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Repocketing the inhaler, she gave herself a half-laugh then went back to her numbers, quickly forgetting the sensual appeal of the man who had been standing just inches away from her, and the invitation he had offered.

Seeing her family again and getting further acquainted with Desmond Beck on a personal level would be a highway to disaster. One she would avoid like the plague. She had managed to survive a childhood filled with drama of her father’s making just to make the videos interesting. She had felt utter humiliation at some instances that every child went through as her father had recorded them, using her as the brunt of his jokes. With the grace of God, she had managed to escape her family’s influence without suffering everlasting effects. At least those that weren’t visible.

The terrified voice she kept hearing in the back of her mind warned her that Desmond Beck had the same calculating expression on his face that her father had when he hadn’t been aware of her watching him.

The numbers on the screen merged into a void that took her back to a childhood filled with fear and humiliation.

Her parents had used their family name to draw attention to their videos posted online. She had become a source of amusement for thousands of viewers to reach a monetary status at her cost. Even now, the videos could be seen, gauging new viewers daily. Haley knew she could have the videos taken down, yet she let them remain, unwilling to give her family a reason to make contact with her.

When she had graduated from boarding school, instead of moving home, like her sisters and brother had, she had moved into a cheap apartment with Nadia. Like her, she had nowhere to go. She would willingly walk over a pit of snakes before putting herself in their orbit ever again.

Her parents had hidden the fact that she had no contact with them from their fans by explaining she was away at a gifted school, then college. Haley found it hilarious that they had believed her a dimwit by some of the stunts her father had arranged, and then later, she was supposed to be smart enough to earn a spot in a gifted program.

She clenched her hands into fists until her nails cut into her skin, bringing her out of the dark void of her past.

She nearly reached for her cell phone to call Nadia. Her friend always knew the right thing to say to get her out of the cloudy funk she would go into whenever her family was mentioned. Shaking her head, she instead went back to the numbers. Besides, Dante was probably proving to Nadia that he was the only hero she needed in her life.

Her mind found solace in the safety of numbers. They were always what they seemed. People could manipulate them to do what they wanted, but their true value was infallible. They could be backtracked until the true story was discovered … unlike videos that could be manipulated behind a camera lens.

The rumbling of her stomach brought her back to awareness. Usually, she brought her lunch, but she had been so focused on getting the donuts that she had opted from making her own to eating out. She was regretting the hasty decision now.

She could skip lunch. Yeah, the self-debate was short-lived as Haley reached for her purse while rising from the desk when her stomach growled again. The lone donut she had eaten would be on her hips for the next six months, but the sustenance had lasted a whole ten minutes. Go figure.

The only thing worse than eating alone was sitting alone. You were damned if you did, and damned if you didn’t.

Opening her office door, she momentarily paused at being the focus of two male gazes.

“Excuse me. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Closing the door behind her, Haley hurried across the carpet in front of Lucas’s desk, making for the corridor outside of his office that would lead her to the elevator. “Just on my way to lunch,” she explained self-consciously, feeling their eyes track her progress.

Desmond Beck’s long strides beat her to the glass door. “I was just on my way, also. Mind if I join you?”

No! The internal denial never made it past her lips as she hastily came up with a more polite response.

“I was actually going to do take-out from the sandwich shop across the street.”

“You can’t eat there.” He gave her a firm shake of his head, and Haley knew he wasn’t going to be turned down easily. “The restaurant is a repeat offender on Dirty Meals. In good conscience, I can’t let an employee get a case of food poisoning on my watch. At least not until you finish my report.”

Was she supposed to agree with him or laugh? To be on the safe side, she laughed, which sounded fake to her own ears. It must have to Mr. Beck, too, considering the strange way he looked at her. Why were people always giving her that look?