I must be the most naïve person in the universe, I decide, as I watch Amber storm off toward Lila’s office.No matter what is said in that office right now, I really don’t want to hear it, so I focus on my first assign task of brewing fresh coffee.It’s slightly demeaning. I feel like I’m being trea
“I don’t want anything but a fair shot,” I say. “But I’m not going to use Hugo to do that. I intend to stand on my own two feet.”Lila stares at me for a long moment. “I don’t know whether or not to believe you, but… I suppose we can see.” Sighing, she steps out from behind her desk. “Grab your stuf
I open the card and read,Congratulations on your first week back after ten years at home. Your husband, Garnar Graham, CEO.The asshole even added CEO to the card.I try to hide the card, but Amber reads it aloud over my shoulder. Immediately, whispers begin.I can only catch a few of them among th
A dog fashion show isn’t quite like anything I’ve ever been to before. Armed with my borrowed work camera and my press pass, I enter the large circus tents and walk straight into something like a parade of dogs in hats and coats and sparkling outfits.There’s no real rhyme or reason to what’s happen
After Hugo leaves, I’m left thinking about the best way to approach Miles to ask him for an interview.Miles doesn’t know that I’ve gotten this new job, but I don’t want to approach him under false pretenses. If I ask him out to lunch and then spring this on him, he’d be understandably upset with me
For them, I must continue dealing with this creep. I can’t hand him any more ammunition against me in the divorce and custody battle.Work, Esther.Okay. I take another breath and concentrate.I still need to think of a way to convince Miles to accept this interview.I frown for a moment, then take
It has been a very, very long first week of work. By the time 6pm rolls around, I’m ready crawl into a hot bath with a glass of red wine and a good book, and forget about life for a while.But, as a mom, that desire gets placed on hold, because the first thing I both need and want to do is visit my
“You done abandoning your kids?” Garnar asks. He doesn’t look away from the screen.“That’s not what I’ve been doing.”Garnar shrugs. “Call a spade a spade, Esther.”He’s baiting me, I can tell. I need to stay on target and not fall for his games.“I’d like to move into the guest room for now,” I sa
“We should watch the rest,” I tell him, though my voice is shaky. “No,” Miles says, more firmly. I breathe a sigh of relief. For my job, I know we have to hear it. But personally, I would like to go the rest of my life without even thinking about Edward Zimmer again. “The numbers are already u
Edward’s response comes in the form of a video message. Crystal set it up on the television on the wall, while Miles and I huddle closer to the screen. Miles holds tightly onto my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever he says. We will stand against him and we will win,” he says. I believe him. Last
How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes. I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so
We hold the press conference in front of the headquarters, setting up a podium outside the double doors. The news media organizations have been notified, so they send reporters and cameramen, who have set up around the podium. The release we sent out already told them that the conference would be
Later, I’m going to have to have a meeting and call in all the employees to discuss this. Their care is appreciated, but I need to be able to do my job. For now, though, it seems as if Crystal gets the hint. With a shallow nod, she continues her report. “Mr. Zimmer has been quiet since the inter
Garnar, knowing I was giving a difficult interview tonight, offered to watch the kids. Since they are at Garnar’s house, I expected the house to be empty when I finally returned. Instead, I see Miles’s car parked in my driveway and the additional security staked out around the premises. It’s a rel
Jean was warned about the story, but she still gasped. My eyes went a little wide. We came here to talk about this, but Daphne’s direct wording leaves me speechless. Daphne didn’t come here just to tell a story. She was ready to reveal her truth, once and for all. “Esther and I were victims,” Da
In the Harbinger HQ, in one of the studio sets arranged to look like a fancy living room, Daphne and I sit side by side on a white couch, facing an interviewer, a woman interviewer named Jean, who sits on an arm chair facing us. The setting is intimate, and Jean is a kind, middle-aged woman, who i
“Miles…” Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat. “Miles…” My tears fall from my chee