Arianne hen an idea catches fire, it’s a beautiful thing. It also means you have to strike while the iron is hot. Hence, why Rhys and I have sort of taken up permanent residence at Tekknika Audio. For the sixth day in a row, we’re trapped in a conference room with Leland and his team. We’ve been at it all morning. I hope we’ll stop for a lunch break soon. I need to run to the bathroom, r eplenish on food, and more importantly, text my boyfriend. Speaking of the sexy CEO, I miss not seeing Beckett and I miss not being able to sneak around for some naughty fun without getting caught. I was praying for last week’s announcement to be a massive success. God answered my prayers. SCORE Yours scored big time. The tidal wave of interest is overwhelming and humbling. As a result, the entire company is pedaling hard to start delivering SCORE Yours to an expectant crowd. Getting the prototypes done took a lot of strategizing, but going full-scale is a mammoth of a project. There are so many moving parts. Thank God Leland and Rhys are confident we can deliver without fail. Phew. As Leland confers with his team about a question Rhys asked, my phone chimes on the conference table. Beckett’s name flashes across the screen. I can’t help my smile of delight. Someone misses me. Out of respect to the people in the room, I ignore the text. Another ensues. Then, another. And another. And another. What’s going on? My eyes shift to Rhys’s phone, which is also flashing with Beckett’s name. Something is up. “I’m sorry,” I say, reaching for my phone. “I have to take this.” “Same here,” Rhys says. The opening line of his message has me on edge. Beckett: Drop everything and get here. Arianne: Why? Beckett: It’s too long to explain. This is urgent. Just get here. Same for Rhys. I look up at Rhys, and he’s sporting the same puzzled look on his face as I’m sure is reflected on mine. “I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s get out of here,” he says. “Yeah,” I say. “Leland, something urgent came up at the office and Beckett needs us back,” Rhys says. “There’s more than enough to ke ep us busy,” Leland says. “Once you’ve extinguished the fires, shoot me a text or call.” “Will do,” Rhys says. “Let me warn the chauffeur.” “Sounds good.” While Rhys shoots off a text, I gather my things and slip them in my handbag. Once he’s done, we make our exit. Since it’s a short ride from Tekknika to SCORE, there isn’t much time to speculate. As the car approaches the building, my eyes grow wide.
“What the hell?” Rhys speaks first. I blink in shock. “What happened?” There are four police cars parked in front of the security gate—with officers standing guard near their vehicles. I glance in Rhys’s direction. “Do you think it has to do with the press? They’ve been overzealous. Maybe a r eporter got a little too cocky.” “I doubt an eager r eporter would require this many officers,” he says. “I guess not.” Since the guards recognize Rhys and the chauffeur, they wave us by. We come to a stop, and Rhys and I jump out. We rush to the front door, passing groups of employees huddled together outside of the building. As much as I’d like to think I have psychic powers, it’s impossible to read the expression on their faces. We stop in front of Paula’s desk. “Is anyone hurt?” “I don’t think so,” she says. “The paramedics and the firefighters were on site, but they left.” “Thank God.” I’m relieved. “Do you know what’s going on?” Paula stares up at Rhys. “I swear, I thought I was on the set of an action movie. About twenty minutes ago, the head of security came barging in here with a bunch of his guys and an army of police in tow.” Her eyes are wide. “No one knows what’s going on. We were told to stay put.” “I can’t rely on Cecilia to find out what’s going on, but what about Valerie? She must know.” Oh, yeah, his executive assistant is home, playing nurse to a sick child today. I shift my attention away from Rhys. “Have you talked to her, Paula?” “Valerie is out of the office,” Paula says. “She went out for lunch with a girlfriend. I texted her and she should be back any minute now.” “This is unsettling,” I say. “Well, you’re about to get briefed because Beckett wants you on the executive floor asap,” Paula says. “Good stuff.” Rhys nods. “We need to get out of here.” He grabs my hand and we head to the elevators. When the doors close, my heart is palpitating so hard, I place my hand against my chest to calm my erratic heartbeat. “Something tells me we’re in for a shock,” Rhys says. I stare up at him. “I think you’re right.” We reach our floor, and st ep out of the elevator. “Miss Buchanan. Mr. Hartford,” Clyde Kendall, the head of security, says. “Clyde, talk to me,” Rhys says. “Mr. Christensen asked me to usher you and Miss Buchanan to his office,” the tall, bald man with piercing dark brown eyes says. “We have a situation on our hands, but I’m not at liberty to say much more. Mr. Christensen wants to be the one to fill you in.” Paula is right. There’s the same frantic energy you’d expect from watching a nail-biting scene of a gripping action movie. “Alright, lead the way,” Rhys says. “After you, Miss Buchanan.” Clyde extends an arm. I give him a tight nod. As we rush down the hallway, I spot more officers posted on every corner of the floor. I
