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Milo freezes bent over the laptop. Only his eyes move to meet mine. “What did you hear?”
“Enough to know you’re a liar and you’ve been playing me this whole time. I can’t believe I trusted you. We’ll compete for this account fair and square, Mya. I’m an idiot. But not anymore. Does James know about this?”
“James has nothing to do with this.”
I cut him off. “Good because we’re going to present and then we’re going to let him decide. I’m not sure what you promised Mr. Lavin in exchange for choosing your campaign but it doesn’t matter now. As soon as this presentation is over, we’ll see what James has to say. “
He looks behind me frantically. “It’s not what you think. You have to let me explain.”
“No time for that. Besides your words are just as fake as our relationship.”
A sharp inhale from the door has us both pausing. I turn to see Andre Lavin standing in the doorway watching us.
Shit.
“Mr. Lavin, I’m sorry–”
James rushes into the room then and the rest of the Lavin team follows him. My eyes stay on Mr. Lavin’s until there’s too much activity in the room to maintain eye contact. I’m not even sure what I was trying to say before.
I’m sorry we lied.
Please don’t tell our boss.
This entire web of lies is unraveling so fast that I’m tripping over them.
“Excellent, we’re all here. Thank you for granting us your time today, Mr. Lavin. I know that you and your team are extremely busy. But we have two fantastic campaigns prepared for you to evaluate.” Jam
es turns to me and then looks at Milo. “Are we ready?”
I look over at Mr. Lavin. His dark eyes reveal nothing. But he doesn’t appear inclined to tell James what he overheard either so I guess that means the show must go on. We’ll have to do the presentations even though there’s absolutely no chance we’re getting the job.
And I’ll have to stand next to Milo even though my heart is breaking.
As soon as the lights come back on, I walk over to the Lavin team and shake each of their hands. But the effect is probably ruined because I can’t look anyone in the eye. Andre Lavin shakes hands with James before leaving the room.
James seems startled by the abrupt departure. “Well, that was odd. Great job, guys.” And then he gathers his things and leaves.
I don’t look at Milo as I do the same.
“Mya, please wait.” He grabs my arm as I walk by.
I shake it off and keep walking. Then I go the one place he can’t follow me. The women’s restroom. I barricade myself in a stall and spend the next ten minutes fighting tears. No one is going to see me cry over this. My professional reputation is of a woman who is calm, confident and in control. Even if I’m not exactly sure how I’ll explain this all to James yet, I know that the image I want to present is the same one I’ve spent the last five years building.
Someone who is in control and not being controlled.
“Mya? Are you in there?” Anya’s voice comes from the next stall.
“Yes. I’m here.”
“Not to be nosy or anything but Milo asked me to check on you. Are you okay?”
That makes me want to cry again. Because now I know that all the little things he’s been doing aren’t just sweet, thoughtful things. It’s him keeping tabs on his competitor. How he must have laughed behind my back when he went home!
“Not really but I don’t want him to know that.”
Anya is quiet for a moment. “Men suck.”
Her words manage to get a laugh out of me when I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, so I guess that’s something. “Yeah. Look, can you do me a favor and get my handbag from my office? I need to get out of here and I really don’t want to see him.”
