Chapter 3

Suddenly, the door swung open.

It was Rayne Upton, the only one in the Marketing Department who hadn't given me a hard time.

She stopped short when she saw me. "You're still here?"

I nodded.

She hesitated for a second, then pulled out a chocolate bar from her bag and pressed it into my hand. "Have something to eat. You skipped lunch today, didn't you?"

I didn't take it.

"Come on, take it." She pushed the chocolate bar into my hand. "Don't take it personally. Claire is tough on every newbie, not just you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Rayne shrugged. "Maybe she's afraid someone will take her spot. She's been stuck in that job for six years without a single promotion, and it's made her mood worse and worse."

I looked down at the chocolate bar in my hand. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She shot me a look, hesitated, and then lowered her voice. "Hey, did you really get this job because you knew someone?"

I looked up. "No."

"Then why is Claire—"

"I don't know."

I really had no clue.

My dad was Kolton Romero, the founder, chairman, and legal representative of this company.

But when I joined, I didn't use my real name.

The name on my ID was Meilani Romero.

On the onboarding form, I put down Meilani Roberts. Roberts was my mom's last name.

No background check could ever link me to Kolton Romero, unless someone already knew.

I spent three days trying to figure it out, but I couldn't make sense of it.

Rayne glanced around, then leaned in and lowered her voice. "Meilani, I'm gonna tell you something, but you can't tell anyone else."

"What is it?" I asked

"I think Claire is hooking up with Mr. Johns."

Mr. Johns? She meant Shiloh Johns.

He was the head of the Marketing Department and Claire's direct boss.

My dad was the one who hired him personally.

"Mr. Johns's wife, Kiana Johns, is our company's Legal Director," Rayne said. "You know what I mean."

'I see,' I thought.

Claire wasn't worried about newbies. She was scared of Kolton's daughter.

Because if Kolton's daughter ever started working here, found out about her and Shiloh, and spilled the beans to Shiloh's wife, she'd be finished.

That was why she was so determined to kick out any newbie who might have connections.

I let out a small laugh.

"What's up?" Rayne looked at me, puzzled.

"Nothing." I unwrapped the chocolate bar and took a bite.

The chocolate melted in my mouth, way too sweet, almost cloying.

Still, I ate the whole thing.

*****

It was the seventh day on the job.

On the Monday morning meeting, a dozen or so people were crammed into the conference room. Shiloh was at the head of the table, with Claire right beside him.

I took the farthest corner seat.

"Who put together last week's data?" Shiloh slammed a report down on the table. "Half of it's wrong."

Claire glanced down at the report and then looked straight at me. "It was Meilani."

I froze for a second.

I hadn't touched that data.

Before I could say anything, Claire cut in. "Meilani was in charge of checking the data last week. Looks like she's still struggling to keep up."

"I didn't—" I tried to explain.

"It's normal for a newbie to mess up." Shiloh cut me off, frowning. "But you can't let these rookie mistakes happen again. What do you think, Meilani?"

All eyes were on me.

Claire gave me a warning look.

I pressed my lips together. "Okay."

I didn't explain that I hadn't touched the data. It didn't work anyway.

The meeting rolled on.

Claire started presenting her updates.

Shiloh listened intently, nodding now and then, sometimes asking follow-up questions.

The way they worked together felt more like something else than coworkers.

I looked away.

"Oh, right," Shiloh suddenly said. "We've got a big client pitch next week. Who's taking the lead?"

"I'll do it." Claire jumped in right away.

"Alright." Shiloh glanced around, his gaze lingering on me for a moment. "Meilani, you'll be assisting Claire. Learn the ropes."

Claire's expression flickered for a moment. But she didn't object.

After the meeting, she pulled me aside in the break room.

As soon as the door closed, her expression instantly turned icy. "Mr. Johns put you on this project. Don't screw things up for me."

"I know," I replied.

"You better." She stepped in closer. "What's your deal? Who are you, really?"

I stared back at her. "I don't have any connections."

"You think I'm an idiot?" Claire scoffed. "No connections? Then how'd you make it through HR? And why would Mr. Johns notice you?"

I didn't answer.

Claire stared at me for a few seconds, and then suddenly smirked. "Fine, keep your secrets."

She turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "Meilani, let me be real with you. I don't care whose connections you have. I've built this department up for six years, and nobody's getting their hands on what belongs to me."

The door slammed shut.

I was the only one left in the break room.

I leaned against the water cooler and closed my eyes.

The recorder in my pocket was still quietly recording. It had been recording for six minutes and thirty-two seconds.