Page 50 of One Month's Notice

“Shit!” Clara’s exclamation did nothing to undo the damage. She lifted the cover, causing the wine that had pooled on the surface to soak into the pages inside.

Nat lunged forward, desperately trying to salvage her work. The paper absorbed the wine greedily, staining the fabric swatches and carefully drawn plans.

“It’s ruined.” Nat’s voice was barely above a whisper, her words laced with a mix of disbelief and despair.

“Sorry, it’s just a bit of wine.” Clara’s apology was hollow. “I didn’t think it was that important, anyway.”

Nat gathered the ruined pages, cradling them to her chest as if she could somehow protect them from further harm. Her eyes found Michael’s, searching for some sign of understanding, of shared disappointment. He only offered a helpless shrug.

“Excuse me.” Her face was hot with embarrassment and anger. “I’d better get going.”

“Natalie, wait.” Michael jumped up from the couch. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, just leave it.” Tears stung her eyes. “It’s too late.”

Nat gathered her bag and fled, clutching the portfolio that represented so much more than just a little project. As she rushed through the door, her heart pounded with a mixture of fury and a painful realisation that she was never going to achieve her dreams. Her trembling hand fumbled with the doorknob as she pulled it closed.

“Nat?” A concerned voice cut through the air. She nearly collided with Enzo as he stepped out of the lift, his easy smile fading at the sight of her distress.

“Enzo,” she choked out, wiping away tears as she recounted the disaster that had unfolded.

“Clara was just vile, as always. And now she has ruined all of my hard work.” Nat held up the portfolio. A few drops of wine fell to the floor. “To top it off, Michael let her walk all over me again!” Her words carried the sting of betrayal.

Enzo’s face softened, his head tilted in understanding as he listened.

“I’m so sorry about your work. Is it salvageable?”

Nat shook her head. “It’s completely ruined. And Michael doesn’t even care.”

“You know he’s not the best with difficult situations, especially when it comes to dealing with women. I hope you can forgive him.” He offered a wry grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes, hinting at a shared understanding of his friend’s shortcomings.

“Doesn’t that just excuse him, though? For everything?” Nat’s voice was lower now, her anger giving way to weariness.

“Maybe,” Enzo conceded, shifting on his feet. “But it’s obvious to anyone who sees you two together—there’s more to it than just work or friendship. Michael cares about you, really. It’s just…he has this habit of showing it in the most unfortunate of ways.”

Nat’s gaze dropped to the soggy edges of her portfolio, a stark reminder of the evening’s undoing. The idea that Michael could genuinely care about her seemed unlikely. If he really did care, surely there wouldn’t be the cold lack of defence she’d experienced moments ago? He wouldn’t allow Nat to be treated so unkindly by someone else.

“Give it time,” Enzo encouraged, his voice gentle. “You don’t strike me as the type of person that gives up easily. Not when something really matters to them.”

She managed a small, uncertain smile. Enzo gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and headed towards Michael’s door. As she disappeared into the lift, Nat took a deep breath. She didn’t know how many times she would be able to overlook Michael’s behaviour. Perhaps it was finally time to give up on the possibility of a future with him. She looked down at the mess in her hands. With the portfolio ruined, maybe it was time to give up on her dreams too.

Chapter twenty-two

Wednesday 25th May

Nat clicked her laptop shut and slid it into her bag. Jamie was at his desk nearby, eyes squinting at the screen.

“Anything new?” Nat said, her voice low. The hum of electronics and distant chatter filled the space between them. Jamie shook his head, pushing up his glasses.

“Just the travel logs to Boston so far.” He tapped the keyboard to bring up a spreadsheet filled with dates and destinations. “It’s where Spinigma has its headquarters. That’s all I’ve managed to get from the finance system.”

Nat leaned over to glance at the screen. Rows of Clara’s trips, with corresponding dates and times, were neatly lined up.

“That’s a lot of visits to the same place.”

“She does have some family out there, so it could be a coincidence.” Jamie fiddled with the end of his pen. “But I’m not buying it. I’ll keep digging. I need to look at the calendars to see if there have been any unusual meetings.”

“Thanks. But please be careful. I don’t want you doing anything that might get you in trouble.” Nat straightened up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “We’ve only got two days. Let me know if you find anything else. The meeting to sign the deal is happening on Friday afternoon. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can persuade the other investors to stay interested. My source tells me the court case is scheduled for Friday morning. If we can’t stop the deal and persuade Michael and the board to go with the alternative investors, our only hope is that the judge rules to make the details of the investigation public. That will put a stop to everything.”

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