Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
James
He hadn’t figured out what to tell Marilyn if she asked how he found out Jackie was the leak. He figured he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.
But as Sophie knocked on Marilyn’s office door and they waited to enter, he found himself already standing smack dab in the middle.
Only his close friends knew how he got through challenging obstacles, and his family had inklings. But no one had ever said anything.
Would Marilyn see him differently when she found out?
Would Sophie?
His heart rate soared and his head spun as he struggled to breathe. He just got her back; he couldn’t bear to watch her leave again.
Can she tell how nervous I am? He reached out for her. “Sophie—”
She pushed the door open. “Look who’s back.”
Marilyn’s blue eyes crinkled at the edges. “Ah, James. Good to see you in person, but,” she fished a tissue from the box on her desk, “you might want to wipe your face.”
She tapped her jawline.
He blinked, heat creeping into his cheeks as he took the tissue. Wiping his face, he glanced down and drew his eyes across the light pink lipstick, stark against the white surface.
“Thanks,” he mumbled.
“He knows who the leak is,” Sophie said, seemingly unfazed.
Marilyn raised a brow. “And how did you get your hands on that information?”
He hesitated long enough that Sophie looked at him.
She frowned. “You do know, right? Philip said you texted the group chat.”
“Yes,” James said. He looked at the ground like a kid who had been caught somewhere they weren’t supposed to be. “This isn’t the first time I’ve run into issues with Lotus. So I … have people who help me when I need answers.”
He swallowed hard, the words slicing through the air. It was the first time he came close to admitting it aloud to someone whose opinion he cared too much about.
“You mean your PR team?” Sophie crossed her arms. “I thought you couldn’t use them. Isn’t that why you came to us?”
He shook his head. “Not them. Other people.”
“Wait, I’m confused.”
Chills racked his body as he tried figuring out another way to shuffle the words together.
Marilyn cleared her throat. “What he means,” she narrowed her eyes, “is that he used an unsanctioned route, isn’t that right?”
That works. He sighed and nodded, staring out the window.
The weather had cleared, and rays of sunlight threatened to poke out from behind tall buildings and streaks of clouds.
Pulling his attention back, he made eye contact with Sophie.
She gaped at him. “How often have you used this method before?”
He dug his hands into his pockets. “Only when I have to.”
“I see … and are you a participant in these methods?”
“Sometimes,” he mumbled.
She fell silent, save for the tapping of her foot. Indecision flickered in her eyes and her jaw jumped, like she was fighting the urge to scream at him.
He gulped and further explanation poised on the tip of his tongue, ready to fall at any moment.
But Sophie did the impossible. She shrugged. “You do what you have to.”
“Yes,” Marilyn agreed after a moment. “While I certainly don’t condone those methods, and I’m sure there were other ways, what’s done is done.”
James’s jaw threatened to drop. Swallowing, his ears popped as he tried to make sense of it.
Was he in a parallel dimension? Of course, he was glad the women hadn’t gotten too mad at him, but their reactions seemed so … neutral.
His gaze switched between Sophie and Marilyn for a moment longer before he blinked.
The answer stared him in the face the entire day.
Covey wasn’t above pulling whatever strings necessary, and what Marilyn did with the articles was a prime example of that.
“At least tell me no one has … left because of these methods,” she continued.
“Of course, no one has.”
He didn’t think he could live with himself otherwise.
“Thank God for that,” Sophie muttered.
Marilyn sighed and rested her elbows on her desk. “So, who’s the leak?”
Nausea slammed down on James again. “It’s my assistant.”
God, saying the words aloud instead of just thinking them was salt in the wound.
Each breath was futile, and his throat seared like he was underwater. “I don’t know why. I thought she was happy, I—”
Was the room always spinning?
“Sit down. You don’t look too good.” Sophie took his hand and guided him to an open chair. Her hand squeezed his, then rested on his shoulder.
“Don’t panic.” Marilyn sat behind her desk again, bracing her forearms on the surface. “I don’t want you or anyone else to confront her, at least not yet.”
“You’re joking, right?” James laughed, his chest clenching. “This situation … I really think I—”
“No,” Sophie interrupted. “Don’t do anything.”
He stared at her. “What?”
What the hell else am I supposed to do? Sit around while Jackie figures out her lie dissolved?
“You have the upper hand right now,” Sophie continued. “I don’t know what Jackie will do when she finds out you know, but we can’t risk you undoing everything we’ve helped you do the past two months.”
He wanted to protest. This was ridiculous, but at the same time … he heaved a sigh.
Begrudgingly, he nodded, grasping Sophie’s hand.
Marilyn tracked the movement with keen eyes. “Good, and until we get her to talk, I don’t want any word of this to get out.” She gestured between the two of them. “Jackie used this information to her advantage before, and we don’t want her to expose us for covering up the truth.”
“There’s only one problem with that,” James said. “She knows the truth. I told her before I knew about her, so she knows the articles were fake.”
Marilyn’s mouth tugged into a firm line, and she blew a long breath through her nose.
Next to him, Sophie sighed and tightened her grip on his shoulder. “Are you kidding me right now?”
He winced. “Sorry.”
He risked a peek at her and swallowed hard. If looks could kill…
Marilyn crossed her arms. “Okay, here’s what you’ll do, and only do this if she asks. You tell her you and Sophie broke up at the gala, and as long as Jackie doesn’t see you with her, she’ll believe it.”
James didn’t know about that. If they looked closely enough, anyone could see how he felt about Sophie.
But for the sake of their plan working, he nodded.