Page 49 of Sexting Mr. CEO

“Why?” I grit out a little too forcefully.

“Is everything okay?”

“Why haven’t you been sleeping, Graham?”

“Sit down, Sera. Has something happened?”

“I visited Ellie on my way to work. She’s doing well, thank God. But something stuck out to me. That place she’s staying at, the place she had to move into – the place our insurance apparently covers… It’s like a palace. It’s?—”

“Don’t,” Graham cuts in, baring his teeth like a freaking animal. I’ve never seen him like this before.

I take a step back. “Excuse me?”

He plants his fist on the table. Is he trying to intimidate me? Is it working? “I’m saying this for your own good, Sera. Ellie and I care about you, but you need to stop this right now. You can’t go any further. Go back to your desk and forget about this. This line of thinking ends. Here. Got it?”

“Or what? Are you going tohitme, Graham?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Am I free to leave?”

“I’m saying this foryoursake,” he says, sounding exasperated. Well, too bad, so am I.

“You’ve just admitted you were involved.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, you don’t,” I say, running from the room and right past my desk, tears sliding down my cheeks as I rush into the stairwell.

I could keep it together when I was in there with him, but this is too much. Mom and Dad betrayed me by being… well, Mom and Dad. I never thought that Graham would do the same. I always believed they were different. But if he did it for money – for Ellie – maybe I can get my head around that.

When I call Luke, he rejects it with a text.

Luke: I’m in a meeting.

Sera: I lied to you yesterday. I’m sorry. I need your help. I think Graham was involved in the sabotage. When are you free to talk?

Luke: Woah, slow down. You think he was involved?

Sera: I just confronted him, and he basically confirmed it. I’ve never seen him so angry. Yesterday, I found an email from Damien on his computer.

I type quickly.

Sera: I planned on telling you, but I was scared of getting him into trouble. But I can’t do this alone.

Luke: It’s lucky I’ll be in Tampa tomorrow.

I gasp.

Sera: What, really?

Luke: That’s what this meeting is about: East Coast business. I’ll be with you soon. I have a little spot where we can meet. It’ll be perfect. Do nothing until then. We’ll work this out together.

Sera: Am I supposed to just go on like everything is normal?

Luke: Yes. Until we can meet. When we’re together, I’ll lead the way for my little vulnerable princess.

That last line is… weird.

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