Page 54 of Mistress A-0002

Swear. He sweared? I could have sworn too. I did…and I had lied. Liar.Delusional.

The man eased to his feet. His brow was crinkled, but there was almost a satisfaction in his gaze. But he had pain. If I didn’t know better, he saw past mine. Was that why he was tryingto hide his smug smile? Was he mocking me? Did he know?Nobody knew. It was me. This was me. No—Facts. I needed the facts. Breathe. Calm.

“I’m sorry. I-I.” I pulled at my damp blouse. “I apologize. You don’t understand the gravity of my accusations. It’s more than the picture. More than the bow. I lost a sister in the exact month as yours, almost down to the day. Just a different year. You say coincidence, but the odds—” My head shook.Tick. Tick.“We’re going to have to do this another time.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Dr. LaRoe. I’m sorry for how this looks as well. I truly am.”

Was he too calm? Too unsurprised? My eyes narrowed, then relaxed, but narrowed again as I walked around my desk. My tapping was immediate as I talked.

“Thank you, but it is me who must apologize. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. My outburst was uncalled for. That was extremely unprofessional on my part. I had no idea the death of my own sister would trigger such a response. I haven’t thought about her for years now. I was caught off guard.”

“Don’t apologize. I know the pain. I’ll give you your space. Just let me know when you want me to come back.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Soft tone. Hard expression. No sympathy. Still a tinge of arrogance. One, I couldn’t begin to dissect as I watched him leave. I could barely control the speed of my heavy breaths. I turned, snatching the phone from my desk. The immediate ringing sent my heart racing even more. The voice that came through didn’t calm me.

“Mistress Two. You called earlier. How can I help you?”

My mouth opened, but words didn’t come right away. Maybe I thought I’d be given another excuse by Nineteen. Perhaps I was expecting the voicemail to kick on.

“Elec. Main Master,” I glanced at the clock, blinking past the blurriness. “Did you give the approval on Logan Cavalier?”

“Our newest Master. I gave him the tour this morning. Has he come by to see you yet?”

“Did you do it?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Elec,” I nearly growled. “I know you’re upset with me. We’re at odds, but you’ve gone too far.”

A pause. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to. Melissa…are you okay?”

“If it wasn’t you, then who? Belinda, Melinda. Both died at the age of three. Same accident. Same month of death?Darius Cavalier never had a daughter.”

“Melissa…he did. We even celebrated her birth at Bridgepoint.” He stopped and seconds passed. “Actually, I’m not sure you were there that day. I would remember seeing you, and I don’t recall you being there, but you have to remember being invited. Darius invited the entire board as well as the senior class.”

“But.” I rubbed against my left eye. “You just don’t forget a birth. I would have remembered. I?—”

“Itwasa busy time for us in those days. I barely remembered even attending the celebration when I was going over Logan’s file. I believe we were deep in the Fuller files with rewiring memories, and youmustremember how chaotic those days were. It was a clusterfuck. Calm.” He took a breath. “How similar it was to your past escaped me. For that, I’m sorry. You know I’d never try to hurt you like that.”

Hurt me? Logan sharing a past didn’t hurt me…it made me suspicious.Paranoid.

“Melissa, are you okay? Should I call Dr. Almer? I hear you’re not feeling well lately. I could bring in?—”

“No,” I rushed out. “I don’t need any help. I’m fine, really. I was just caught off guard. Now that you mentioned it, I think I might remember something about Belinda.” I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again to glance to the clock. “It’s been a long day. It just completely escaped my mind.”

“You’re stressed. With Jett’s trail approaching, it can’t be easy for you.”

My lip peeled back. “I’m sick over it.”

“Did you speak with Mistress Ninety-nine?”

My mind blanked, but I quickly put it together. “Fiona Buret.”

“Yes. Amazing lawyer. She beat Bram once in court. Long time ago, but?—”

“We’re not interested. I appreciate your concern, Elec, I really do, but Jett doesn’t need a lawyer. He did nothing wrong.”

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