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I’m not used to this—this obsession. I pull up her HR file on my screen, willing something—anything—to stand out, to give me a reason to cut her loose. As I scan through it, a sense of relief hits me—she’s out of Sinclair’s reach now. And for a fleeting moment, a smug satisfaction settles in; she’s here now, away from that prick and working under my roof.
Just as I’m about to shut the file, my phone rings, Sam’s name flashing across the screen. Without hesitation, I snatch it up.
“Sam. Did you run the credit check on Cora Rossi?”
“Yes. And…” Sam hesitates for a beat. “She’s in serious financial trouble.”
As Sam runs through the details—medical bills, maxed-out credit cards, a mountain of debt—a knot forms in my gut. She’s drowning in it. The pieces start to fall into place—why she’s working two jobs, why she took my money.
“Who’s the patient? Is it her?”
“No. A family member. Someone named Anthony Rossi.”
My shoulders relax slightly. Family, then. Likely her father or brother. But that lingering question remains.
Can I trust her?
I hang up, staring at my screen. I’m no clearer than before. Financial trouble, family in the hospital—it all makes sense. Too much sense. And that’s what’s bothering me. What if it’s all a cover? What if she’s planted this story just to gain my sympathy, to worm her way in?
There’s only one way to find out.
For now, Cora stays.
Chapter twenty-one
Cora
“So, what’s the latestwith you and the big boss man?” Nathan asks, spearing a piece of lettuce.
We’re working through our lunch break at my desk, tying up loose ends for the leadership training session later this afternoon. Since my presentation went off without a hitch, I’ve settled into a more comfortable rhythm at work. It’s gratifying to see my three-step plan rolling out. First up: modern leadership training for department heads and upper management.
“Well, he’s finally gotten his head out of his ass,” I deadpan, not glancing away from my computer screen.
Nathan chokes on his salad, eyes bulging as I pat him on the back. “I swear, one of these days, you’re going to make me die laughing. That’ll be on your conscience, Rossi.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You’re a hazard in the office, you know that?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he waves me off, taking a sip of water. “At least I’ll die entertained.”
The truth is, James has changed. The man who looked at me with nothing but suspicion and icy restraint has softened—though I’m not sure if it’s due to the success of my presentation or what happened between us at Eden. Either way, the tension between us has shifted into something else. Something much more intimate.
I want to drop to my knees for him when he glances my way with that all-consuming heat in his eyes. I am stupidly attracted to this man.
Heat floods my cheeks, and I squirm in my chair.
“Your blush tells me there’s more to the story here.” Nathan points his salad fork at me with narrowed eyes.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I lie, quickly biting into my sandwich.
“Fine, fine. Keep all the juicy goss to yourself. Just so you know, though, I’m living vicariously through you.”
I smile, fighting the urge to spill. There’s no way I can tell Nathan about what happened between James and me at Eden. The memory of submitting to him in front of Dameon still burns, both thrilling and mortifying.
Nathan picks up on my silence and, with an intentional smirk, drops the subject.
“Hey, do you think this is the right approach for the second training session?” I ask, scrolling through the outline on my computer.
Nathan leans over my desk, reviewing the document. “Looks good to me, but you might want to add a segment on conflict resolution. You know how the execs love those buzzwords.”