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They couldn’t possibly know what I’d just done to our director of app development and engineering in the elevator since there were no cameras.The only other thing this could be about was that they suspected Drake and I were dating.With Grayson being my neighbor, Drake and I had to be sly during a few unexpected situations—the first when Grayson had randomly stopped by my condo one evening to talk about work, and the other when Drake and I had almost crossed paths with him in the elevator after coming back from a night out.I felt shitty that I was keeping my best friends in the dark. Doing that wasn’t like me at all, but Drake and I just hadn’t agreed to tell them yet.But knowing Grayson as well as I did, if he thought or questioned whether Drake and I were together, he would have come to me—he wouldn’t be part of a sit-down with Holden.I adjusted my shoulder against the hard frame and said, “Drake and I were just in the elevator, and it broke down midfloor, and we were stuck in t
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Holden crossed his hands, linking his fingers, setting them on a file that rested in front of him.A similar-looking file sat in front of everyone.Aside from me.“Drake . . .” Holden started, inhaling a loud breath. “Easton, Grayson, and I realize we have competitors and there will be many more during our tenure. Sharing the market is inevitable in this business—and any business, for that matter. We can’t trademark a dating app. What we have trademarked is our proprietary software and our psychological exam—things you’re already well aware of.” He paused, and my brain spun, trying to piece together what he was saying. “What we didn’t anticipate and what we don’t appreciate is a social media giant developing a dating model that is identical to ours.”I shifted from his face to Grayson’s and then Easton’s, waiting for the news to click.But it didn’t.“Okay,” I said softly. “Which giant are you referring to?”Holden looked surprised by my question. “Faceframe.”“Faceframe?” I gasped, m
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“Let me rephrase. I believe I can speak for everyone at this table when I say you’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to Hooked. At this moment, we’re looking at the information that has been presented, and due to its nature, we must take action. This isn’t an accusation. This is the start of a thorough investigation.”“Which will rule out any wrongdoing, or it’ll show who in this office did in fact send Faceframe the data,” Grayson added.Their choice of words was no coincidence. Grayson and Holden had been prepped on what to say, the in-house attorney carefully providing the verbiage.I knew how this worked.But I didn’t need to watch my verbiage.Not when I was completely innocent.“I know how this looks,” I told them. “I know you got that email with my name at the top and my signature at the bottom and what you immediately assumed.” I took a breath. “It’s what anyone would assume. But I swear to all of you, I had absolutely nothing to do with this.” I didn’t know how to
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I couldn’t define what he meant.Or the battle that was becoming more prominent in his eyes.Or the way each of his syllables banged my chest.Holden’s eyes were suddenly no different than Easton’s.Neither was Grayson’s.“Due to the evidence that’s been presented and the level of access you have within Hooked, we have decided to suspend your employment until the investigation is closed,” the attorney said.They were . . . terminating me.Even if it was temporary, they were still shutting me out.Because some asshole, for some unknown reason, had framed me for something I didn’t do.Had I really thought that after I pled my case they were going to trust every word I said? That I would be able to continue working like none of this had happened?Still, hearing that news, feeling the gravity of it all, caused everything inside me to tighten.“I see,” I whispered.“I kindly ask you to remove all personal items from your office that you would like to have access to since you won’t be able
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His thumbs strummed my cheeks. “Holden once said to me that the reason the app was created was for us to find each other—you and me, Drake. That’s fate. That’s what I believe. And I also believe nothing is going to take that away from me. I won’t let it.” He stayed in that position until he tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling before making eye contact again. “I know you didn’t do this.”As his hands dropped to my shoulders, I wiped the droplets that were on the verge of falling into my mouth. “I understand how hard this is for you, but you have to understand how hard it is for me, Easton. Someone is making me look extremely guilty. Someone has either shared your designs or stolen them, and they’re trying to blame it on me. I wouldn’t still be here, I wouldn’t care, I wouldn’t have tears streaming down my face if I was that person.”“That’s what I told the guys when we were in Holden’s office.”“Did they believe you?”My gut clenched as I waited for his response.As I tried to
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That would take a few weeks at least.But, in the end, I knew it would clear her name. It wouldn’t solve who had sent the email, but at least it would prove she hadn’t stolen our designs and software and acted as a mole for Faceframe.Deep down, I knew she had nothing to do with this. Someone was responsible, and it wasn’t her.But how I approached that with the guys was a whole different story.There were many layers to this.And they all started with Love.I pushed up my sleeves, despite the air-conditioning vent blasting above me, the sweat already bubbling on my face, and said, “I have something to tell you both. Something that’s probably going to blow your minds.”“Does it have anything to do with what happened today?” Holden asked, his voice cautious, his expression somewhat concerned. “With Drake, I mean.”“It has to do with Drake,” I confirmed.The beginning was the only place to start. It was just a difficult point to get across because Holden wasn’t going to approve of my ac
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When I connected my stare with Holden’s, I said, “My heart was fucking breaking for her when you told me the news in your office today. It shattered again in the conference room. And when I went to her office right before she left, I told her, as long as it was okay, I was going to talk to you guys and tell you everything.”“To plead her case,” Holden said.“Listen, I know it’s not going to change anything. But Drake is more than just our director. She’s a woman who I believe would do anything for our company. I can speak about her character. I can speak about her morals and ethics because she’s the woman I love.”“Goddamn it,” Grayson groaned. “This is a lot.”“A lot because Holden warned us not to date anyone at the company. And a lot because Love and Drake are the same woman. And a lot because Drake is getting wrongly accused—”“We have no choice, Easton,” Holden began. “These are the steps we have to take to protect Hooked. You know that. Hell, I’m positive even Drake knows that.”
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If I shook my head, which was what I wanted to do, the tears would fall. If I stayed still, like I was doing now, I could keep them at bay, halfway between my lids and tear ducts—where they’d been frozen since she’d handed me my first glass of wine.“I don’t know, Saara . . .”“Hey . . . look at me.”I hadn’t realized I wasn’t.I turned my face, feeling a drip round my eyelid, meeting an expression that caused even more tears to fall.Fuck.Fuck, fuck, fuck.She was hurting, hurting for me, and that killed me.Saara and I shared happiness and pain.I just didn’t want there to be pain.I didn’t want today to happen.Breathe.Sip.Repeat.“Listen to me,” she started. “The forensic dude is going to prove your innocence. The second they get their hands on your computers, it’s going to be more than obvious that you didn’t transfer anything to FaceDicks.”Normally, that would have made me laugh.But I couldn’t even imagine that sound coming through my lips.“Easton is trying to put a rush o
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