Page 119 of Terms of Exposure

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"Why not both?" I'd joked.

She'd laughed. That sharp, surprised laugh she saved for when I actually caught her off guard.

I wondered if she'd ever laugh with me like that again.

Each floor that dinged past on the ride up was another second to rehearse what I was going to say, another second to imagine all the ways this could go wrong.

Hey Jennifer, funny story—remember how you asked about the audit discrepancies and I said I didn't know anything? Well...

No.

Jennifer, I need to tell you something. Actually, several somethings. You might want to sit down. Or stand. Or maybe have security on speed dial.

Worse.

The doors slid open.

The twentieth floor was quiet. A small mercy. Fewer witnesses if Jennifer decided to murder me.

I walked the familiar path to her office, past the break room where Kevin had once accidentally set a bagel on fire, past the conference room where we'd pulled our first all-nighter, past the wall of photos from company milestones that Jennifer had insisted on framing because "culture matters, Emma, even when we're exhausted."

Her door was closed.

I stopped in front of it, hand hovering over the handle.

Tell her the truth. All of it. The relationship, the timeline, the audit—everything.

Keep the promise you made.

Deep breath in. Hold. Release.

I opened the door.

Jennifer was waiting. Hands steepled on her desk, expression tight.

"So," she said finally. "Are you ready to stop bullshitting me?"

Chapter thirty-one

Emma

Her eyes burned.

Ice slid down my spine—

but I lifted my chin

and met her fury.

"Yes."

Surprise flickered across her face before turning back to stone.

"I want to start by saying I'm sorry," I said, taking my seat in front of her.

Her gaze narrowed, but I continued. "You've been my friend for years and I owed you more than what I gave you."

She leaned back, crossing her hands in her lap. Waiting.

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