"Well, if she's such a good investigative reporter, I'm sure she's heard about your little... trouble back then, no?"
I clear my throat, straightening my back and widening my stance to remind him that I'm not the least bit intimidated by his side remarks and the suggestions associated with them. "You mean those nasty rumors spread about me to threaten my ambitions and ruin my reputation?"
"Rumors, sure," the guy scoffs. "Sometimes false allegations are so hard to discern from the truth, aren't they?"
This fucking bastard is really grinding my gears by now. It takes all my willpower not to punch his ugly condescending grimace and maintain my composure, acting as if I wasn't the least bit affected by his subtle threats. Losing my temper is exactly what he wants, exactly what he's trying to get out of me. I don't know about the other two, who have become nothing but bystanders in this uncomfortable exchange, but it's pretty safe to say that I can't expect any trustworthy support from this guy and the foundation he works with. If anything, he's one of those I'll have to watch out for in the future, an enemy more than a friend.
"A wise man once said that the truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things," I tell him, my voice calm and steady, and not showing the faintest hint of intimidation. "False allegations and the nasty rumors that feed off of them are nothing but the latter."
I fixate on him through narrowed eyes, and he manages to withstand my gaze just long enough to be saved by Button’s return.
"Your water," she chirps next to me, handing me a ridiculously small glass filled to the brim.
"What did you gentlemen engage in while I was away?"
Her bright and innocent smile looks natural, brilliantly masking her dislike for these men, as her inquisitive eyes wander from face to face, awaiting a response.
"Old times," I say, placing my hand on her upper arm just like she did earlier with me. "And how some of it is better left in the past."
Collective nodding follows my words, and when I look at her, I notice the smile on her face has turned stale. Button is too smart not to notice that I'm hiding something from her.
It's just a matter of time until she finds out.