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His jaw dropped. Dramatic? ‘Not fine.’ He scrambled to keep on track. ‘You know this deal is—’
‘Imperative? Vital? Does the company’s future hang in the balance because this is the biggest deal you’ve ever done?’ She cocked her head and actually rolled her eyes at him. ‘They always are, Elias. But admit it, this one is all but sealed. The meeting tomorrow is a mere formality. You don’t need me there. You don’t need anyone. Besides, I bet you’ve already lined up the next deal and doubtless it’s even bigger than this one. Am I right?’
He stared at her. Who was this woman? Where had calm, capable Darcie gone?
Her mouth twisted. ‘I knew it. There’s nofinaldeal for you. You’re always on the hunt for the next passion project before you’ve finished with the one right on the table in front of you.’
His skin tightened. Passion project? Was she talking business mergers or personal ones? Elias made no apology for his voracious appetite. At least he was honest about it. Which was more than she was. There was passion and hunger within Darcie, too. He’d known that from the moment he’d met her. He’d just been pretending not to remember ever since.
‘I’ll double your salary.’ Somehow the offer slipped out.
But it didn’t have the desired effect.
Storm clouds swept into her eyes, enhancing the blue, and he couldn’t have moved if he’d tried. Because then Darcie put both palms down on his desk and leaned across it to vent. ‘I have given you almost every hour of every day for nearly three years. I’ve never before denied you. But enough isenough.’
He blinked, shocked by her sudden vitriol. Darcie was never emotional at work. Not even when she’d worked thirty-one hours straight and was paler than tracing paper with smudges beneath her eyes. Not even then had she lost her cool with him. She was always professional. Or she had been. Until that one very strange, very unforgettable night. Then she’d been anything but.
‘It’sjustlike you to have forgotten.’ Lightning fury flashed from her. ‘Do you know I don’t have to be in this office at all today? I’m only here because of misplaced loyalty.’ She dragged in a breath and twisted the knife. ‘To my colleagues.’
‘Misplacedloyalty?’ The comment had him in a car racing towards a cliff edge. To the ravine he’d avoided at all costs. Until now. Because now he was pissed off, and the emotion was all-consuming. ‘To yourcolleagues, Darcie? Not to me?’
‘No.’ She lifted her chin. But she still didn’t quite meet his gaze. ‘Notyou.’
‘But—’
‘I can’t stay to argue, Elias,’ she snapped. ‘I don’t actually have time.’
Why not? But he couldn’t seem to ask. He couldn’t seem to think. He could only stare at her as now she finally stared right back at him and her captivating eyes were full of things he couldn’t stand to see—resentment, anger,hurt.
‘Don’t you even want to know why?’ she breathed.
His obliging executive assistant, always anticipating, a step ahead of everyone except him, had turned on him. The quietly efficient woman who didn’t fawn but who got everything done was gone. In her place, radiant with energy, was a beautiful, furious firestorm.
‘Today is myweddingday and yet I’vestillcome running at your damned summons. But this is it. I’m done.’
Wedding?The shock ripped through him like a tornado, turning up—
Herweddingday?
Before his heart could beat she stormed out, slamming the door behind her and leaving Elias struck still in the suddenly cavernous room. Bile burned his mouth as his body launched its own violent response. He brutally swallowed it back, but bitter rage gripped him regardless as her words reverberated.
Wedding day.
He hadn’t been spoken to like that—hadn’t been excoriated by someone’s scorn—in so very long. Who the hell was she marrying? She didn’t have time to date anyone. And howdareshe after—?
He vaulted out of his seat and strode to the door, flinging it open to glare across the office. Naturally Darcie was nowhere to be seen. She must have sprinted. Was she that desperate to escape him or was her speed to get to her groom? His fury mounted.
Without exception his remaining staff had their gazes glued to screens; apparently all were suspended in eerie still silence. Of course, Darcie was the one who’d usually stare back him and ask what he wanted. Or she had been. Until these last two weeks.
Can you please pretend this never happened...?
To say nothing. To do nothing wasn’t Elias’s usual style. He didn’t know why he’d said yes to thesecondof her breathy requests that night. But he’d been saying nothing and doing nothing regarding Darcie Milne for months. He was practiced. Besides which, it had been the right thing to do.
‘Wheredid she say she was going?’ he demanded, too furious to bother pretending they hadn’t heard every word of that argument. ‘Is itreallyher wedding day?’
One of the assistants attempted a smile. ‘It’s so romantic, don’t you think?’
No, he did not. It wasnotromantic. It was a sham.
