37. Sabrina
37
Sabrina
M r. Maxwell is currently focused on his full recovery and his commitments to Maxwell this is a woman scorned, and she’s clearly willing to burn everything to the ground.
My phone suddenly rings in my pocket. I grab it. Leo’s name flashes on the screen.
Saved by the bell?
Or just escalating the crisis?
I answer, hand shaking.
“Leo,” I say, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.
“Sabrina? You okay?” His voice is laced with concern. “Building security just buzzed me. Jen Takahashi is coming to the penthouse. Used an old keycard apparently. Charlie’s on his way to intercept her. Are you all right? Is Mia?”
Relief, so potent it almost makes me buckle, washes over me. He knows. He’s handling it.
“Yes,” I manage, glancing at Jen, whose eyes narrow when I meet hers. “Yes, we’re fine. She’s… here.”
“Fucking hell,” Leo swears under his breath. “Don’t engage with her, Sabrina. Charlie will be there any second. He’ll escort her out.”
“I won’t be long, Leo,” Jen says loudly, clearly intending for him to hear. “Just having a friendly chat with your… new roommate. ”
“Get her out of there, Charlie,” Leo barks into the phone, presumably to his head of security who must be patched in. Then his voice softens as he directs it at me, “You okay? Seriously?”
“I’m fine,” I repeat, though my heart is racing. “Just… surprised.”
The elevator pings, followed by the heavy thump of footsteps coming down the hallway.
Then Charlie’s authoritative voice. “Ms. Takahashi? I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.”
Jen spins around, her face contorting with rage as Charlie and someone I recognize from building security enter the main living area.
“You can’t kick me out!” she shrieks. “Leo wants me here! He gave me his keycard!”
“Mr. Maxwell has asked that you be escorted from the building, ma’am,” Charlie says calmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. He takes a step towards her.
Jen shoots one last venomous glare my way.
“This isn’t over, you bitch,” she spits, before allowing Charlie and his colleague to firmly, but not roughly, guide her out of the living area and toward the elevator.
The silence she leaves behind is deafening. I sink back into Leo’s expensive white couch, my legs suddenly feeling wobbly.
“Sabrina? You still there? What happened?” Leo’s voice crackles from my phone.
I take a shaky breath. “She’s gone. Charlie… handled it.”
“Good.” He lets out a long breath. “Fucking hell. I am so sorry, Sabrina. I thought Charlie deactivated all those old keycards. Clearly, one slipped through.” He pauses. “What did she say to you? Did she threaten you?”
Do I tell him?
About the drug use allegations, her threat to expose him?
Of course I have to. It’s information that could destroy his business, his reputation, maybe even his relationship with Mia if it got out.
“Leo,” I say, my voice quiet but firm. “We need to talk. About what Jen knows. And what she’s threatening to do with it.”
There’s a heavy silence on the other end of the line. Finally: “Yeah. Yeah, I figured it was something like that.” He sighs. “Okay, Sabrina. Lay it on me. What fresh hell are we dealing with now?”
As I recount Jen’s threats, my trust in Leo wavers.
His past, the one he’s so desperately trying to outrun, just kicked down the penthouse door.
And it’s threatening to drag us all down with him.