Page 36 of Catalyst

“I appreciate your loyalty, Caleb. But I would appreciate your candor more in this situation.”

Caleb nods. Adam’s permission to be truthful sends the words spilling out of him. “She refused to take anyone else’s advice on this campaign. None of us wanted to mess with your drawings, Ellie. They were fantastic. The whole team wanted to use them to showcase the family aspect of this company. It’s one of the many reasons we all love working here, but Linda wouldn’t listen. It was as if she was possessed by this need to create something totally new and different to get us noticed. I honestly believe something bigger is going on here. It’s been happening more and more over the last few months, and I’m honestly worried about her.”

“Thank you for coming back in and telling me all of that. Matthew and I will speak with her tomorrow to find out what’s going on. In the meantime, I would like the rest of your team to begin working on your original campaign idea. It’s what we were hoping to do, as well.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll get started.” He stands, leaving the conference room with confidence in his step.

“I’ll forward you the meeting invitation when she sends it over,” Adam says to Matthew. “I’d like to get a sense of where her mental state is at. I’m worried she might be having a health crisis because this is not the Linda we’ve come to know. If I need to bring in her husband, as well, I’m willing to do so. Whatever it takes to make sure she’s okay.”

“Let me know if I need him to be on standby tomorrow,” I say. My cell phone starts buzzing on the table with my sister’s name flashing on the screen. She rarely calls me, which means I should probably answer. The thought doesn’t stop the sick feeling from forming in my stomach at what she’ll have to say. “Excuse me, I need to take this.” I grab my stuff and step out of the room as I swipe to answer the call.

“Hello.”

“Elliana! I’m so glad I caught you. I figured I would have to leave a message.” Stephanie’s breathy voice in my ear sends a wave of sadness through me. Our relationship changed after the assault.

She was there when I needed her. She held my hand as I told my parents about what happened to me and then helped me pack when I cut all ties with them and moved to Westlake. But it’s hard not to feel a little betrayed when she still has a decent relationship with our parents, despite what they did to me.

“Is everything okay? You don’t normally call.”

“Oh, things are fine. I have news. Tag proposed!” she squeals.

I smile at her enthusiasm. “Congratulations, Stephie. Tag’s a good guy.” She’s only been dating him for a couple of years, but when I met him, I knew he was the one for her. He’s the most even-keeled guy I’ve ever seen. He’ll be perfect when it comes to dealing with his in-laws.

“Thank you! He’s the best guy, and somehow, he still loves me, even though Mom’s officially gone insane. She’s already started planning this over-the-top event. I have no idea how they’re going to pay for it.”

“With my trust fund, I’d imagine.” The bitterness slips through my voice before I can stop it.

“Ell, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I let a little of my anger at them slip through there. I’m glad the money is going to something happy. You deserve the most special day, Stephie.”

“I know you’re going to say no, but I would love for you to be my maid of honor.”

“If I didn’t have to interact with Mom, I would accept in a heartbeat, but you know we’ll only end up fighting, and I don’t want your day to be clouded by our pettiness.”

“I understand. I wish it didn’t have to be like this, though.”

“Me, too.”

“Will you still be there? I can’t get married without my sister at my wedding.”

“With bells on.” We may not be close, but I’m not going to miss my only sister’s wedding.

Stephanie laughs. “Good. I would also like to invite you to our engagement party. It’s next month at Mom and Dad’s. There will be a million people there, so you should be able to avoid them pretty easily.”

God, I want to say no so badly. I don’t even want to be in the same room as them, but I can’t disappoint Stephanie. I’m already not a part of her big day in the way I should be; I can’t miss everything else. “I’ll be there. Text me the details, and I’ll make sure I don’t make any waves.”

“Love you, Elliana.”

“Love you, too, Stephanie.” I hang up the phone as someone knocks on my open office door. A delivery guy is holding a huge bouquet of wildflowers in a multitude of colors.

“Delivery for Ellie?”

“That’s me.” I stand, unable to hold back my smile, knowing who these are from. I grab the vase and search for the card, finding it amongst the blooms.

You’re my rainbow. —A

Swoon.

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