can’t imagine what kind of scenario would warrant this level of police presence. Did a competitor infiltrate the building in an attempt to steal market intelligence? What else could it be? When we reach Beckett’s door, a female officer lets us in. I st ep inside the office and freeze. Certain I just walked into the jaws of hell, I stumble backward, ready to run for my life, but I only end up bumping into Clyde. “Careful, there, Miss Buchanan,” he says, closing strong hands over my shoulders to prevent my fall. I blink. What the hell? I blink again. This can’t be happening. I blink once more. I’m losing my mind. This is a mirage. I blink a fourth time for good measure. No, it’s not. Why are you doing this to me, God? The last person I ever expected to see is standing in my boyfriend’s office, surrounded by officers, with her hands behind her back. “Mariah?” “Hey, Nerdy Ari.” God, I hate her. “It’s me,” she says before flipping her hair back. The ends of her long extensions whip against an officer’s arm. She doesn’t look impressed. It doesn’t jump out at me at first, but now it does. Why is Mariah wearing a trench coat and thigh-high boots in this heat? The damn coat is so short, why even bother? “Your cousin came all the way from Silicon Valley for a visit,” Beckett says. I tear my gaze away from my smirking cousin’s face and shift my attention to my boyfriend. “Wh—wh—what’s going on here?” “We”—Beckett waves a finger at my cousin—“spent the last half hour getting to know each other better. Isn’t that right, Mariah?” My existence wilts a little. Okay, a lot. She lifts her chin up with a stubborn head jerk in response. When she does, the upper part of her trench coat opens, revealing what she’s wearing underneath. A see-through top. Of course. Dread courses through my veins. If Beckett spent the last half hour locked in his office with Mariah wearing one of her legendary slut outfits, it can only mean one thing. “Your cousin is a hell of a woman—” I lift a hand, interrupting him. “I don’t need to know more, Beckett.” “This isn’t what you think,” he says. Here we go again. I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Isn’t that what they always say?” His head jerks back. “Are you putting me in the same category as your lowlife ex?” “He’s lying to your face,” Mariah says. “You’re blind, Arianne. He was trying to have sex with me.” I shoot Beckett an icy glare and open my mouth to spit a tirade of anger in his face, but he precedes me. He points a finger at Mariah. “Shut up, you lying bitch.” I didn’t expect that. He fixes his gaze on me. His eyes are as thunderous as a cyclone. I stare at him, disappointment and hurt beating hard against my chest. “Do you think I’m as r eprehensible as Chance?” I sigh. “Answer me.” “Beckett, this isn’t the first time I’ve gone through this shit with Mariah. She’s come after every boyfriend I’ve ever had. She pulverized my relationship with Chance within a matter of days... and
now she wants you.” I heave a heavy breath. “You want her?” I point at the slut. “You can have her.” I swallow a lump in my throat. Beckett’s blue eyes turn dark gray as he studies me. I grow uncomfortable under his piercing gaze. “If you think I’d choose your cousin over you, Arianne, you know nothing about me and that’s disappointing.” I’m taken aback by the weight of his words. “What am I supposed to think?” I throw at him as my mind struggles to make sense of things. Betrayal. Humiliation. Pain. It all comes flooding like a raging river. It’s all déjà vu in my world. “You really think I’d want to fuck that, Arianne?” He points an agitated finger at Mariah. “I... I...” I’m confused. “This is how Mariah operates...” Beckett grabs me by the neck and pulls me close to him. “I’d never hurt you. I’d never betray you. And I sure as hell would never play you for a fool, Arianne.” His solemn words tighten my chest and tug at my heart. I bite hard against my lower lip, but it does little to contain the tears rolling down my cheeks. Beckett wipes them away with his thumbs. I place my forehead and the palms of my hands against his strong chest, needing a few seconds to compose myself. He kisses the top of my head and rubs my back with soothing hands. “You okay?” Beckett’s voice is as soft as a caress. “Not really.” I murmur my response against his chest. “Look at me.” He strokes my arms in long swe eping, comforting strokes. My eyes meet his. “I wouldn’t fuck Mariah for a hundred billion dollars. I have zero interest in Chance’s sloppy seconds—” “I’m not anyone’s sloppy seconds, asshole—” “Shut the fuck up, Mariah.” Beckett points a finger at her. He returns his dreamy eyes to me. “You and I have a good thing going on, and I’d hate for your r epulsive cousin to ruin our relationship because of her dec eptiveness and lies.” “So... there’s nothing going on between the two of you?” My insecurity towards Mariah runs de
Ep I need the confirmation. “No, baby,” he says. “I didn’t even know this woman until forty-five minutes ago. You either trust me or you don’t.” His tone is unwavering. I hold his gaze for a beat. Honesty shines bright in his blue eyes. “I trust you.” “Good.” He smiles. “Arianne, I care de eply about you. You’re a gem and you’re mine.” Wow. Just wow. His declaration mends something in me that’s been broken for so long, I thought it was irreversible. This wonderful man proves me wrong. In an unprecedented move of public display of affection, Beckett drops a soft kiss on my lips. We’re not alone. There are people standing in the room. He pulls away, and I let out a girlish giggle. “There’s a reason for the police presence, and it’s not by chance Mariah is in handcuffs,” Beckett says.
