His eyes narrowed again.
“Nothing good can come from you.” She shook her head. “And seriously, have you reflected on what you did? What were you thinking? How could you think it was okay to open those fake accounts and—”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t do that.”
“Yeah. The people below you did that. I wonder where they got the instruction or even the idea. I wonder why there’s such a toxic—”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” Hugh rolled his eyes. “Miss Goody-two-shoes, don’t you ever tire of always doing the right thing?”
She closed her eyes. “Are you even listening to yourself? Since when is doing the right thing considered wrong?” She tipped her head back. “Wait. I take back what I just said. I do get tired of trying to keep my fist from making contact with your face.”
Hugh held his hands up in peace. “Let me take one watch—just one. Then I’ll stop bothering you. No more calls. No more visits, though I know how much you love seeing me.”
“No.”
“Come on. I just want one.” He shot his index finger up. “One.”
“No.”
Hugh threw his hands in the air. “Why?” His jaw dropped. “You want them for yourself, right? You scheming—”
“Would you like me to start smashing them right in front of you?”
“Do you really think I wouldn’t dare hit you?”
“Do you really want to be disowned by Mr. E?”
Hugh’s jaw twisted, and his eyes slitted.
“If there’s nothing else, get out.” She opened her laptop.
Hugh stood. “The next time, it won’t be just your hand.”
Clary frowned and turned her attention back to Hugh. He was the one behind yesterday’s holdup? No. As annoying as Hugh had been to her, he wasn’t the sort that would do that.
Hugh strode toward the door.
“Are you claiming responsibility for this?” She lifted her bandaged hand. The restrictive bandage was more annoying than the constant dull pain. “Because the police are involved.”
“And you think the police would arrest me?”
“Yes.”
He smirked again. “You think my grandfather will let me be prosecuted?” He strode back toward her. “Having me expelled is one thing, but convicted? That would taint the Eolenfeld name. Why do you think he simply had me replaced?” He pressed his hands against her desk. “And are you really going to go against him? You’ll lose everything.”
“Are you claiming responsibility for this?” she repeated.
Hugh shrugged. “Be careful, Clary.”
She picked up the phone and called Tamara to open the door, then sighed when the door shut after Hugh. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair.
It can’t be Hugh. The man who’d held them up was clearly after Seth. Surely Hugh would have given instructions to scare her.
She turned to stare at the closed door. But could it be? Maybe the man messed up?
Was she too naïve for thinking that just because she’d known Hugh since they were children, he wouldn’t hurt her?
Chapter 7