Page 62 of How to Get Even

‘There’s really no need to start name-calling.’

‘Chester started it,’ Chase announced, nearly at strop levels.

‘It might have helped had you not called him an “insufferable egotist who wrote like he was being paid by the word and had debts to pay”.’

‘I said that?’ Chase asked, half impressed with himself.

‘Apparently so.’

‘When?’

‘Couple of years back.’

‘Huh.’

‘Seems fair, after reading that article.’

They both broke into smiles and standing side by side, looked down below at the sidewalk where people hurried back and forth. While that New York hum – absolutely unlike anything else in the world – played in the background. A mixture of building work, conversations, the roar of the subway, and something that could only be the beating heart beneath it all.

‘Was it a hit piece? Yeah. Has it damaged Nayak New York?’ Tej shrugged. ‘Remains to be seen.’

Chase barked out a laugh. ‘You know the PR firm is thinking about cancelling the contract.’

‘Then they’re not the right PR firm for us. Look,’ Tej said, turning to Chase, finally with the seriousness Chase felt the situation warranted. ‘If you want to leave, I get it. No harm, no foul. I wouldn’t want you to stay somewhere that was unhealthy for you.’

Tej’s pause wasn’t for dramatic effect. That was the thing that meant the most to Chase. If he said it, he meant it. It was that simple. So, Chase knew that Tej wasn’t trying to reverse psychology him. But hewasgiving Chase the opportunity to really think about it.

‘But if you’re only leaving because of some misguided sense of obligation, then fuck that.’

Chase could walk away now. Leave the gallery, leave Sascha, he knew that Tej and the team would honour their agreement with her, so that wouldn’t be a problem.

Was this what he’d always wanted to do with his life? Absolutely not. Did that mean he shouldn’t be doing it? As an artist, he’d got the chance to do something that so few people had. He’d got the chance to paint, to explore his creativity, to show his pieces in galleries and was lucky enough that a few very wealthy people had thought it worth the obscene amounts of money that they’d paid for it.

But he hadn’t been able to pick up a paintbrush for over a year now. Even now, the thought of it all brought him out in a cold sweat. The gut-churning, nauseating, near paralysingfearof it all. That wasunhealthyfor him. But this? Whatever Chester C. Carlton wanted to write about, hecoulddo this. He could be a gallery director for Nayak New York. And he would make it work.

Chase nodded. ‘We go down with the ship.’

‘We go down with the ship,’ Tej echoed. ‘Are you sure it’s noton?’

‘Yes.’

* * *

Bella followed Maurice, Ali and Ye-Joon into Chase’s office, which usually felt spacious, but not today with Tej and the proverbial elephant in the room. She was confident that Chase would be announcing that he was stepping back from the gallery director position and that Tej would – in all likelihood – step into the breach until they found a suitable replacement. She’d drafted a comms piece stating as much after getting off the video call with the girls on Sunday.

As the first real piece of revenge against their exes it had been cause for celebration, which was why they’d all made the effort to video call. Astrid and Sienna had been drinking champagne, while a slightly subdued Paige had opted for a gin and tonic, having developed a taste for it after being in the UK for nearly two months now.

And all the while Bella smiled and took the credit for giving Chase hisjust desserts, she told herself that perhaps she’d feel somethingmorewhen Olly got his.

‘What did he say?’

‘What did helooklike? Oh God, tell me he looked terrible. The man is far too good looking for his own good.’

Bella had bitten her lip, not wanting to think about how Chase looked. Especially not the last time she’d seen him at her door with a red velvet cupcake. But since hearing the crashes and bangs from his apartment, she’d not seen or heard anything from him until she’d arrived at work that morning. At least now she’d be able to tell them. Now she’d be able to tell them how defeated he looked when he quit.

Only… Chase didn’t look defeated. He looked mulish. And mulish wasn’t part of the plan.

‘There’s no point beating around the bush. You’ll all have seen or heard about Chester C. Carlton’s article,’ Chase began.

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