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“Yeah, okay,” he sighs. “Look, I didn’t know Kendall was going to post that stuff.”

“Why did she post it?”

“Sometimes we talk about work and stuff. She knew about the sale of the company from Ashley to Jessica, and she said something about it. I mentioned Jessica was your ex. She let it spiral out of control from there.”

“Why would she care?”

“Because she dated Jessica right after you did.”

“Ah.”

“And she was always really jealous of you, I guess. I didn’t know about any of that until recently. Once she made that Tweet and I figured out it was her, I asked her why she did it. She told me not to bother her and that I needed to mind my own business.”

Suddenly, I feel very old and Mark seems very young. Despite the fact that I’m only a few years older than him, I feel ancient all of a sudden.

“And did you mind your own business?”

“Yeah. I should have come to you. Really, I should have. It’s just that I didn’t know how to tell you I’m dating a psycho.”

“Let’s not call girls psychos, Mark.”

“Sorry. We broke up yesterday. I’m still pretty mad.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t keep on living with someone who was going to do shady stuff like that. I mean, running to a reporter is one thing. Spreading lies is another.”

But I’m not so sure if Kendall’s original Tweet was a lie. I’m not sure if she was wrong. Hillary and I both suspected something was going to happen. Jessica has always played her cards close to her chest.

And maybe that’s okay.

“Mark, let me ask you something.”

“Am I fired? Oh, please just tell me if I’m fired.”

“Do you want to be fired?”

“No, but I understand if I am.”

“You’re not fired, Mark.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “But I do want to talk with you about the financials.” Mark cringes, and I know I’m in trouble.

“Do we have the resources to hire an assistant for Hillary?”

“May I speak honestly?”

“Please.”

“We don’t even have the resources to pay anyone after next month. You’re in trouble, Toni. Clients have been dropping like flies lately. Anthony and I have tried to plug the holes as best we can, and I know you have a few big deals coming through the pipelines, but things are looking rough.”

And I think I know someone who can help.

“What would actually happen if I sold my company to Jessica?”

“Toni?”

“Theoretically speaking,” I tell him. “If I were to sell, or let’s say, merge with Northington Tech. What would happen?”

“A lot would happen.”