Chapter 26
Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now)
I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that clung to my spine as we stepped into the yton Sports
Center. The stories I’d heard and read about Mr. Fitzgerald didn’t paint a kind or forgiving picture.
Linda, on the other hand, appeared remarkably calm.
We climbed the polished oak staircase and found ourselves standing before a set of double doors
that led to his office.
I took a deep breath and exchanged a tense nce with Linda. We couldn’t turn back now.
“Are you sure you want to go in there with me?” asked Linda, though her tonecked any sincerity.
“Because I can handle this on my own.”
“I’ll be perfectly fine in there,” I said. “Besides, I can’t have you handling all my adversaries.”
She hummed, giving me a sideways nce before turning back to the door. I had practiced my
neutrality, but it seemed she was reading something on my face regardless. Thest thing I wanted
her to think of me was that I was uncertain.
Pushing the doors open, we entered the room, and there, seated behind arge mahogany desk,
was Mr. Fitzgerald.
The man was every bit as intimidating as the stories had suggested. He exuded an aura of power,
with piercing, cold green eyes and salt–and–pepper hair slicked back neatly. His impably
tailored suit only added to his air of authority.
“Ms. Sinir and Ms, Turner, I presume?” he said smoothly.
Linda offered a half–hearted smile. “You got it.”
Mr. Fitzgerald waved a dismissive hand, his fingers adorned with several expensive–looking rings.
“Please, have a seat.”
We settled into plush leather chairs, the tension in the room heavy. Mr. Fitzgerald steepled his
fingers and leaned forward, his gaze focused squarely on us. “I’ve heard you two have been digging
around where you don’t belong.”
Linda leaned forward, adopting an air of confidence that had always been her trademark. “I am
highly invested in improving the lives of my clients. You’re
1/4
Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start New)
bugging one of mine.”
His lips curled into a thin smile that sent shivers down my spine. “I don’t take kindly to people prying
into my affairs, especially two women who don’t understand the world they’ve entered.”
The words hung in the air like a threat, and I responded swiftly. “We’re not afraid of threats, Mr.
Fitzgerald. We’ll do whatever it takes to find Timothy.”
“At least I will,” Linda cut in, casting a brief re in my direction. “I’ve dealt with a lot of powerful
men in my time, and you will just be one more that I’ll have to squash, even when my colleague isn’t
as capable”
I clocked my head to face her. “Was that really necessary?” I said under my “We’re supposed to be
a team.”
breath.
“Hardly.” Her eyes narrowed. “I do recall that it was me picking up the ck with our meetings since
you couldn’t be bothered to show up.”
I scoffed, taken aback by her ims. “I was only out because I could barely get out of bed. I was
that exhausted from doing YOUR dirty work!”
Mr. Fitzgerald watched the exchange with a sly grin, clearly enjoying the discord between us.
“Ladies,dies, this is quite the spectacle you’re putting on. I must say, it’s been an amusing
diversion.”
I clenched my fists, the anger in my
chest threatening to explode. “Enough of this, Mr. Fitzgerald. You can threaten us all day, but
Timothy has a solid case here that won’t be ignored.”
Mr. Fitzgerald gave me a toothy grin, his voice dripping with menace. “If you continue your
investigation, you will find your careers terminated, one way or another. I suggest you both
reconsider your choices.”
Linda and I exchanged nces, and searched my mind for what to say next. She had embarrassed
me in front of Mr. Fitzgerald, a man who I was supposed to be intimidating.
“This isn’t over, Mr. Fitzgerald,” I stated firmly. “Consider this a warning.”
He looked casually at his watch and shrugged. “Well, I won’t be considering anything right now
since it’s about time for my lunch. You two may leave.”
244
Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now)
I didn’t budge, determined to stay firmly in ce, but it shocked me to see Linda quickly gather her
things and leave the room. I got up and followed after her before the door could m behind her,
and I stopped her in the hall.
“Where are you going? We weren’t done,” I said, waving at the door.
Linda snorted, snatching her arm away from my grasp. “You know, perhaps I would’ve felt more
drawn to this case if there was some proper motivation.”
I paused, considering her words. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” she began, continuing to march down the hall, “That wrecking my career without the
payoff is not in my list of priorities.”
pace with her.
I followed her down the stairs, nearly out of breath trying to stay in pace. “I’m sorry, but what
happened to all that talk about justice and taking down ‘powerful men‘?”
She finally stopped at the end of the stairs and turned to face me, her expression smug. “It means
nothing.”
N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.
“Sounds like it means something.” Before she could reach the door, I blocked it with my body and
jutted a finger in her face. “We’re supposed to be a team, Linda.”
Linda’s eyes darted toward the exit and she sighed, adjusting her purse over her
came on Timothy’s case thinking
shoulder. Her words took on a bitter edge.
something more woulde of it, that’s all.”
My heart sank as I processed Linda’s words. The sacrifice she was talking about wasn’t just her job
being at stake. She was talking about Timothy.
She was letting her own selfish desires dictate her actions, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I
had never expected Linda to be so callous considering she’d always prided herself on finding justice
no matter the cost.
The anger that had been simmering inside me boiled over. “Linda, this isn’t about what’s interesting
or convenient for you. This is about Timothy and making sure that hees out on top in all of this.
You can’t just back out now because you can’t hook up with him or because you’re scared.”
Linda’s eyes shed with annoyance, and she turned towards me, her tone mocking. “Oh, Evie,
ever the righteous one, aren’t you? You think you can save the world with your determination and
high morals. But youck the independence to
Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now)
52%1
make your own decisions.”
The words struck like a p to the face, and I felt a surge of anger that matched. Linda’s.
“Independence has nothing to do with it. This is about doing what’s right. About not abandoning
someone in their time of need.”
How Linda leaned back, her lips curling into a smirk. “You can try, Evie, but remember, I’m the
seniorwyer here. I know how to use thew to my advantage, and I won’t let you drag me down
with your idealistic nonsense.”
“It’s not me being idealistic,” I growled, stepped toward her. “It’s called being righteous, which is
hard to do when you’re someone that’s only thinking of your privates.”
She leered at me, pursing her red lips. I was prepared to engage in another verbal brawl with her,
but instead she was shoving to the side so she could reach the door. She swung it open and gave
me another challenging stare before marching out onto the street, leaving me in the stairway.
For a moment, I had naively believed that our intentions on Timothy’s case were in sync. That might
have been my biggest mistake.
SEND GIFT