Page 6 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

“Thank you,” she called, already clacking away at the keys, the time crunch spurring creativity.

Forty minutes later, she leaned back in her chair, her mind whirling as she skimmed the words quickly before she clicked to save the document.

If she didn’t hurry, she’d be late for her lunch date. She left the document behind, retrieved her purse, and hurried through the ornate halls, their opulence a reminder of how different her life had become.

As she descended the stairs, she found Worthington at the bottom, awaiting her. “And how did the work come along?”

“Better than expected,” she said with a grin. “Things are looking up.”

“Excellent.” He pulled the door open for her, and she stepped into the autumn day. “Have a lovely lunch, Mrs. Harrington. Enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

James snapped the door open to the luxury vehicle as he greeted her. “Mrs. Harrington. All ready for lunch?”

“Yes,” she said as she slid into the backseat. James rounded the back end and took his place behind the wheel.

“And how are you feeling today?” he asked as they pulled away from the house.

“Pretty good, thanks. How about you?”

“I wasn’t the one with a concussion.”

She smiled at him. “You did get the better end of the deal, didn’t you?”

He chuckled, flicking an amused glance through the rearview mirror. “Never again. You’ll never go off alone again.”

“Let’s hope there isn’t a next time to worry about.”

“You said it, Mrs. Harrington. I just wish they’d make some progress on what happened with Mrs. Clarke.”

Julia glanced out the window as the buildings closed in around her and the snarl of midday traffic echoed the chaos in her mind. “Me too. She must be unsettled. I wish for her sake they’d find something.”

“Oh, Mr. Harrington mentioned she’s out today, so maybe just head straight into his office, otherwise you may be waiting forever before he realizes it’s lunchtime.”

Julia chuckled. “He does get rather involved in his work, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, yes,” James said, echoing her laughter.

He slid the car next to the curb outside of Harrington Global before he hurried around it to open her door.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And I’ll see you after your lunch.”

Julia offered him a wave as she made her way to the door, and James disappeared into the car. With their plans to walk to their lunch destination in the beautiful fall weather, he was off the hook for at least an hour.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if he’d spend time with Sierra. Her footsteps faltered for a moment as she bit into her lower lip, a sense of unease creeping over her. She shook it off and pushed herself inside the building.

The security guard hurried around the desk to press the elevator button for her. “Hi, Mrs. Harrington.”

“Hi, Sam. How are you today?”

“Oh, doing just fine. How about yourself?”

“Good, thank you.” The doors whooshed closed, and the elevator tugged her upward. She had hoped to see Evelyn today to check how the woman was feeling. Too bad she was out.

When the doors opened, she stepped into the din of an office in full swing. Despite the lunch hour, people still bustled back and forth and phones rang.

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