AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whenever you’re ready,” I added.
She bobbed her head. “I overheard my mom and sister, Pris, this morning. Pris has been so angry with Ella for so long.
“It happened a long time ago—over a guy, of all things—but it’s totally over. Except Pris can’t let it go. She can’t just be happy that she’s back with Derek; she has to keep targeting Ella.”
My spine straightened. “What do you mean targeting Ella?”
“And of course, she’s my mom’s little darling, so Mom goes along with it.”
“What are you getting at?”
Was she saying Stina was in on it, too, after all?
She continued her rambling. “They were talking about the confrontation in the breakroom when you found all that stuff in Ella’s locker. They were laughing about it over coffee this morning, cheering each other on for succeeding.
“Mom couldn’t outright fire Ella, not without upsetting Ella’s dad. And Pris wanted to get back at Ella once and for all now that she’s back with Derek.
“Not just to keep her from getting close to Derek, but from getting close to anyone again. It’s like she wants to make sure Ella’s never happy with anyone or something.”
“I’m sorry—I’m not sure what you’re getting at.” I tried keeping up with her rushed rant, but it all came out so fast, I couldn’t follow.
Ella had explained something similar after she’d come up here with me before our dance. Before our first kiss.
I leaned toward Charlotte, tapping the tips of my fingers together. “What do you mean to keep her from getting close to anyone again? Are you talking about me?”
“Yes. Then, when Ella didn’t show up to the job Mom assigned her to do on Christmas Eve, it pushed Mom and Pris over the edge. They snuck in here in the middle of the night, using their keys.
“Mom has some experience with video—she had some footage of Ella’s face and photoshopped it over Pris’s, to make it look like Ella was in those offices instead.
“They said—Pris met someone. He somehow got wind that she worked in your office building and that you had asked Ella to the ball. He told Pris about this crazy thing—she told him she was already planning on sabotaging Ella, but he offered her something.
“He said he wanted to take you down in whatever way he could, and that if Pris helped him, she could get back at Ella and help him get back at you at the same time.”
This got me. I sat up straighter, pressing my back to the back of the seat. Charlotte didn’t mention anything about The Pact, but what else could it be?
I’d never wronged anyone badly enough to incite a desire for revenge—at least, not that I knew of. Not aside from The Pact.
Charlotte hung her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Coming to my senses, I rose and offered her the box of tissues on Clary’s desk. She yanked at one and dabbed at her face.
“They saw me in the hall and swore me to secrecy, but this is so serious, Mr. Danielson. I couldn’t keep it to myself. It’s not fair to your company, not to the people who work here and rely on your guarantee of security.
“It’s not fair to your good name. It’s not fair to Ella’s. She’s a good person. I may not have always gotten along with her, either, but she’s always been kind to me.
“She’s a kind person, Mr. Danielson. She wouldn’t have done this.”
She tore another Kleenex from the box on the table beside her and blew her nose into it.
My thoughts jumbled. Charlotte couldn’t have come at a better time.
My chest expanded with relief. But I still needed to know if she’d heard anything about Will’s part in this.
“Charlotte,” I began, trying to word things carefully. “I can’t tell you what this means to me, to know the truth. I appreciate your honesty and integrity.Thank you.”
Her cheeks were flushed, but her shoulders were still. She inhaled a long, slow breath as if relieved to finally have it off her mind.
How close were these two sisters? Had Pris confided in who she’d been meeting with?
