Page 93 of Audacity

Tonight was supposed to be our night.Hernight. I’m getting up there to make a speech about our philanthropiccommitments over the next decade and beyond, and my plan is—was—to name Athena as the new CEO of the foundation.

She’s supposed to be basking in this unshakeable belief my family has in her to steward our wealth, and instead she’s scurrying to the cloakroom like she has something to be ashamed of.

It’s not okay.

If anything, I’m the one who should be called out. I abandoned my calling and hired a woman to fuck me as soon as I got rid of my dog collar. I’m the immoral, despicable miscreant here, not her. And I’m sure my family will reinforce that message to me in style, but I couldn’t give a flying fuck.

All I care about is that the woman I’ve fallen for has been made to feel less than on my watch, because ofmysins.

‘Let me take you home,’ I whisper. ‘I don’t want you going out there alone.’

That gets her to look at me. Her eyes are clear, but it seems to me every nerve ending in her body is vibrating. I know her well enough to see the effort it’s costing her merely to hold her shit together for the sake of propriety.

‘I am perfectly capable of getting myself home, Gabe, and you have a speech to give.’

‘You’re more important. Nothing else matters except making sure you’re okay.’

She purses her lips as though my lack of backbone is disappointing. Every wall I’ve had the indescribable pleasure of taking down is back up in force. My goddess has taken up her sword and shield, and she’s not about to let a single mortal see the extent of her wounds.

Not even me.

She fiddles with the clasp on her little handbag as she answers. ‘That’s not true. All this matters. I need to regroup, and you need to go and do some damage limitation with your family.Andthenyou need to go and tell that roomful of people exactly what the Sullivans are committed to doing.’

‘Athena. Please.’ I sigh, sensing defeat. ‘Can I come over later?’

‘You cannot.’ She looks at me, and for just a second, I see the hurt splitting her heart open. ‘Leave me alone, Gabe. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

Idon’t know why her request that I leave her alone for the rest of the night hits so hard, but it does. It feels both ridiculous and ominous that she would shut me out like this. There are depths to this woman that still feel fathomless, and it’s clear I’ve only explored the ones she is happy for me to explore. As I make my way back to the table, I channel my anger. Anger is good: it’s an active emotion, an empowering emotion.

I can do something with this.

Back at the table, everyone is murmuring, whispering, heads inclined in confidence. Harrington is still there. I take my seat, because I have absolutely not been brought up to make a scene, and I have every interest in containing this scandal as much as humanly possible.

Athena’s words come back to me.

Damage limitation.

The only way to approach this is to go on the offensive. If my family has the slightest expectation that they’ll receive some kind of apology or explanation from me for my behaviour, they will be sorely disappointed. I need to get on the front foot here.

I lean forward and jab my finger at Harrington.

‘You. Get out. You are no longer welcome here. And let me reiterate Athena’s reminder to you—you are in breach of a watertight NDA.’ I should know. I signed one before I even saw Athena’s portfolio. ‘So if you value your solvency, I’d keep your pathetic mouth shut.’

He sneers at me. ‘Jesus Christ, she has you wrapped around her little finger. That pussy must be?—’

‘Out,’I say as loudly as I dare.

‘You heard my brother,’ Brendan says. ‘Fuck off. You’re a disgrace.’

‘Brendan!’ Mum says, seemingly more shocked by her sons’ indiscretions than her guest’s.

‘Get out.’ Brendan’s tone brooks no argument. His eyes slide to me in a silent gesture of support. ‘Now.’

Harrington rolls his eyes before pushing away his chair and getting inelegantly to his feet. As soon as he’s lumbered off, I put my head in my hands and sigh heavily.

Mum’s voice cuts through the stunned silence. ‘Gabriel. What in the name of God were?—’

The judgement in her voice snaps me out of my defeated slump. I sit up straight.

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