Page 13 of (Un)Rivaled

With that, he exited the office, not sparing a single glance to check if I was okay. As I heard the door to his bedroom open and close, I sank down to the carpet, wrapping my arms around my legs.

David was an asshole, but he’d never laid a hand on any of us before. He dealt more in veiled threats. Once, when I dared to stand up to him at a company event, he mentioned he hated getting his hands dirty but had plenty of people who’d be willing to do it for him. Despite his words, I’d never really feared what he was capable of, not until right now.

“Or those you care about.”

I almost vomited on his carpet. David’s threat against me was bad enough, but to know he’d go after those I cared about to silence me? That was enough to make me purge my dinner.

And as much as I hated it, David’s words had their desired effect. Calla and Gray were the two most important people in my life, and I’d do anything to make sure they were safe. When my little sister was a baby, my dad made me promise I would look after Calla. Even if I hadn’t, I wouldalwaysput her first.

But the idea of cutting Gray out of my life was worse than the alternative. Being without my best friend would be like walking around with only half of me. I needed him. I didn’t think as I stood, needing to get out of the apartment to the only place that felt safe right now.

I ran right to Gray.

SIX

“We’re letting you go.”

My entire body froze as I stared across the broad, dark wooden table, meeting the blank gazes of the senior partners. The table was a clear line in the sand, separating them from me: the five men on one side, me, a lowly associate, on the other.

In the center was a man I knew all too well. Collin Turner, the firm’s managing partner. He was younger than the others, with a charming smile and a full head of dark blond hair. He looked like the golden boy of legal ethics, the kind of person you would be glad to have on your team. When I first got the call about coming to work for him, I was thrilled, in complete disbelief my name had been plucked out of obscurity to land me an interview at one of the best corporate law firms in New York.

However, like too many things in my life, as time went on, it was clear the job came with golden handcuffs. But considering I was straight out of law school, I didn’t think twice, for the sake of my burgeoning career.

As I stared blankly into Collin’s eyes, the men at hissides started to shift in their seats. I knew all of them in passing, but few had bothered ever to learn my name. They looked like carbon copies of each other, all the same in a long line of stern, old white men who hated change and hated those who tried to implement it under their noses.

Awkward tension hung between us, and I knew it was useless to fight. My fate was sealed. None of these men would ever advocate for me, but I also never thought they’d bring the axe down on the back of my neck.

Fired.I was fucking gettingfired.Years of hard work, sleepless nights, and ridiculous hours, and it was about to all be for nothing.

With my career officially in the toilet, I did the only thing I could think of.

I laughed, not caring about the uncomfortable stares and mutters about another unhinged woman. My cackle echoed off the walls of their stale, musty boardroom, ricocheting off the glass awards and pictures of million-dollar clients. By the time my gaze met theirs, I was near hysterical, and all I could do was push out the words, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“That language is not necessary, Miss Winters,” Cutler, one of the oldest partners, scoffed from the side of the table.

“Oh, it is necessary,” I bit back. “I’ve been killing myself for years around here, and now you’re going to fire me? For what?” I shifted forward in my chair. “Because if you don’t have cause–”

“Jack Fischer.”

My throat went dry when my ex’s name left his lips. It was a shock, although it really shouldn’t have been. There were no secrets in this city, not in the small group of people who ran in elite circles. Even with millions of people callingNew York home, top echelons inevitably watched each other’s backs.

Jack Fischer was a mistake I don’t think I’d ever live down, a guy I’d hooked up with a couple of times when I was feeling low and lonely. I thought he was harmless enough, considering I’d met him through my brother-in-law, Theo. However, Jack had been plotting behind his back to take Theo’s job and hurt my sister in the process. To me, that was unforgivable, so when Theo approached me about getting some revenge, I dove in without a second thought. It was stupid and short-sighted, but there was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my sister. But I never thought it would get me fired.

How did they even know about Jack? There wasn’t any connection to the firm, and I’d been as careful as I could be. Hearing his name rattled me to my core, but I refused to let it show. Instead, I gripped the bottom part of my chair so hard, I was sure my nails were bleeding.

Collin studied my face, watching for any cracks in my impenetrable veneer. Just a few more minutes, and I could snap in private, take all my rage out on his shiny, stupid office.

When I refused to speak, he leaned in closer. “We have a complaint from Mr. Fischer saying you misrepresented yourself to some of his clients, convinced them his agency was under investigation for fraud and other ethical problems. And now, because of your actions, he is threatening to bring a suit against our entire firm.”

“I—” My words died in my throat, knowing there wasn’t much I could say. After all, almost everything Collin said was true. But while I might have toed the line, at the end of the day, I was still a damn good lawyer, which meant I had enough brains to make sure there wasn’t any incriminatingevidence to connect me to Jack’s clients. Nothing in writing, no phone calls that could have been recorded. There wasn’t a single shred of evidence. At least, nothing that would hold up in court.

But none of that mattered in this room, not with these men. Because the loyalty in their blood only extended to their bank accounts, and they would never understand why I would be willing to give up so much to defend my sister’s honor.

I sat back in my seat, and the rage left my body as acceptance took its place. The men behind the desk looked at me like I was a ticking time bomb, someone on the verge of an emotional breakdown, as opposed to a lawyer who should have earned their respect over years of service. And while I might have messed with a line I had no business crossing, the same could be said for any of my associates. I knew plenty from lurking in their files—knew all too well how many ethical and moral lines they had danced around like they were nothing.

“You were never going to promote me, were you?” I finally asked after a long stretch of silence. I knew the answer, but I needed to see their faces, needed to know I had wasted years tolling away behind a desk under the guise of ambition.

Collin leaned forward to greet my eyes, almost as if enjoying this moment. “Give us a moment, please, gentlemen,” he said without ever breaking his stare.

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