling yourself that until you believe it.”
“One day,” I said, reaching out for Devon’s hand. He took it and squeezed. I glanced down at the phone and the screaming headline. ‘New Lover for Alicia Kensington?’ The image below was of Devon and me standing close together. From the angle, it appeared more intimate than it had been.
“Alicia, there’s an event in three weeks. Come with me?” Devon asked.
“Yeah, I’d enjoy that.” Mystique had already planned to attend. I pursed my lips. I had an appointment with Devon on Monday. The event might be the ideal time to make an announcement if everything went well on Monday.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter inquired.
I looked up and smiled. “Yes.”
Nervous as a cat on hot tiles, I sucked in a deep breath and gazed at Zade’s headquarters. The meeting was scheduled for the next ten minutes, and I was an emotional mess. What if Devon hated my designs? What if he felt betrayed when I revealed my identity? I was being battered by self-doubts, which was highly unusual when I wore the mask.
Agitated, I checked it was secure and then, gathering my tattered courage, entered Zade. Within minutes, I was being escorted into Devon’s office, who turned and smiled.
Confusion crossed his face as Devon stared intently, but he held out a hand. “A pleasure, Mystique.”
“Thanks for agreeing to meet, Devon,” I said, sitting.
Devon froze as a frown descended. “When you came in, I thought I recognised you. And those lips, I dreamed of kissing them a million times. Alicia, what the fuck is going on?”
“Shush. Hardly anyone knows, Devon,” I shushed as my stomach knotted. “Oh, God. Where’s the bathroom?”
Devon pointed to a door, and I leapt to my feet and rushed through it. I heaved up my breakfast as tears ran down my face. This was a massive mistake. A hand rubbed my shoulders and held my hair clear as I threw up again. Finally, I sat back and accepted the glass of water Devon offered. I took a mouthful, rinsed, then spat it out.
“This is so embarrassing,” I said, crying.
Devon didn’t answer as someone knocked. He opened the door, spoke to someone, and took something from them.
“Here, take these. I had my secretary fetch this,” he said and handed me a bag. Inside was a toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Thanks,” I muttered as embarrassment swamped me.
I vigorously brushed my teeth, aware that Devon remained present. His confusion and concern were predominant.
Finally, I rinsed and sat on the toilet. “Guess you want an explanation?”
“Please, but probably not in here,” Devon replied, and I shrugged. My cheeks were bright red. I couldn’t embarrass myself any worse than I already had.
I followed Devon into the office, and the secretary brought in a tray of tea. “Peppermint to settle you down a little,” she said kindly and patted my shoulder. I offered a weak smile as she left.
“Well, here we are.”
“Alicia, where exactly are we?”
“I’m Mystique, Devon. It’s a tight-knit secret. Only eleven people know. My friends and their husbands and my secretary.”
“How did this come about? You studied fashion at college, but the last I knew, you quit to support Oliver,” Devon asked.
“It happened a few years ago when Oliver secured funding to grow Eliganz. I wore my own design to a dinner, and the women loved it. They guessed it was mine and demanded to see my portfolio. Everything snowballed from there.”
“And Oliver had no idea?” Devon was incredulous.
