Page 31 of Ruined By the Enemy
When there’s only a couple of steps left between us, I grip the arms of the chair on instinct, grounding myself as hard as possible.
Then he pivots at the last second, rounding his desk instead.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“Reckless?” he murmurs as he folds his arms. “Is that your professional opinion as a corporate lawyer or your opinion as someone with a different agenda?”
Itwasa professional opinion.
But now that I think about it, helping Dom acquire company like trophies is the last thing I want. The more he gets, the harder it becomes to take him down.
Unless…
I shake my head promptly. “I take back what I said. You’ve been at the helm of Moretti Group for so long; I’m sure you know what’s best. I’ll look through the file—” I close and pick it up, “—and get back to you before the end of the day.”
“I need you to go through it here.” He stops me before I can stand up.
I try to hide my disappointment as I nod, placing the file on his desk again. The plan was to review the information in my office and find ways to sabotage it.
If I do it under his watchful eyes, I’ll be arguing with a man who thinks he’s always right.I could use that to my advantage,too, but not now.
“Okay,” I say, flipping it open again. “You must be in a hurry to get it done. Some might interpret that as a lack of confidence,” I drawl as I lift my head to face him, “sir.”
Dom gives me a cryptic smile. Before he speaks, I can already tell I stumbled into a trap. “It’s your job, Miss Greco. You were confident when you walked into my office and handed me Blackwater. Was it a two-time fluke?”
Biting my cheek so hard I taste blood—at least I think I do—I plaster a sickly, sweet smile on my face. “That would mean your judgment is lacking. And I’m sure you’re a man who takes pride in making all the right decisions.”
His smile falls off, and I give myself a mental thumbs-up.
My victory lap lasts until my eyes fall on the second page. I manage to catch the gasp before it tumbles out, but my hands withdraw from the file like I’ve been scalded.
One Construction.
I can feel my heart pounding behind my rib cage as I stare at the paper, hoping that I have mistaken it for something else. No such luck. It’s the same name, belonging to a construction company with ties to my uncle’s.
My head snaps so fast I almost get whiplash, and the question is out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Is this a joke?”
The words come out like a strangled cry for help.
“A joke?” Dom leans back, his expression unreadable. “Why would this be a joke, Miss Greco? Do you think I’d engage in something that silly at my company’s expense?”
No. Yes. I don’t know.God,I don’t know what to think. My fingers dig into my skirt as I fidget in my chair.
Unless he knows something, there’s no way he stumbled on One Construction afterIcame on board, or decided now was the time to make a move.
Because if this is a coincidence, then it’s the cruelest thing.
“What’s the problem?” he asks. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but it feels like he has a smug smile underneath the tight-lipped look he’s giving me.
It crawls under my skin until I’m barely holding back from saying something I might regret—something that’ll get me fired.
“Nothing,” I say firmly. “It’s… it’s what I said I’d do when I asked for the job, right?” I exhale, gathering my wits together. “Then I’ll do it.”
“Good.”
I don’t wait to be dismissed before I’m out of his office, leaving the door open. I can hardly think, much less string words together to respond to the greeting from another colleague.
When I’m alone in my office, I whip out my phone to look for a number.
