Page 67 of Nothing But the Truth

CHAPTER

14

Lights and a panel backdrop converted a corner of the marble-and-glass lobby into an impromptu stage. Hollywood moved fast when something needed filming.

The pace of how quickly the press conference came together put a bitter taste in Lucy’s mouth. Jonathan had resources, sure he did, but it had only been a little over an hour since the news went public outside of the company, and if it had stayed internal, why would he plan to expose himself with a press conference? It was like he knew it was coming and wanted to retaliate.

Now that she had cleared the garage and elevator, Lucy’s phone burst with a flurry of new messages. She unlocked her screen as she scanned the crowd clustered into the corner. Familiar faces popped out at her, journalists she worked with on the regular with phones and notepads at the ready. TV cameras aimed at the podium where Jonathan stood flanked by people Lucy could only assume were his lawyers.

She looked down at her phone and saw a text from Oliver:

OMG presser in 5. Where are you?

One from her mother:

Is the link working?

One from Annie:

I’m so nervous. What is he going to say??

And one from someone Lucy looked up to see hurrying toward her as soon as she finished reading it.

Shit. Should have seen this coming. I’m on my way.

Monica Brown squeaked to a stop beside Lucy, flushed in the face and wearing sneakers with her tunic dress. The smell of her perfume and a hint of sweat hit Lucy like a summer garden party. Hair slipped from the haphazard brunette bun atop her head. She was a good six inches shorter than Lucy and fantastically curvy.

“Did you run here?” Lucy greeted.

“Yeah,” she said, out of breath. “I keep sneakers in my desk for emergencies. Luckily this emergency was right down the street. Has he said anything yet?” She stood up on her tiptoes to peer over the crowd.

“Not yet.”

“Well, I can almost guarantee I know what he’s going to say...” Monica tsked in dismay. She stomped her foot and grumbled. “How did he pull this together so fast? Did he know about the story?”

“He shouldn’t have. I only told—”

Lucy’s response stopped dead in its tracks when she found the answer to the timing mystery standing at the crowd’s edge.

Chase.

Besides Annie, Joanna, Oliver, and Amanda, Chase was the only one who knew to anticipate the story going public, and no one else on that list would have sabotaged her. Chase knew because Lucy asked him for help, and this was how he repaid her. By warning Jonathan.

Lucy muttered something so unkind that Monica turned her head in alarm. A raging fire roared up inside her, and before she could stop herself, she was shoving her way through the crowd.

“You,” she seethed at Chase, pointing a finger in his face when she stopped in front of him. “You did this, didn’t you?”

He took a step back and smoothed a hand over his tie. He had little room to move, what with the crowd pressing in on them from the front and the wall close behind. His composure slipped as he glanced side to side. “Lucy, I—”

“Don’t lie to me, Chase. You are the only one who would tell Jonathan about the article, and there’s no way he would have had time to pull all this together without some kind of warning.”

Chase let out a nervous ahem. “Lucy, please. You’re making a scene.”

Curious glances came at them from all directions. Monica appeared behind Lucy, likely sensing there was more to the story. Over her shoulder, Lucy noticed Oliver spill from the elevator right on Joanna’s heels. While he was flustered and anxiously scanning the room, she glided across the marble, stone-faced and composed.

Joanna’s poise reminded Lucy that there were cameras present, and while she was largely anonymous at the back of the gathering, it wouldn’t take much for someone to recognize her, link her to the article, and make an actual scene.

The conference was seconds from starting. Jonathan sipped a glass of water and looked down at the podium, likely at a statement his legal team had prepared on his behalf.

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