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“I had a call from a friend last night. A famous friend.”
Hugo had moved in the same circles Luna did for years. He often went out to functions when she didn’t want to. He was well-liked and respected, and people talked to him, unlike her.
“Okay.”
He took her hands in a strong grip.
“My friend said someone approached him with information about you. Personal information designed to discredit you. Information about your father when he went into that drunken rage and smashed up that pub. Also, when he was arrested again for drunk driving.”
“I never hid that, Hugo.” And she hadn’t. But no one had ever connected her to Evan McKinley.
“They said they’d make it worth his while if he let the information slip into the right ears.”
Luna felt her stomach clench.
“What this person hadn’t reckoned on was this contact being a close friend of mine and has been for years.”
“Who offered the information?” Luna whispered.
“I think it’s Lilly,” Hugo said softly. “It’s been her leaking stuff. Her doing all those things like putting the wrong times in your diary, and order numbers.”
“Why do you think it’s her?” The pain in her chest bloomed.
Lilly had come to them eager and excited to be part of their team. Both Luna and Hugo had loved her on sight. They brought her on as their assistant, and she had turned into a trusted friend.
“She said her name was Melinda Nicks, Lilly.”
“But we checked her out, Hugo. Her name is Lilly Gable.”
“My friend who she approached is a journalist. He checked her out. Seems she is the daughter of Stephen Gable and Melinda Nicks. She used her mother’s name when she spoke to my friend.”
“Nicks.” She looked at her oldest friend.
“She’s Simon’s sister.”
“So, all this time she’s been feeding him things about me. Doing things to make me believe I was going crazy. Where I would be, what I’m doing?” The pain moved into anger. “Why?”
“Well now.” Hugo’s smile was small. “You never like me digging up dirt on anyone, so I keep things I find out to myself.”
“I don’t like myself very much at the moment, Hugo. Like that I was so pious and good all the time. That work was all I could focus on.”
“Luna, you are the best person I know. You’re kind, good, and for the life of me I have no idea how you survive in this cutthroat industry, but you do. And that’s because people know what you are. The ones that matter do, anyway.”
Her smile was crooked. “Thanks.”
“Back to my digging. With the help of several contacts I have, I managed to ascertain that Simon has a lot of debt. He invested in a company that went under. He then tried to regain his money by reinvesting; that was a failure too. He then got into bed, literally, with Olivia.”
“I really hate those two.”
“Good girl. It’s important you do that, because they’re assholes.” Hugo patted her hand.
“Simon and Lilly, from what I gather, have been selling information about both you and Olivia. But it’s never been enough. My friend also knows Olivia well. She’s a bitch, he knows that, but it’s a case of keep your enemies closer than your friends.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Olivia is wealthy. Simon needs money. He’s been paying her a lot of attention, and my friend said he’s always seen leaving her apartment. I think he’s trying to infiltrate, and gain her trust to get money out of her some way.”
“Like blackmail?”
