CHAPTER TWELVE
LEXI
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The next morning, I get a message from Maso—Mr. Kingsley, telling me to stay home. Then he sends another one about thirty seconds later saying You will be paid for the time off, so please do not come in.
I feel sick.
I wish he’d talk to me and let me explain. Something I don’t want to do, but I cannot lose this job. If he would let me tell him what happened, then I know Mason would understand.
He won’t answer his phone.
Or my emails.
This is really bad.
If I lose this job, where am I going to find employment? The luck I had when arriving in America and being offered the role of Mason’s PA without reference checking was incredible.
The past horror was behind me, or so I thought.
What are the chances of Mr. Harrow being Mason’s important client?
It’s like the universe has it in for me.
I was innocent. I shouldn’t have lost my job in the first place. That’s the travesty in all this. Now it’s going to happen again.
Except this time, I’m going to lose Mason, too.
I’m not saying what happened in his office was the meet-cute of the century, and we are destined to be together for eternity.
I’m not that dumb.
But there’s something here...something more than just chemistry. I can lie to myself as much as I like—seek out firemen and lawyers—but there’s a hunger for this man I can’t ignore. A yearning for it to be him staring at me across the room, buying me drinks, asking me to dance.
I missed him over the weekend.
It’s probably a silly crush.
Mason was right about one thing; he is a very handsome and wealthy bachelor. Women desire him. I’ve seen them.
They lust after Drew, Mason, Colt and Zander.
If I stay in America, we will remain in each other’s lives because of Emily and Seb. He has to give me a chance.
I don’t know what Mr. Harrow said to Mason, but it’s not the truth because he doesn’t know the truth.
This is my worst nightmare.
After my parents questioned my honesty when I told them I’d lost my job, I decided to stay in New York with Emily. Since then, I’ve been carrying the burden of this all on my own.
After all, I got a job.
Problem solved.
Right?
No, apparently this is going to haunt me forever. My life is destroyed because of one lying piece of shit.
Seeing Mr. Harrow sitting in the boardroom was a shock.
It's like the universe tried to save me with my sore wrist, then laughed and said nah, we’re going to send you in there anyway and see how this plays out.
I’ll tell you how it’s playing out. Mason is buying himself time, working with his lawyers behind the scenes to fire me.
I kick off my high heels, given I’m not welcome at the office, and change into a pair of jeans and a sweater.
Robotically, I pour a bowl of cereal, add milk then curl up on the sofa.
My mind goes through a million worst-case scenarios where I end up living under a bridge, homeless and starving.
One with a view of Mason driving by with his beautiful wife and children in their million-dollar car, vacationing with Emily and Sebastian in the Hamptons.
They wave at me on the way past, saying they wish I could be there.
Ugh.
I push the cereal bowl away, my stomach curdling.
I have some savings. I could book a flight home today and plead with my parents to believe me.
Emily is getting married very soon so I need to stay. I’m her bridesmaid. Perhaps Mason will come around, and I can explain.
If your parents don’t believe you, a billionaire who has already accused you of wanting his money won’t.
He didn’t turn up last night to take me out for dinner. I didn’t really expect him to, but after sending him two texts, I ended up crying and angrily slapping away the tears.
Mason is the best man, so we need to sort this out. For them, at the very least.
He can hate me all he wants. If he wants to fire me, then I can’t do anything about it. I know it’s inevitable. Mr. Harrow was bound by the contract we all signed to say silent, but he knows I don’t have the funds to take legal action, so he’s clearly said something.
I don’t deserve this.
Tucking my knees up, I know it’s time to ask for help. I need my best friend. Emily wouldn’t want me carrying this alone, just as I wouldn’t if she were in trouble.
Reaching for my phone, I send her our SOS emoji, and she replies almost immediately.
Emily: Where are you?
Me: At home.
Emily: .... Give me twenty minutes.
After slowly scooping the cereal into my mouth, I sit staring at the empty bowl until Em knocks on the door.
I almost run to open it.
“What’s going on?” Her eyes dart around the room.
That’s when I see Sebastian standing behind her, looking like some mafia hitman bodyguard.
Which is ironic because she already has one.
“Oh,” I glance between them. “Not that kind of SOS.”
Emily turns, pats his chest. “You can go,”
Sebastian glances at me over her head—which isn’t hard, Em is a short-ass—then at my wrist and his brows furrow.
