Page 90 of The CEO I Hate

“Because I don’t fucking understand why you’d rather be alone in a room with that man than tell me what was going on.” The words came out furious and sharp. “If you’d told me you were having a problem, I could have fixed it.”

Mia sneered at me. “That’s such a typical guy thing to say.Iwasn’t the one with the problem.Hewas the one who didn’t know how to act like a fucking professional. I didn’t choose to be harassed, Liam!”

“That’s not what I meant,” I said, rubbing at my face.

“You’re sure?” she said, spitting the words.

“Obviously I know you didn’t choose it. But I still should have been told what was going on.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I had it under control. Yeah, he’s a creep, but he’s not exactly the first guy in this town to make a crude pass at me.”

That didn’t make me feel any better. “Well, it shouldn’t be happening here, in my studio.”

“And that’s exactly why Ididn’ttell you,” Mia replied. “I wasn’t interested in being just another problem you have to fix because it might be bad for the studio.”

I drew back from her. What the fuck? Did she seriously think this was about the studio? “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Her jaw tensed. “Look, you’ve always got a long line of problems to fix. I know where your priorities are—and I know where I rank. Did you really think I was going to stir up trouble in the writers’ room? Does that really sound like something I would do, when I’ve been bending over backward to try to make all of this work for you? Of course not. When Damien turned out to be a pain in the ass, I did what I always do and figured shit out myself.”

“And that’s what you callfigured out?” I snapped. If he’d been acting like this for weeks now without having to face any consequences, it was no wonder he’d thought he’d get away with it forever.

Forweeks,she’d been putting up with his garbage, all because she’d thought she had to deal with it on her own. She hadn’t trusted me to handle things, to protect her. A sharp, cold feeling flooded my veins. “I feel sick just thinking about how wrong things could have gone.”

“Well, they didn’t,” Mia said, arms curled around herself protectively. “And I really want you to stop bringing up everything thatcouldhavehappened when I’m still processing whatdidhappen. Did you even consider taking two seconds to ask if I was okay, Liam?”

That hit me like a punch to the gut.

“No, you didn’t. Instead, you marched me away in front of everyone, and then proceeded to yell at me, like it was my fault Damien is a slimy bastard. Like Iaskedhim to come on to me. Do you know how insulting that is? How worthless that makes me feel?”

Frustration and guilt battled inside me. “I don’t know what you expect me to say to that,” I said. Of course I didn’t want to embarrass or upset her, but I was still reeling that this had happened in the first place. How was I supposed to protect her if I didn’t know what to protect her from? I’d been blindsided, learning I’d let that scumbag into my writers’ room, that I’d put themallat risk. “How do you expect me to react?”

“Jesus, Liam! Like my boyfriend,” Mia cried. “Like you give a shit about me.”

I threw my hands up in the air. “You think I’m acting like this because Idon’tcare?”

“What have you done to actually show me that youdo?” she shot back.“For weeks now, I’ve been tying myself up in knots trying to balance things in the writers’ room, trying to keep everything ticking along the way you want it to, playing nice with all the jerks you hire.”

I gritted my teeth. I knew what bringing Lyle back would mean for the room. But Damien…That was unfair. I never would have put Mia in that position if I’d known what he was like.

Never.

“I’ve done everything you’ve asked,” she carried on, “even when it meant lying to Jake and working with one of the creepiest men from my past, trying to make sure everything was perfect foryou. And allthis time, how much thought have you given to whatIneeded? How long did it take you to even look up and notice what was going on?”

Her words were hurled like bullets, but one stuck more than the others. “What do you mean ‘one of the creepiest men from your past’?” I demanded. Had she known Damien before now?

There was a long pause, as if she was considering not answering me at all. Then she let out a harsh exhale and spoke. “I met Damien in school,” she said. “He was one of my professors.”

“And was he like this back then?”

“Pretty much,” she agreed. “He wasn’t as blatant back then—or maybe I was just more naive and didn’t notice it as much.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this before because?”

“When he showed up in the writers’ room, I didn’t want to cause more trouble than what we were already dealing with in terms of Lyle. I figured it would be fine in a room full of other people. Besides, I was one of the head writers now. It’s not like he was in a position to do anything to me like he did before.”

“What happened?” I growled. I was seeing red. So much red.

Mia lifted her shoulder. A half shrug. She wouldn’t look at me. “Not what you’re thinking. He never touched me. He was…I guess he was playing the long game, trying to win me over. Get me to come to him. He just played the mentor role at first, complimenting my work and helping me improve my writing. He encouraged me to submit one of my projects to a studio, and with his help, I actually got it in front of an exec who seemed really interested at first.”

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