“Tell me why, and I’ll do what I can to help you.”
She glanced up, her eyes glossy with emotion. “We’re not friends, right? If it’s all business, why would you want to help me?”
Her voice had taken on a desperate tone that worried me. I’d never seen her get emotional like this. Suddenly I regretted my harsh words earlier.
“I’m sorry, Jia. I’m dealing with a lot right now, but you have to know that you can talk to me. If we can’t trust each other with the truth, I don’t know how we’re supposed to make this work.”
Any semblance of control she’d held onto crumbled. Her face fell, and she brought her shaking hands to her mouth. “I can’t. I can’t… They’re going to ruin me, Will,” she whispered. “Everything… I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for.”
Mascara ran down her face before she could stop the tears. I stood and circled my desk. “Jia, who’s they? Who are you talking about?”
She shook her head like she didn’t want to say it. She stood and paced a circle around the office. When she met my determined gaze again, she finally spoke. “Dermott. And Reilly… He doesn’t lose, Will. I don’t know why I believed he’d just walk away. I should have known better, but it was too late. I’d already left the firm. He waited to come to me until I was already committed to you and had no place else to go. There’s no going back. I’m trapped.”
I tried to piece together Jia’s rambling sentences. Reilly had no stake, and I had no idea why Dermott would be after her for anything.
“What do they want from you?”
“A cut.” She lifted her tense shoulders up and swallowed over the tears that had slowed. “They’re at risk of losing their shirts now that these charges have come down. No one trusts them. They can’t make money on their old relationships anymore, so now they’re coming after me.”
“You don’t have to give them anything, Jia. They have no power over you. You’re with me now. We’re running this show, and they’ve been cut out clean.”
She shook her head, and her eyes shone with fresh tears. “They have videos.”
“Videos?”
She drew in a shuddery breath. “Back when I worked under Dermott, before he decided to climb the ladder without me…there were a few late nights. I guess he thought it would be fun to capture the moment. Reilly came to me after I’d accepted your offer and told me about the videos. He said I had to cut him in or they’d leak them.”
My body tensed as I cursed inwardly. “How much is he asking you for?”
“A lot more than I’m making.”
“Say they decided to leak it. Wouldn’t that look bad for Dermott?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. The clip he showed me hid Dermott’s face. They’re going to ruin me, Will. If that video gets out, I’m done on Wall Street. This is my whole life.” Tears began to fall again, and she wiped at them. “I pushed too hard. I climbed too fast, and now I’m going to lose everything.”
I pulled her to me, holding her tight through the sobs.
White rage flew through me. I’d be damned if my father’s cronies were going to get their hands on any of the money we earned. And Jia didn’t deserve this. I didn’t care how many finance guys she blew. No one deserved to watch their entire career get flushed this way.
“I’m going to fix this, okay?” I murmured, stroking down her back. I had no idea how, but I’d do what I had to.
She circled her arms around my torso, her breathing evening out. “Will, I need you.” She gazed up at me, her dark eyes wet and puffy from her tears. “Please, I need to feel something other than what I’m feeling right now. Just one night.”
I wiped away the wet streaks on her cheek. “I can’t, Jia. I’m with Olivia now. She’s it for me. The days of you and me getting together, they’re over. I’m sorry.”
A sad smile curved her lips. “Lucky her.”
“Will?” Before I’d even seen Olivia’s face, the confusion in her voice had my heart in my throat.
Jia pulled away quickly, wiping at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ll go.” She slipped past Olivia, leaving nothing but a lot of explaining to do.
“Maybe I should go too.” Olivia looked pale.
Fuck.
I came up to her quickly, shutting the door before she could leave. “No, it’s not what it looks like.”
“No? Are you sleeping with her?”
I winced. “Fuck, no, I’m not sleeping with her.”
She stared at me. “Have you slept with her?”
I shoved a hand through my hair and released an exasperated sigh. Today was turning out to be a real piece of shit day.
“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear, Will. We promised each other honesty. Just tell me, damnit.” Her brows were knit together, and her fists were tight.
I remembered a time when I used to love riling her up, but now I just wanted to see her smile. I had a long way to go…
“Before I met you, yes, I had slept with her.”
Her jaw went tight. “How did I know? And now you see her and share an office with her every day. That’s great.”
“She’s a coworker, Olivia. Nothing more.”