I lift it. “Karaoke.”
“You hurt your wrist singing?” Sebastian frowns.
Sigh.
I don’t have the capacity to deal with him right now. I silently ask Emily for help, and she gets the message immediately.
“Go. My guard is down the hall. I’ll text you when I leave.”
He circles her waist with one arm and tugs her against his chest, dropping a kiss on her mouth. “Do not send them home this time.”
Normally I’d snigger at that.
Emily has been getting into a lot of trouble each time we lie to her guards, then sneak out.
“Yeah, yeah,” she kisses him then wriggles, so he lets her go.
A blast of envy rushes through me.
If I had a man like Sebastian who loved me so all-consuming, I’d never want him to let me go. But I guess it might be a little smothering.
Mason had moments where he acted like that.
I fucked up. I can’t focus on goddamn anything. I still want you.
The way he demanded I have dinner with him, holding back his length as he pushed inside me. Demanding to know if I’d slept with other men.
What is that?
How can he turn on and off, then just ghost me?
I tried to date other men, to not feel anything for him. Keeping my attraction to him hidden. But he was the one accusing me of wanting him for his wealth.
Based on nothing.
I never said, hey honey if you want some of this, *waving at my vagina*, then you better go book us a day at Tiffany & Co.
Did I?
No.
I did my job, injured my wrist and was dragged into his office and fucked on his desk while being manipulated into dating him.
Now...
Now I’m going to be fired.
I don’t have the funds to sue Harrow & Armstrong Engineering while they get away with destroying my reputation while theirs remains in check. David vs Goliath. Typical.
But isn’t that the way life works?
Nothing about this entire situation has been fair, and I need someone on my side. Just one person.
Emily shuts the door and follows me inside, taking a seat in the one armchair. She takes in my empty cereal bowl and glances around.
“It feels so weird being back here.”
We always meet at a café or at the fancy penthouse she lives in with Sebastian. I bet it feels like she’s stepped back into her old life.
“I haven’t changed anything.” I shrug.
After another round of eye darting, they land on me with concern. “What’s going on? SOS? I figure it’s not your hand.”
I shake my head and cross my legs under me. Shame fills me, and that’s not something I’m familiar with. I’m normally hotheaded and mouthy, but I think life might have dealt me a good one this time.
I hate more than anything that Mason believes that I’m some terrible person when I’m not. I hate that I missed him over the weekend and tried to compensate by getting really drunk and tripping over, hurting my wrist.
That all he could say was Go home! After what we did on his desk.
Not that I’m sharing any of those details with Emily.
I flop down on the sofa and chew my lip, wondering where to start.
“Lexi, talk to me.”
I draw in a deep breath. “I’ve been set up, accused of fraud and have no proof that I didn’t do it.”
She gasps.
––––––––
“LEXI, THIS IS horrible.” Emily shakes her head, sipping the glass of water I got her after I tell her the entire story.
The last thing I want is for her to miscarry. Not that my tragedy is going to affect her. I feel terrible for not thinking about that earlier.
“It’s fine. Well, it’s not, but don’t worry. I’m sure there’s a way we can fix this.”
She doesn’t look convinced.
Neither am I.
“So, this Johnathan guy has the money?”
I shrug.
“I guess. I don’t have a clue.”
Johnathan stole over fifty thousand pounds from Harrow & Armstrong Engineering. He framed me and got away with the entire thing.
Late one afternoon, Johnathan asked me for my login details to the finance system, saying he’d been locked out and needed to approve the month’s payroll.
“Hurry up, Lexi. Four hundred people are not going to get paid unless I sort this out,” he pressed.
Aside from being the Director of Finance, a senior executive, he was a bully and creep. So, of course, I was going to give it to him.
It was the single most stupid thing I’ve ever done, and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
I didn’t want to be responsible for everyone not getting paid, and never in a million years did I think he’d steal from the company.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. His dominance and aggression that afternoon never allowed me the space to think it through.
But he must have.
It’s the only explanation.
The money went missing, and it was my login details that showed up just before the money was transferred to an untraceable Swiss bank account.
One they claim I opened.
Like, how the fuck do you even open a Swiss bank account? I have no idea.
Apparently, that’s not a solid defense.
Johnathan fervently denied asking me for the login details and proved that he was logged into the system with his own details, approving the payroll during that same window of time.
Wow.
I’d been played by a professional.