Page 57 of Break My Rules

“Ifthe alibi checks out.” Tessa whips out her phone, and starts clicking, a fierce look of determination in her eyes. A moment later, she exhales. “Oh.”

She shows me her screen. There’s a video of Hugh up onstage, looking bashful—but passionate, as he delivers a speech to a packed conference hall. It’s date-stamped for the morning after the Blackthorn party. I keep scrolling and find footage of him from a cocktail reception the night before, too. “Look,” I show her. “Friday night welcome drinks. He would have had to leave the party early and go straight to the airport to make it in time.”

Just like he said.

“And he wouldn’t have made it back to England before Saturday afternoon, either. Maybe later,” Tessa agrees. “It can’t have been him. Which means…”

“Max is the only one left on our list,” I say slowly. At least, until we start looking beyond the men sharing this tattoo…

“It’s him,” Tessa says grimly. “He’s the one.”

“We don’t know that for certain,” I object immediately.

“He’s the only one left!”

“Which means we need to pin down his whereabouts, too, and find out exactly what he did that night.” I try to calm her. She looks like she wants to go hunt Max down this minute and drag him through the streets. “You said it yourself, we need to be careful, so whoever did this doesn’t have a chance to cover his tracks.”

“Whoever did this…?” Tessa looks up at me, frowning. “You still don’t believe it’s him, do you? Even when he’s the only other person walking around with that tattoo.”

I’m about to broach the possibility that Wren’s evidence might not be so clear-cut, after all, when someone joins us. And not just anyone, either, but one of the last people I want to see:

Dr. Valerie DeJonge.

I’d prefer to keep my distance from my father’s illicit affair partner, but it’s too late—she’s already greeting Tessa with a kiss on each cheek. “Saint,” she gives me a cool nod. “And Tessa, I’m so glad to see you again,” she continues, flashing Tessa a much warmer smile. “How have you been? I didn’t realize you were so intimately involved with the St. Clair family.”

Tessa looks thrown, clearly still processing Hugh’s airtight alibi. “It’s… a recent development,” she says. “Dr. DeJonge was Wren’s mentor, at the lab,” Tessa explains to me.

“Valerie, please,” the doctor corrects her. “Her sister was a promising scientist,” she adds. “We worked closely on the original trials for Ashford’s new drug. I was just thinking what a pity it is that she isn’t around to see all our dreams come to fruition. That is, if we launch successfully.”

“If?” I echo, surprised. “I thought the results were as good as confirmed.”

If they aren’t, then the entire future of the company hangs in the balance. My father has gone all-in on this miraculous new drug, if the financial projections for the next years are any indication. Every whispered, hopeful conversation in the building is about the incredible trial results, and how this drug launch will change the world—and Ashford’s profit margin.

Valerie gives a light laugh. “You know us scientists. We like to check the data a hundred times. You never know what we might find at the last minute…” Valerie shoots a glance back towards the party, and I see that my father is standing in the doorway, watching us.

He looks stressed and anxious. I’m not surprised. He’s probably wondering if Valerie is spilling secrets about their affair.

Sure enough, he quickly strides over, interrupting us. “Sorry to drag you away, Saint, but it’s almost time for my speech. Tessa, so lovely to see you tonight, you’re looking marvelous.”

My father shoots Valerie a glance but doesn’t say a word to her. In fact, the vibe is so chilly, I wonder if he really did break it off, after all.

“Before you go, let me give you my personal number,” Valerie insists, holding Tessa back. “I would love to get lunch sometime, discuss Wren’s work on the project. Did you know Tessa’s sister was part of my research,” she adds to my father, a little pointedly.

He looks panicked, probably by the fact we’re all standing around chatting together, despite the massive infidelity elephant in the room. Any moment now, and my mother will join us, too. “Small world,” he manages.

“Isn’t it just.”

Valerie hands Tessa her card, with promises to call. “You should join us, Saint,” she adds, giving me a cryptic smile. “I gather you’re taking a larger role at the company now. I would love to explain more about our research. You should know how the clinical trials work, what this company is capable of.”

My father splutters a cough. “We really should be going,” he says, gripping my arm tightly, and all but dragging me away.

“You’re cutting off my circulation,” I point out, and he drops it.

“Sorry, son. I suppose the stress of the evening is getting to me.” He loosens his collar. Up close, I can see he’s still paler than normal, and has lost weight since the heart attack. Probably from the low-fat, low cholesterol diet my mother has him on. Now, he looks around, on edge. “I could use a drink.”

“I thought you were under doctor’s orders,” I point out, and he sighs.

“You sound like your mother.”

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