Page 171 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

In the years since starting Orisun, I’ve never been passive about incoming pain. Now, I’m accepting what is.

“Hey, Mel?” I ask, stopping her softly. Her eyes snap toward mine, startled either by my tone or the nickname.

I pull her into a hug.

When I release her, she stares at me wide-eyed. I’veneverhugged another employee—well, Zane notwithstanding, but we didn’t really…hug.

“Liv, thank God you’re back.” I startle at the new voice and being called something other than Shae. Turning to my right, Zane exits the elevator as if I’d summoned him from the void.

Goddamn it.

“Zane,” I say coolly, but before he can get more than six feet in front of me, one of the guards, whose name I do not know, steps between the two of us.

“Close enough,” the man says, and Zane stares at him slack-jawed, a red flush blooming from his neck.

“Excuse me?” Zane says, indignant. “Liv, tell your guy to move aside.”

I tilt my head as I examine him, taking in his slightly disheveled appearance and the paleness around his mouth.

He looksstressed.

“It’s okay,” I tell the guard, and the man eyes me for a second before stepping aside.

“Thank you,” Zane grits out, immediately moving closer.

“What’s wr—” I choke up, freeze, when Zane pulls me into a tight hug. On instinct, I try to pull away, first starting with cocking my pelvis as far from his as is possible, but before I can make a fuss, he releases me.

“First, don’t ever disappear like that again. I had a heart attack every day wondering how you were and if you were safe.”

I give him a confused look.

“Why wouldn’t I be safe, Zane?” His eyes widen a fraction before settling his face back into its worried expression.

“I don’t know, Liv,” he says. “I don’t fucking know anything anymore.” He runs his fingers through his hair, which is longer and greasier than I’ve ever seen it.

Gaping at him for a second, I say, “Zane, is everything okay?” You’d think he’d be the one potentially losing his job and not me.

“I just…we need to talk, Liv,” he says, whispering, but Melissa steps forward.

“Liv, you do have meetings to get to,” she says pointedly. I look between the two of them.

“I’ll meet up with you later, Zane,” I say. He looks frustrated, taking a step away and throwing up his hands. “Thiscan’twait, Liv!”

I give him a cross look, but something in Melissa’s tone makes me stop. I look at my assistant, and she’s telling me very pointedlynotto go with Zane.

“I’m sorry, Zane. I can’t meet right this second but come by before the board meeting. Okay?”

His lips tightening, he nods jerkily and heads toward the glass façade of the building.

“That was fucking weird,” I mutter, but Melissa gives me a tight-lipped smile and gestures toward the elevator.

We’re silent on the ride up and all the way to my pristine office. In the corner, a new pothos plant thrives near the window.

“This you?” I ask, knowing that of course this is Melissa’s doing. Who else?

“Yeah,” she says with a shy smile. “It helped me feel like you were here if I kept your office up.”

I chuckle.