Page 26 of How to Get Even

‘Not at all, Maurice. Now is perfect,’ she replied with a mega-watt smile, the fizz of victory running through her veins. She grabbed her folder, mentally retracing the folder pathway.

Admin, internal, personnel, sick days, bottom tab, notes,passwords.

She was in. Jason Bourne, eat your heart out.

* * *

Only six hours later, she was feeling more like the villain that Bourne had just beaten the daylights out of.

Bella stared at the documents provided by Eloise, the project manager from Magenta who had been working with Julia, and couldn’t work out whether Julia was a mastermind at disguising her ineptitude, or Chase Carter was bordering on criminally negligent.

It had taken every bit of Bella’s self-control not to drop all sense of propriety and ask a very Astrid sounding question:What the fuck?That she had been driven to the point of uttering a curse in a professional setting should have been warning enough. Instead she had asked Eloise togive her a précis of the situation as she saw it.

And now Bella wished she hadn’t.

She flicked a gaze at Maurice, wondering whether he knew or was in the dark like she had been. But discarded the thought as soon as it arose. She knew the pride he took in his work, and his integrity wouldn’t have countenanced such deception.

But Bella needed a minute. Because while Bella could certainly use the information she’d gleaned to knock a chunk out of Chase Miller, it would also bring down the entire gallery. And she didn’t want to do that. They were hard-working people, Maurice was clearly fiercely loyal under neath all his snark, and Ali was just joyous and Bella would hate to do anything that would dim that light.

‘The generally held belief is that the last comms director quit under mysterious circumstances. That Nayak is a bored billionaire playing with Daddy’s money and wouldn’t know a piece of artwork from a toilet. That hiring you was a PR stunt – no offence.’

Offence had been taken.

‘I’m only repeating what’s being said. And rumours are that you’ve lost your featured artist. At this point it would be a miracle if this gallery gets to opening night at all.’

Oh yes. Bella could absolutely find the straw that would break Chase’s back, but it would break hers and everyone else’s too, and she didn’t even have to check in with the girls to know that they had a zerocollateral damagepolicy.

They had lost their featured artist and Chase had not told her, communications director! He’d let her be blindsided by an external hire andoohhhhhshe was mad.

Oh, this man!

* * *

Bella hovered in the corridor between their offices, drumming her fingers on the folder, deciding how to play it. She took one step towards his office then stopped. Then turned to go back to her desk, anger making her forget that the entire office,includingChase, could see her wavering. And then finally, deciding to confront him, she turned to find Chase already holding the door open and gesturing her inside.

The bemused expression on his face just made her even more mad. And what he saw in hers was clearly enough for him to think again.

‘What is it?’ he asked, as if concerned.

As. If.Concerned.

Did this man even have a conscience?

She opened her mouth, but closed it to prevent the stream of hot angry fury from pouring out into the room. Years of being the good girl, the fixer, the smoother of heated emotions warred with outrage and she was caught in the vortex of that storm, helpless and immobile.

‘Bella, are you okay?’ Chase asked, very concerned this time as he guided her into a seat on the sofa.

No. She wasn’t okay. She was furious with male incompetence, with their egos, with their refusal to communicate the basics, likewe’ve lost our featured artist, orI don’t want to marry you. She just couldn’t keep her cool around this man and every time he did something to make her mad, itallcame pouring out. Why? Why was it like that? Why couldn’t she control herself and her emotions any more?

Shockingly on the verge of tears, Bella felt a small glass of cool water thrust into her hands.

‘Drink that.’

She did as was told and the moment that the sharp hit of vodka caught the back of her throat, she promptly spat it out. All over Chase.

He leaped back with a yelp, while Bella proceeded to choke on the fumes from the sudden shocking mouthful of alcohol.

‘What iswrongwith you?’ she demanded when she could finally find her breath.

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