Page 20 of Promise and Punishment

“And what did you hear?”

“The mention of Belmont Hills, of course. What did he say about that?” she asked flatly, reminding me of the place I’d almost forgotten about. Honestly, I figured he was just another man who couldn’t mind his own business, but Lina made it feel different. He did compare me to someone else; not only to his daughter, but to a girl—any girl possibly—who was destined to fall for Alejandro.

“Belmont Hills? Nothing.” I answered truthfully, still unable to remember what was really said. “Until now, I had almost forgotten about that. Things have been… hectic,” I answered. Her face dropped, as if she regretted ever saying anything at all.

“Gemma…” she collected herself, “Can I ask you a personal question? What’s the nature of you and Mr. Rivers’s relationship?”

Our relationship? I certainly wasn’t prepared for her to ask that. If only it were easier to know whatwewere together, or what weshouldbe together—easy as in the assembly of a suit. If I could stitch the pieces of our unknowing future into a clearer, more idealized version, I’d probably have a proper answer to give her, but I didn’t, because like Lina mentioned, he was from California, and unfortunately his life, whether I acknowledged it or not, was filled with uncertainty. But despite this, I reminded myself of a single guarantee: that Alejandro completely, and truly, cared for me. Couldn’t that be enough?

“He’s my boss,” I crossed my arms.

“Are you sure about that? Gemma, it’s my job to protect both you and Mr. Rivers. Part of that protection is making sure that any information shared with you stays in private.”

“It would, I’d never say anything, I’d never betray his trust.” I took it seriously, but Lina didn’t seem convinced.

“As his lawyer I have to be preemptive in what happens to him. It’s my job to put out fires, but my fear with you, Gemma, is that you aren’t something I can put out.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You should, it’s a good thing but also a burden. I’m not sure Mr. Rivers sees you only as his employee, and that makes him vulnerable—it puts cracks in the foundation that I work very hard to protect.”

“And what exactly would you be protecting?” I asked.

She smiled and shook her head, “Honestly, not even I know sometimes. That man is built like a fucking wall. What I do know—what is circling his case—cannot be compromised. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hurt his image.”

“Well, of course not. How could I even do that?”

“Lots of things can happen, Gemma. People come and go. I’m not sure what he’s willing to share, probably more with you than ever with me. And if that time comes, I need to know his privacy is safe.”

Lina’s precautious attitude left me little room for comfort. Either she knew what happened at The Pierre Hotel was bad, or she knew better—that the things she wasn’t yet told could possibly be worse. She was here torepresentme, though it felt less about that and more about Alejandro.

“Does Alejandro know you’re here?” I asked firmly.

Lina pivoted to a graduation photo of Parker, his charmed smile sandwiched in a kiss from me and Mama Meg. “Full disclosure. He doesn’t. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“So, if I’m hearing you correctly, you want me to conceal his potential secrets by keeping this a secret in itself?” I scrunched my brow. “I’m not too sure how he’d feel about this.”

“It could be mutual,” she returned. “Gemma, is there anything that I should know? Discretion is my key objection, what you tell me will never leave this room. If there are any parts of your life that you wish for him to sign an NDA on, I’ll be happy to do so…The truth is, I don’t know you. But you know yourself, right?”

She asked an important question, and I wasn’t sure if I could answer honestly. I only saw myself as one person: the lonely girl who was too scared to make a choice, to risk the chance of ever becoming someone like Claire. I never wanted to push myself to that limit.

“I like to think I do, but to answer your first question, no,” I finally settled. “I have nothing to hide.”

“And that’s perfectly fine. My client, yourboss, has a lot going on. His situation is unique, and I cannot let things slip by. And unfortunately, with you living with the prosecutor of his case, I can’t help but be extra cautious. There is more to this than you probably will ever know, or even want to find out. As an indirect favor for Mr. Rivers, I’m going to ask you to sign this,” she pulled out a pen, clicking it sharply and placing it on the table.

A favor for Alejandro seemed like the right thing to do, but in secrecy it felt wrong. I wanted Alejandro, and I wanted us to find our own path, and a part of me felt like that involved being trustworthy. Signing this behind his back wasn’t just wrong, it was deceitful.

“I’ll think about it,” I said sternly, placing the pen back in her direction. Lina’s strained eyes softened, briefly shutting as if to refrain from either begging or demanding.

“I’d appreciate that. And please be mindful of the things I said today and the things Sergeant Fields told you.”

“Things you reminded me of,” I added, “Belmont Hills?”

Her face dropped again, but this time from her vibrating phone. It lit up on the coffee table, reading a name that made her wince:Miguel. She physically snapped her jaw shut, testing its durability with a steady grind of her teeth. Whoever it was, whatever they wanted, didn’t make her happy. “Busy, busy…” she sighed.

“Parker will be here soon. I’m sure he’s already in a cab,” I interjected, worried she would press me further to sign the document.

Lina silenced the call, allowing it to go to voicemail. “That’s my queue. Keep the NDA, and here’s my card,” she handed me her information as she stood from her chair.

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