Page 55 of Love Under the Microscope
Finally, Nate nods. “An interview might take the attention off whatever Carrington’s got up his sleeve.”
“About that…” I take a breath, hoping to calm my speeding pulse. Nate’s taken all this better than I thought he would. Maybe this will be no different. “Nigel called me this morning. He took pages from a notebook I had taken home from work when I lived at his house.”
Nate’s face pales, a stark contrast to the red before. “What?”
“I fear the pages are the original formula for the Happy Pill.”
Realization dawns in Nate’s eyes, and his face falls. “That’s why you were in the archive.”
“Yes, and if he has the original pages, it could be a problem.”
“Could be? This sounds like it is a disaster.”
“Depends on whatever handwriting analysis and forensics would need to be done to prove it belongs to Zentello, but that would come down to a—”
“Lawsuit.” Nate rubs the back of his neck. “Should we get Ashton involved to take care of Nigel?”
“I’ve been working on that, but if I can’t do it—”
“We’ll push up Orchid’s launch to try to head off anything Nigel might try.”
I see why Nate wants to do that. “Ashton said we weren’t ready.”
“We’ve invested so much into Orchid. I don’t want to be forced to delay the launch because of an injunction.”
That wouldn’t be a good look to shareholders. “See if marketing can handle it.”
“If I tell my brother to handle it, he will.”
I need to tell Nate something else. “You should know that Nigel has some strange obsession with you.”
Nate’s eyebrows draw together. “You mean you.”
“Not me.” I shake my head to emphasize the point even though it hurts. Knowing I loved Nigel, and he was only with me because of Nate, makes me physically ill. No wonder I have trust issues. “He only dated me because of you.”
“Zel—”
“It’s true.” I know Nate will try to convince me otherwise. I won’t admit everything Nigel said, especially his opinion of me sexually. “He told me himself. He’s jealous of you. He wants to be the golden boy.”
“That’s disturbing.”
I nod. “I’m going to try to find the pages.”
“How?”
That’s the billion-dollar question. “You figure out the launch, and I’ll deal with the rest.”
“You can handle it.”
It isn’t a question, and I wonder if I deserve Nate’s confidence. Who am I kidding? I wish I believed in myself as much as Nate believes in me. But Nigel’s right about one thing—I’ll be the one at fault if he brings down Zentello.
“If I fuck up, be sure to answer your phone, even if you don’t recognize the number.” I try to sound playful even though I’m dead serious. “You’ll be my one call.”
Nate smiles warmly at me. “I’ll always be here for you, Zel.”
Funny, but that’s the one thing I do trust with Nate. “I know.”
And Jack was right. I’m glad I finally came clean with Nate. I don’t feel better, per se, but I’m not carrying the full weight of Zentello on my shoulders now. Maybe it’s time I take a chance on trusting Jack…a little.
