Miles’s words rattle through me. “I’m not your enemy,” I say at once.“You work for Hugo. You want to be a reporter. You did all of this without saying one word to me, even though we’ve talked since this all happened. What am I supposed to think?”“This job is for me, Miles. It has nothing to do wit
“I’m sorry, Esther,” he says, but doesn’t really seem all that sorry with a grin on his face.“We don’t have a pleasure relationship,” I argue.He shrugs. “I’ve seen you naked.”“That was the past.”He leans forward again. “I still dream about it.”Just like that, my blush returns full blast. This t
I’m about to be fired? There’s no way that could be true. Hugo wouldn’t call the whole office to a meeting room just to humiliate me like that. I might not know him all that well, but I couldn’t imagine, with what I do know of him, that he would fire people in that way.More likely, Amber’s just try
That night, once the girls have gone to bed, I sit in my room with the door closed and locked and replay the day. I can’t stop thinking about talking with Miles. I was so sure that I had him convinced, only for him to back off – because why? Because he wants me?Yet, as I think more on it, slowly I
“Do me a favor. Do you have a mirror in your room?” he asks.“I do. Over the dresser.”“Good. Stand in front of it and start your camera app on your phone.”I go through the motions, my heart picking up speed. I pray he isn’t teasing me again. God, I want Miles so much. If even a fraction of what he
The day of the interview, the whole office is buzzing with excitement. Even I’m caught up in the feel of it, despite my dread about having to work with Amber.Things haven’t improved for me at work. Lila still makes me do research that she then takes all the credit for. Amber has been smug all week,
I’m frozen in place.Surely Miles didn’t just suggest, here in front of everyone, that I should be the one interviewing him. As Amber was the one who convinced him, shouldn’t she be the one taking the lead?That’s what everyone else thought, and in a way, I did too, even if it hurt me.When I don’t
Hugo already knows, anyway. Though he seems surprised that I know. “We need to talk about how you stumbled onto that information,” he says. “And also how you used that information…”“You should be glad she did, Hugo, or I wouldn’t be here right now. Besides, you know I have no intention of abusing t
“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