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“I, um, I just want her to be proud of me, you know,” Lola admitted quietly while looking at her lap.

Instead of making fun of her, Adriana replied with an enthusiastic, “who doesn’t?”

Lola glanced up, unable to hide her surprise.

“That’s what we all want,” Adriana said, like it should’ve been obvious. “We’re every little girl who identified with Ursula instead of Ariel.”

“Who doesn’t identify with Ursula?” Lola furrowed her brow. “She provided Ariel with the agency and opportunity to pursue her own desires, challenging her to understand the value of her voice and choices. Ursula’s actions pushed Ariel to recognize the importance of personal sacrifice, ultimately leading to her growth and transformation.”

When Adriana laughed, Lola got back to the point.

“And anyway, that’s easy for you to say about Natalia. She already trusts you—”

“First of all,” Adriana interrupted her. “Natalia doesn’t trust anyone but herself.”

“You have to admit that she respects your work. That she knows that you’re always going to do things exactly like she wanted them.”

Adriana searched her face, looking for something. “Do you think Natalia doesn’t value your work?” She shook her head. “With how long you’ve been here, do you think she would promote you from assistant to associate for any reason other than because she sees something in you? Because you’re truly excellent?”

Lola leaned away in confusion.

Leaning forward, Adriana pressed, “Natalia would have left the associate position vacant forever rather than fill it with the wrong person, and we both know that if she wasn’t happy with you, she would fire you so fast.”

“She does seem to love firing people,” Lola agreed numbly, struggling to believe that Adriana thought she was excellent. She couldn’t even fathom Natalia thinking anything like that.

“That’s the only thing I’d change,” Adriana said, eyes drifting out the glass walls of her office and toward Natalia’s corner. “The cutthroat firing.”

Adriana didn’t have to explain that she wanted to be exactly like Natalia. She probably wanted it for the same reasons Lola did. Natalia was fearless and absolutely no one ever tried to fuck with her.

“Can I ask you something?” All the bonding fried Lola’s brain and made her reckless. “In all the years you’ve known her, has Natalia ever been with someone?”

Adriana looked back at her in surprise. “You mean like a romantic partner?”

Lola nodded. She couldn’t imagine Natalia out in the wild. Couldn’t picture her scrolling through her phone while sitting in bed next to somebody reading James Patterson’s latest.

“Not that I’ve ever seen,” Adriana replied thoughtfully. “She’s never even brought a plus one to anything.”

“Huh.” Lola tapped her fingers on her leg. “She just seems so…”

“Untouchable?” Adriana supplied with a knowing look.

“Yeah.” Lola stood abruptly, smoothing her blazer. “Well, thanks again for the advice or whatever.”

Adriana laughed. “You’re welcome… or whatever.” Attention diverting over Lola’s shoulder, she wiggled her brows. “Your lunch is here.”

Lola whirled around to see Carmen heading toward her with a plastic bag and tray with two styrofoam drinks in her hand. The sight of her was a wave of relief washing over her. Like she could fully take a deep breath now that she was close.

“It’s nice that someone is bringing you drinks for a change—”

At the sound of familiar screeching from the reception area, Adriana stopped short. “What is that?”

Carmen whirled around and the assistants in the bullpen stopped talking at the sound of it. The screeching had turned to shouting.

All the heat drained from Lola’s body. Her blood stopped pumping and her vision blurred. With lethal amounts of dread and horror, Lola whispered, “My mother.”

CHAPTER57

Carryingtwo containers of chopped grilled chicken piled atop yellow rice and a gallon of sauce divided into a thousand tiny cups, Carmen started toward Lola’s empty office. She spotted Lola sitting with Adriana since every surface at Dominion was made of glass — which led her to wonder about the horrors of a transparent bathroom — so she decided to wait in Lola’s office for her to finish.