Read Online Broken Ground: (Broken Series Book 1) by Anna Paige - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anna Paige
Tags: Romance
Ads: Link
nothing I could say would change that. To vehemently deny a rumor just lends it credibility in the eyes of gossips. I kept my mouth shut and figured it didn't matter what they thought. It was just bullshit rumors."
Somehow I knew it was more than that. "Did the rumors stop?"
"Eventually. It was like he just gave up his stupid vendetta. For a while, I was perfectly happy in my new position at work and with my newfound freedom from Keith. Talia and I were sharing an apartment, just like we planned when we were little girls. It was perfect. But you know what they say..."
"Let me guess, 'All good things must come to an end'?"
"Well, I was going to say 'life's a bitch', but yours works too. I came into my office after lunch one afternoon to find all three of the partners standing over my desk, scowling at something on my computer screen. The screen I distinctly remember turning off before I left."
"What was on the screen?" She definitely had my attention. A feeling of dread had slowly crept in and took up residence in my gut.
"One of the secretaries called the partners after she says she came in to put something on my desk and noticed an open email on my screen, one that divulged confidential information about our client list and contracts. It was addressed to one of GFS's competitors."
"That son of a bitch," I muttered, instantly pissed the fuck off. That pretty much explained her suspension. Calling it administrative leave didn't change what it was. It was an accusation, plain and simple.
She was quiet for a while, looking out over the water with an unreadable expression. She was probably upset even thinking about it. When she spoke, I was proved wrong. "You automatically knew it wasn't me." She said thickly, almost in a whisper as she put a hand on my arm to turn me toward her. "You barely know me. How do you know I'm not lying, trying to blame Keith as punishment?"
"Because that's not who you are," I said simply, knowing I was right.
Letting go of my arm, she shifted, dropping her head and looking at the ground. "You can't possibly know that. Even the people closest to me had their doubts... wondered if I was guilty." Her voice cracked.
I stepped closer, placing a hand under her chin and lifting it so that she met my eye, my body mere inches from hers. "Then they're the ones who don't know you." I pointed at her chest. "No one with as big a heart as yours would lower themselves to revenge. You've got too much backbone to rely on scheming to make a point." I dropped my hand but held her gaze. "Sneak attacks are for fucking cowards, Ali. You're not a coward."
"Thank you for that," she said quietly as she backed away and stepped into the grass, making her way over to the willow.
"So, it's not the gala you want to avoid, it's him." I asserted. "Understandable."
"It's not just him. It's all of them. It's the partners, whose only reason for not firing me outright is fear of my stepfather, who I'd never even tell about the situation much less ask for help. They think I'm some pitiful wretch who needs to be saved by my mother's rich, powerful knight in Prada armor."
During one of our Sunday dinners, I'd learned that Ali's mother had left her and her father when Ali was barely a teenager. The woman was more interested in money than family, and she knew her blue-collar husband and small town life weren't about to land her where she wanted to be. She'd eventually remarried, repeatedly, and was currently on husband number four. Ali said she didn't even bother to get to know them anymore because they had a short shelf life.
I laughed my ass off when she told me she'd taken to calling them all "Benjamins" because all her mother saw when she looked at them was hundred-dollar bills. Ali didn't want their money or use their connections because she wanted to make it on her own.
I admired the hell out of that.
From the way she described her father, I'd say she was more like him. Grounded, generous, content, and kind-hearted. My
Somehow I knew it was more than that. "Did the rumors stop?"
"Eventually. It was like he just gave up his stupid vendetta. For a while, I was perfectly happy in my new position at work and with my newfound freedom from Keith. Talia and I were sharing an apartment, just like we planned when we were little girls. It was perfect. But you know what they say..."
"Let me guess, 'All good things must come to an end'?"
"Well, I was going to say 'life's a bitch', but yours works too. I came into my office after lunch one afternoon to find all three of the partners standing over my desk, scowling at something on my computer screen. The screen I distinctly remember turning off before I left."
"What was on the screen?" She definitely had my attention. A feeling of dread had slowly crept in and took up residence in my gut.
"One of the secretaries called the partners after she says she came in to put something on my desk and noticed an open email on my screen, one that divulged confidential information about our client list and contracts. It was addressed to one of GFS's competitors."
"That son of a bitch," I muttered, instantly pissed the fuck off. That pretty much explained her suspension. Calling it administrative leave didn't change what it was. It was an accusation, plain and simple.
She was quiet for a while, looking out over the water with an unreadable expression. She was probably upset even thinking about it. When she spoke, I was proved wrong. "You automatically knew it wasn't me." She said thickly, almost in a whisper as she put a hand on my arm to turn me toward her. "You barely know me. How do you know I'm not lying, trying to blame Keith as punishment?"
"Because that's not who you are," I said simply, knowing I was right.
Letting go of my arm, she shifted, dropping her head and looking at the ground. "You can't possibly know that. Even the people closest to me had their doubts... wondered if I was guilty." Her voice cracked.
I stepped closer, placing a hand under her chin and lifting it so that she met my eye, my body mere inches from hers. "Then they're the ones who don't know you." I pointed at her chest. "No one with as big a heart as yours would lower themselves to revenge. You've got too much backbone to rely on scheming to make a point." I dropped my hand but held her gaze. "Sneak attacks are for fucking cowards, Ali. You're not a coward."
"Thank you for that," she said quietly as she backed away and stepped into the grass, making her way over to the willow.
"So, it's not the gala you want to avoid, it's him." I asserted. "Understandable."
"It's not just him. It's all of them. It's the partners, whose only reason for not firing me outright is fear of my stepfather, who I'd never even tell about the situation much less ask for help. They think I'm some pitiful wretch who needs to be saved by my mother's rich, powerful knight in Prada armor."
During one of our Sunday dinners, I'd learned that Ali's mother had left her and her father when Ali was barely a teenager. The woman was more interested in money than family, and she knew her blue-collar husband and small town life weren't about to land her where she wanted to be. She'd eventually remarried, repeatedly, and was currently on husband number four. Ali said she didn't even bother to get to know them anymore because they had a short shelf life.
I laughed my ass off when she told me she'd taken to calling them all "Benjamins" because all her mother saw when she looked at them was hundred-dollar bills. Ali didn't want their money or use their connections because she wanted to make it on her own.
I admired the hell out of that.
From the way she described her father, I'd say she was more like him. Grounded, generous, content, and kind-hearted. My
Similar Books
