Page 56 of It Starts With A No

“We should go, then,” she said when the alarm he hadn’t clicked off rang for the second time.

Or was it the third?

He’d been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t even realized the alarm was still ringing until now. He took his phone out and dismissed the alarm. “Right.” Let go of her. He opened his hand, then stuffed both hands into his pockets. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 11

Last night, Seth’s car hadn’t turned into a pumpkin and Clary got home just fine. They hadn’t been out on a date, but it was the most fun she’d had in a really long time. At the back of her mind, she knew Seth was doing all this just to get into her good graces.

Once Mr. E contacted Seth about the loan, which she was sure he would, Seth wouldn’t want to have anything more to do with her.

She didn’t have time to worry about that today, though.

With the final independent report ready, Clary had major decisions to make and the boys’ club was determined to sway her to their side. All day, there had been a steady stream of executives coming and demanding to speak with her.

One after another, the upper management tried to coax, cajole, and threaten her into doing what they wanted—to bury the report. Their argument? Hugh had already dismissed all the people involved in the scandal.

He hadn’t.

Hugh had dismissed scapegoats, and Clary was determined to make things right.

But it wasn’t easy when no one was on her side.

And now, this.

“Told you it was a bad idea,” Neil nagged behind her as Clary strode toward the elevator. “Meeting with the victims,” he sneered. “You think you’re being so smart about it.”

Clary kept her mouth shut and stepped into the elevator with Tamara right behind her.

Neil and the other top three members of the boys’ club entered the elevator along with them.

“Mr. Eolenfeld would blow his top if he found out what happened,” one of them said.

Another laughed. “Told you this mess was too big for you to handle. You should just leave and let someone who actually knows what she’s doing take over. Neil—I think you should take over. We should try reaching out to old Mr. Eolenfeld again. I’m sure that with his support, we can convince the board.”

Jumping ship already? Were they abandoning their dear leader Hugh and turning to Neil?

“Don’t worry. I’m sure the press will find out what happened just now,” Neil said. “Mr. Eolenfeld will get rid of her soon.”

Clary gritted her teeth.

“There’s only so far a pretty face can take you.” Neil put a hand on her shoulder, and all of Clary’s muscles tensed. “You should just be glad no one spit at you.”

“Or tried to punch you.”

“That’s the good thing about being a woman, you just need to flash a smile here and there.”

“And you have the choice of sleeping your way to the top.”

Clary consciously released her clenched fists. Just ignore them. Which wasn’t all that difficult when she was focused on the heavy hand on her shoulder.

Should she just shrug it off? Would it be rude?

Why did she even care if it would be rude?

The elevator’s journey up to the fifth and sixth floors, where Neil and the boys’ club would get off, was the ultimate test of her patience. The boys’ club continued taunting and criticizing her the whole time.

She’d shut them out of her head while repeating to herself that punching them wouldn’t solve anything. But even the growing anger within her did nothing to suppress the voices of doubt screaming in her mind.

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