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“With all due respect, Mr. Young, you and Isabella were alone in those photos,” she said carefully. “You were spotted holding hands—”
“I was simply guiding her over a rough patch of ground,” Kai said, his tone so smooth and confident it almost concealed the absurdity of his excuse. “We met several times over the holidays to plan a surprise party for Vivian’s birthday.”
“You were planning a surprise party forVivian Russoon Coney Island?” Parker asked doubtfully.
A short but pregnant pause saturated the room.
“She likes Ferris wheels,” Dante said.
Another, longer pause.
Parker glanced at Vuk again in an obvious plea for help. He didn’t answer. Now that I thought about it, I’d never heard the man utter a single word.
It didn’t escape my notice that I was the one in the hot seat even though Kai and I werebothin the wrong. But he was a rich, powerful VIP and I wasn’t. The difference in treatment was expected, if not necessarily fair.
“The photos aren’t proof we broke the non-fraternization rule,” Kai said. “It’s theNational Star, not theNew York Times. Their last issue claimed the government is harvesting alien eggs in Nebraska. They have no credibility.”
Parker’s mouth thinned.
My guilt thickened into sludge. I liked my supervisor. She’d always been good to me, and she’d kept my secret all this time. I hated putting her in such a tough position.
“I understand, sir,” she said. “But we simply can’t let the matter go unaddressed. The other members—”
“Let me worry about the other members,” Kai said. “I’ll—”
“No. She’s right.” My quiet interruption ground their argument to a halt. My heartbeat clanged with uncertainty, but I forged ahead before I lost my nerve. “I knew the rules, and the details don’t matter. What matters is how it looks, and it doesn’t look good, for us or the club.”
Kai stared at me.What are you doing?
The silent message echoed loud and clear in my head. I ignored it, though a warm ache twisted my heart at how adamantly he was trying to defend me. He didn’t lie, but he had. For me.
“What I’m trying to say is, I know what I did,” I said, focusing on Parker.It’s just a job. I could get another one. It probably wouldn’t have the same benefits, hours, and pay, but I’d survive. And if Gabriel gave me shit for changing employers again…well, I’d cross that bridge when I came to it. “And I’m willing to accept the consequences.”
There was a time when I would’ve been happy to let others fight my battles for me, but it was time I took responsibility for my actions.
Kai’s stare burned a hole in my cheek. Next to him, Dante straightened, revealing a spark of intrigue for the first time since I entered the room. His presence was clearly out of loyalty to Kai and not any particular interest in my future at Valhalla.
Parker sighed, the sound laced with regret. I was one of her best employees, but she was a stickler for the rules. As my manager, she took the heat for my fuckups.
She looked to Vuk for confirmation. His chin dipped, and though I’d been expecting it,askingfor it, her next words still punched a hole in my gut.
“Isabella, you’re fired.”
CHAPTER 26
Kai
Ididn’t follow Isabella after she left. Instinct screamed at me to comfort her, but reason stayed my hand. There were too many eyes on us right now; I didn’t want to risk dragging her deeper into this mess.
Plus, I had about a hundred other people to placate before I could focus on my personal life.
Reporters, board members, company execs, friends and family…my phone had been ringing off the hook since the photos exploded across the internet that morning. I wasn’t a movie star or rock star, but there were still plenty of people interested in the lives of the rich and scandalous. Bonus points if the scandal affected the future of one of the world’s largest and most famous corporations.
“What were you thinking?” My mother’s fury roared across the line, undeterred by the thousands of miles separating New York and London. “Do you understand what you’ve done? We’re weeks out from the vote. This could destroyeverything.”
A migraine crawled over my skull and squeezed. I stared out the window of Valhalla’s conference room, my stomach churning with a cocktail of emotions.
I had no doubt Victor Black was behind this mess. TheNational Starwas his publication, and the bastard was petty and vindictive enough to send someone to tail me after I bruised his ego.
