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He shrugged. “For the interview I gave yesterday after the press conference.”
“Whatinterview?”
“You still have that delightful habit of not checking your phone, I see.” Richard rolled his eyes, the first hint of an emotion–exasperated. “The Inquisitor got an anonymous tip. It seems this isn’t the first time you tried to seduce your boss to climb the corporate ladder.”
Darcy saw red.
“You piece of–” She clenched her jaw. “Youseducedmefor my ideas.”
Richard shrugged. “Who are people going to believe? Me, the impeccable CEO, or someone who until two days ago was a nameless college graduate that people now know as Temptress Taylor? With your fingerprints on the gun, it’s not going to be so hard to convince people.”
“My fingerprints?”
“You left them all over your office,” Richard said. “I had people replicate them in case you inserted a fingerprint scan to access the codes. They were useless for that, of course, but they’ll come in handy now.”
“You’re a monster,” Darcy whispered. She shook her head in disbelief. “You’ve planned this.”
“I didn’t come to the Forum to kill you. But then you had to go and say you could reveal what happened while you were at my company. Bold of you. Bolder than I expected.”
“I said I would talkifyou didn’t leave me alone.”
“See, I can’t risk that. I’ll keep coming at Alien Inc. until they crawl back through the portal.”
“Who cares if I talk? I thought your perfect image protected you.”
“It does, but I don’t want any investigations at Archam Tech for the time being.” He placed his finger on the trigger. “What’s in those Deruzian crates, Darcy? I won’t ask again.”
A mirthless laugh escaped her. “You know, in the months after we broke up, I kept wondering if you ever really loved me. Now You’re pointing a gun at me, so I have my answer.”
“Darcy…I’ve never loved anyone. Not my parents, not the many nannies they left me with, none of my girlfriends. I only love myself and my interests. It is what it is.” Richard hesitated. “But I cared about you as much as I can care for another.”
Tears stung Darcy’s eyes. He was right. It was what it was. Foolish of her that she hadn’t seen it from the start.
“I’m not going to ask you again,” he said and Darcy sensed the finality in his words. “What’s in those crates?”
“I don’t know.”
Maybe it was the tremor in her voice or the truth in her gaze–Darcy really had no clue what those boxes contained–but Richard seemed to believe her.
“Fine. It doesn’t matter now, I’ll crush Alien Inc. later.” He sighed. “I hope you get everything you deserve in the afterlife. If such a thing exists.”
Darcy didn’t flinch.
She didn’t look away.
This was it.
Everything she’d went through with this waste of space ended now.
Just as Richard pressed the trigger, the door to the room smashed open.
Richard turned, eyes wide and scared.
A bullet shot rang out.
Darcy screamed and watched in dismay as the bullet hit Nazyn’s chest, right between his twin hearts.
26
