Was that innuendo? Bloody hell, the man knew, or suspected, way too much.
“What do you mean?”
“Only that you seemed rather impassioned in your defense of her and her theories.”
“I don’t know what you are implying, but no, I don’t agree with her theories. My relationship with Dr. Brooks is strictly professional, and my knowledge of her research is just as needed for the mission.”
Just then, he heard the voice of Mr. Greer’s assistant behind him.
“Dr. Brooks is here to see you, Mr. Greer.”
Dariux’s head whipped around so fast he almost twisted his neck.
Sure enough, there she was, standing next to the assistant. Warmth spread through his chest, flooding his face as he gazed upon her. Was it joy that made his heart kick like a maddened beast inside his chest? Yes, but it wasn’t only that. A heavy dose of shame pervaded his feelings just now. Had she heard his last statement? One look at her stony face confirmed that, indeed, she had.
He wanted to say he didn’t mean it. To explain all was not as it seemed. But he couldn’t do that in front of Mr. Greer. And what was the point, anyway? She wouldn’t believe him. Not after he had disappointed her repeatedly.
Of all the times she could have arrived! Just a few minutes before he had been defending her. But wait, that wasn’t a coincidence, was it? Mr. Greer had set him up. He had done it on purpose to create a rift between Kalli and him. Fuck the scheming bastard.
Kalli was not likely to forget or forgive his words. The look of hurt betrayal on her face confirmed it. He had lost this skirmish with Greer. But it was worse than that. He swallowed the bleak despair that threatened to choke him.
He might have lost Kalli.
CHAPTER 37
Kalli was so tiredof crying because of Dariux. The last twenty-four hours had been nothing but that. She had gone to her mother’s home yesterday, desperate for sanctuary after being unable to face her own parbot and her life decisions. She thought she was putting up a brave front, but of course, her mother had seen right through her thin facade. The hot cocoa and warm embraces she had provided had helped a little, but not enough.
After crying half the night away, she had woken up bleary-eyed and irritable. Only to find an urgent summons from ChronoSynthetics to appear at their headquarters within the hour. The temptation to ignore it was strong. She did not work for ChronoSynthetics, and therefore, they had no authority to summon her on such short notice.
But she knew they were behind the development of the time machine. They may need her presence for something important. Dariux was associated with them. The way her heart leapt at the prospect of seeing him again annoyed and depressed her, but she couldn’t suppress her traitorous organ’s reaction.
So she had washed away all evidence of tears, pulled her hair into a tight knot, and fixed her appearance to look as normal as possible. They had subjected her to scans and tests as soon as she had arrived. That was something she could have done without. She knew what they were measuring, and what the tests would show. She was an emotional mess at the moment and would have preferred to keep that to herself. Instead, a bloody report would expose all her feelings for anyone to read. But she had signed up for this mission, and that included tests upon return. So she endured them, and at last, she was escorted into the president’s office.
Only to find Dariux already ensconced there. Drink in hand, he was all cozy and chummy with the awful CEO of this soulless corporation, discussing her and her research. And in not very flattering terms.
What had she expected, anyway? His feelings on the subject were no secret to her. And yet, to be ambushed with his disdain had hurt. It took all she had in her to remain composed. Despite her heart bleeding inside her chest, she refused to give up this last shred of dignity.