“What did she do?” “Although jumping off the roof of the tallest New York City skyscraper would’ve been much less painful than having to endure your despicable cousin for half an hour while she spewed her venom, I did it to protect you,” Beckett says. I furrow my brows. “Protect me from what?” “Your cousin came here to blackmail me,” he says, “and destroy you.” “Wh—what?” This is the last thing I expected to hear. “He begged me to come to his office for sex.” Beckett turns his attention to my cousin who’s fighting against her restraints. A female officer forces her to calm down. “You’re a walking red flag, Mariah,” Beckett says. “Everything you said since you sat in the chair across from my desk was recorded. Every incriminating word. Every malicious threat. Every devious blackmail plot.” “You—you—” Mariah’s jaw drops. “You recorded everything?” “Audio and video,” Beckett says. Mariah looks positively petrified. “That’s right, bitch,” Beckett says. “This is my house. You don’t lay down the law here. I do. I let you believe you had the upper hand, which gave you enough rope to tie the noose around your neck... and you did.” “Threat? Blackmail?” My head is about to fucking explode. “Clyde, can you please turn off the lights and pull the curtains closed,” Beckett says “Certainly, sir.” Beckett walks up to his desk and grabs a remote control. He points it at the ceiling and the retractable screen lowers. The room isn’t pitch black, but it’s dark enough. “There’s thirty minutes of this shit, but before you got here, I pre-set the video to play the most incriminating part,” Beckett says. “I want you to hear it from the horse’s mouth. It’s only three minutes, but it speaks volumes.” “Okay,” I say. Mariah’s annoying voice fills the room. I watch and listen in absolute horror. “Clyde, lights back on, please,” Beckett says when the snippet ends. Clyde obliges, and then, he opens the curtains. The office is immersed in silence. All eyes are on Mariah. I stare at my cousin in disgust. I never knew the true d epth of her male volence. It’s worse than I could’ve possibly imagined. And after all these years, I still don’t know why she ke eps beating me down with her animosity like she would a sworn enemy. She holds my stare and smirks, proud of herself. Up to this point, I didn’t think I had a violent streak in my body. Then again, until now, I never knew how far she’d be willing to go to hurt me. Bitch. I leap in Mariah’s direction, ready to wipe that condescending smirk off her face. Beckett’s arms wrap around my waist, holding me back. “Don’t ruin it,” he says. “This is as perfect as it gets.” I’m dumbfounded. I wiggle out of his hold. He doesn’t resist. “What’s perfect about my cousin and my ex-boyfriend wanting to make my life a living hell... one so miserable, I may not want to live?” I’m so worked up. “Chance violated my rights to privacy and Mariah was itching to make it go viral because the press is paying more attention to me than to her.” I throw daggers at my cousin. An officer raises her hand as a barrier. She also gives me a warning look.
“Your spitefulness knows no bounds.” I wave a menacing finger at Mariah. “What have I ever done for you to hate me so much you’d be willing to do such an abominable thing?” She doesn’t answer. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” She’s obstinate in her silence. My head is about split in half. “Why do you hate me so much?” “You’re a goodie-two-shoes-people-pleaser, which makes you an easy target, Arianne.” Mariah says. “As we grew older, it became clear I’d never be able to beat you at life—fucking Miss Genius and all—so I made it my mission to screw up your relationships. You couldn’t compete in that d epartment and I knew it. I figured you’d hide in a hole for the rest of your natural life after Chance, but no, you had to score him.” She jerks her chin in Beckett’s direction. I can’t believe my ears. This woman has no soul. “Because you’re jealous of me, you’re entitled to destroy me?” “I’m the pretty one in the family. Stop overshadowing me—” “You sound pathetic. Grow up, Mariah—” “I wish Aunt Muriel had never found you and let you freeze to death—” My palm doesn’t crack against her cheek like I intended. Beckett pulls me away before I’m able to rearrange her smirking face. “I get where you’re coming from, Arianne, trust me I do, but don’t give her any ammunition.” One blow. I just want one blow. Okay, more like two dozen, but I’ll be happy with one. “I’m going to sue you for assault and battery.” Mariah’s threat is comical. “You wish, evil bitch,” I say. She doesn’t have a comeback. “Mariah’s jealousy is a gift.” My head whips in Beckett’s direction. My face contorts in myriad expressions, unable to understand the logic behind his statement. “Without her confession, you wouldn’t know Chance was holding a loaded gun to your head, ready to fire at the drop of a hat.” Beckett’s words put everything into perspective. I’m no match for evil. My shoulders slump. “You’re right.” “You’re protected under the state of California’s nonconsensual pornography law, aka revenge porn law,” Beckett says. “In other words, you can sue Chance for every penny under his name. The same applies to your cousin. By coming to my office, Mariah handed you everything you need on a silver platter. It doesn’t get any better than this.” Rhys claps and whistles. With everything that’s unfolded, I forgot he was in the office. “Take them to the cleaners, Arianne,” he says. “Fuck them up like they intended on fucking you up.” I respond with a small smile. I stare at my cousin’s ugly face. With anger burning my throat, I deliver my verdict through gritted teeth. “I’m going to make you pay, cuz.”