Chapter 13

Claire

I gazed at Arthur with stunned gratitude. I took in a deep breath of relief.

Arthur was a phenomenal human being. He was a generous boss and a gracious person. And look at the way that he had protected me in front of so many people!

I recalled the way that he had helped me by calling me into his office when Gerald had been engaged in an altercation with me. It appeared that Arthur was here to save me again and again.

It seemed that I could lay down my armor – the one that I was always hiding behind – and allow him to protect me. He was not just a boss. Arthur was a friend to me now.

When I was dumbfounded in amazement, Gerald was frozen too. But I believed that it was for other reasons.

A rustle of whispers erupted from the crowd. Everyone here was talking about us.

Christina narrowed her eyes at me. “Stop pretending to be innocent,” she spat, “Nobody here is falling for your façade!”

“And, you know what?” she took a step closer to me, screaming, “Stop asking Gerald for money!”