Page 23 of Love Under the Microscope
As Jack’s brow furrows, he shifts positions against the pillows behind him. The move makes me smile because he clearly knows he might be in for a long story. It isn’t particularly.
“What makes you say that?” he asks.
A valid question, but still, I shrug. “It’s Revenge 101.”
“Bad breakup?”
“Yeah, but it didn’t start like that.” I rub my temples, trying to keep the pressure behind my forehead from becoming a headache. “It was more than six years ago. We dated for six months, then lived together for five months, but he went from being attentive to wanting me to do all the cooking and his laundry. Forget being his girlfriend. I was nothing more than his damn maid and sometimes lover, so I broke up with him and moved out.”
“His loss.”
Based on Jack’s tone, I’m not sure if that’s a compliment. I hate that I wish it was.
“Yes, it was actually.” I give him a disgruntled tut. “But Nigel didn’t like it when I stayed with Nate while I looked for an apartment. It’s not like we were anything more than friends. And I didn’t have anywhere to go, so Nate did the friendly thing and let me crash at his place, but Nigel got nasty, telling people that we’d split up because I’d had an affair with Nate, which I didn’t.”
“Nate, as in Lowe, the other CEO?”
Guess I’m going to spill all the tea tonight. “Yes, but he’s also my ex-husband. We got married during his post-doc. I didn’t date Nigel until after our divorce.”
“Zelda L is Zelda Lowe.”
It isn’t a question, and I get the feeling he might already know this. That’s another reminder to keep my guard up around this guy. I can’t forget he paid Ryan Matthews for information. “Yes.”
“Mustn’t have been a bad divorce if you work with him.”
“Nate’s my best friend. I was honored when he asked me to join him at Zentello.”
A shadow of whiskers darkens Jack’s lower face. I bet they would scratch my face if they rubbed against me.
Wait. What am I thinking? And where was I? Oh, right…
“Anyway…something seemed to switch in Nigel after he found out where I was staying. He sent awful text messages and emails to me, and then someone slashed the tires on Nate’s car one night. Another time, the driver’s side was keyed. We’re pretty sure it was Nigel but had no proof. This was before everyone had cameras. And then things just stopped happening.”
This was the second time in my life I’d been stalked, and it brought back all the fears and uncertainty from the first. Only this one was nameless, and that made it even scarier.
A shiver travels along my spine. I rub my hands over my arms but don’t feel any warmer.
“Do you know why Nigel stopped bothering you?” Jack asks.
“I’m assuming it’s because he got the job at UnoPharm. I don’t know whether that kept him occupied or if he worried about getting caught, but for whatever reason, he didn’t do anything else. But then a little while later, PharmaNews started publishing negative articles about Zentello. I’m assuming that’s when Nigel or a ‘source’ began feeding your magazine the crap, and someone hired Jennings to spy.”
Jack studies me. “We’d have to look into the timing to see if any of this is possible.”
“I’m not making it up,” I say quickly, wanting to convince him that Nigel being involved is a distinct possibility. I need Jack to believe me. “I know it sounds crazy that a CEO would go to this length against the company an ex-girlfriend works for, but Nigel might’ve realized he could still act unhinged behind the scenes by attacking Zentello via PharmaNews with rumors and lies. My hypothesis makes the most sense. I just need to prove it. With your help.”
Jack chews on his lip, seemingly contemplating everything I’ve said. “What if someone else wants to put Zentello out of business?”
“A line of people and companies would love to see Zentello go under. That’s the nature of the industry.”
“Do Nate or Mr. Z have enemies?”
“Yes, but again, that’s normal in their positions.” I’m not about to give up any info on Mr. Z until I get what I need from Jack. “I’d say Nate has more, given he’s the face of Zentello. Also, Nigel knows how much I love Nate, even though he’s my ex-husband, so maybe that’s why Nigel wants to ruin the company.”
“The guy sounds like a real piece of work.”
“I didn’t think he was, but…” Truth be told, I was quite smitten with Nigel. He’s a lot like Nate, smart with panty-melting good looks. And like Nate, Nigel knows it and uses his attractiveness to his advantage. “But that just goes to show how we’re all capable of making bad judgments from time to time.”
The multiple orgasms Nigel gave me only clouded my view of him until the truth became too difficult to ignore.
