Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
She considered this while I kept my mouth shut about the fact that I was no longer a professional footballer. That was something we’d deal with later.
Hilary glanced among us all, her expression unreadable.
“Fine.” She nodded. “No response it is, then. But I am suggesting to marketing that we end the campaign after the wedding if the conversation keeps turning back to Maia’s family.”
Maia slumped against me, and I wrapped my arm around her. “So, we’re good?” I asked.
“We’re good. But I expect you back in the office tomorrow, Maia.”
She nodded. “I’ll be here.”
“Right, well, I have a business to run …” Hilary waved in a shooing gesture.
Maia thanked her and I walked her out with Christina at our backs.
“I hope your family is okay, Maia,” her boss said as we walked toward the lifts.
“Thank you, Christina. For everything.”
She raised a dismissive hand. “I told you my reasons. And to be clear, I don’t hold anyone’s family against them.”
“My dad is a good man,” Maia said instantly, tone brittle.
Christina nodded. “I have a younger sister. I don’t know what I’d do if someone hurt her, so I understand.”
“Thanks,” Maia whispered. “I just … I hate that everyone knows their private business. I hope my aunt Shannon can forgive me.”
“Go to your family. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”
Guiding Maia into the lifts, I was about to tell her how proud I was of her when an arm appeared to block the doors from closing.
An out-of-breath young woman with blond hair that ombré’d into pastel pink stood there, eyes wide. “Maia.”
“Liza?” Maia pulled away from me. “Are you okay?”
Liza stepped onto the lift with us and the doors closed. I knew she was Maia’s assistant buyer and that there had been some weirdness between her and My because of Becky.
“I wanted you to know that it was me.” She pressed a button so the lift couldn’t descend.
Confused, I watched Maia note the move and ask cautiously, “What was you?”
“I was the one who told Christina about Becky emailing that journalist.”
Wait, what had I missed?
My fiancée gaped at Liza, but the girl continued quickly, “I knew she’d found out about your mum and got the journalist to contact her. And I felt horrible about it, Maia. I felt sick. Becky kept telling me you were this terrible person, but you’re like the best boss I’ve ever had.”
What the fuck?
It was Becky!
“Liza, it’s okay,” Maia insisted.
“No, it’s not. When I … last night she told me about your dad and about the article that would appear in the paper today.” Liza’s gaze moved to me, but she couldn’t quite meet my eyes before she returned her attention to Maia. “Let’s just say, I know what your aunt must have gone through, and I had someone in my life who did what your dad did, but he got away with it. It would have killed me if he’d gone to prison for protecting me.”
Fuck me.
Suddenly, I realized what her look had been. She was uncomfortable divulging this info in front of me, and honestly, I felt like shit for not being able to escape and give her and Maia privacy.
“Oh, Liza.” Maia reached out to squeeze her arm.
“It finally cemented the truth—that Becky was the horrible person in this scenario, so I told Christina.”
Clearly, I’d missed a big revelation today.
“Thank you, Liza. Thank you for being brave enough to do that.”
“It wasn’t brave. Brave would have been standing up to Becky months ago.” She shrugged, cheeks flushed.
“I’m still grateful.” Maia nibbled her lush lower lip and then asked, “Do … do you know why she hates me? I know it shouldn’t bother me, but it would be nice to know her motivations.”
Liza shook her head. “She never said. She did mention she was friends with your ex-fiancé’s new or old girlfriend or whatever and that he said you were a bitch. But that’s it. But … I think she was jealous of you, Maia. Like a not-normal kind of jealousy.”
“Jealous?” Maia huffed. “Why?”
“Because you’re gorgeous and smart and all the higher-ups love you here. She used to say stuff that was, like, factually incorrect, as if she was trying to convince herself. Like ‘Oh, Maia’s not even that pretty if you take away her hair and makeup.’”
I grunted at that fucking bullshit and Liza smiled.
Maia absentmindedly reached out to squeeze my arm.
“And she’d say like ‘Oh, you could do Maia’s job better, Liza, but she’s got Christina wrapped around her finger’ and …” She grimaced. “Some not nice things about why your fiancé was probably with you. It all reeks of—”
“Crazy jealousy,” I agreed. “Told you, My.”
Maia shook her head, dazed. “That’s nuts to me. Nuts! That can’t be the reason why she tried to destroy my career.”
Liza shrugged and hit the button to open the doors again. “It’s the only thing I can think of. Anyway, just wanted you to know. So … we’re all good, boss?”