Page 6 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

“Got it.”She hesitates.“Although, technically, this could boost your Q4 numbers before Connor’s engagement?—”

“Out.”

She exits.Karina sighs.“For what it’s worth, I am sorry.And I will figure out who did this.I’ve come too far to let another Abernathy blow up my life.”

Something in her voice—steel laced with exhaustion—gives me pause.

Maybe she’s not the enemy here.

“Ms.Peters.”I sit down across from her.“I’m not firing you.”

Her shoulders drop in visible relief.

“Yet,” I add.

Her mouth opens.Closes.

“We’re in the middle of an acquisition that wraps in sixty days,” I remind her.“MacTavish Global.Ms.Peters, I don’t know if you’re aware of what we do here at Abernathy Corp?—“

“Well, I am the Marketing Director, so I’m like four-hundred percent aware.”

“—But I didn’t spend the last twenty years, building this world's largest digital identity protection service only to have my flighty brother and a few digital perverts?—“

“Seventy-three thousand reposts is far from just a ‘few’ but I understand your?—“

“Ms.Peters.”My voice takes on a razor-thin edge, my fingertips digging into armrests of my chair.“Abernathy Corp is a global tech security firm.Our clients trust us with their digital assets—their entire lives.And somehow we can’t stop our own digital content from running amok.Despite that,” I blink slowly, “I didn’t bring the company this far just to only come this far.Nothing is going to stop this deal from happening.Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Good.”I lean forward.“Because for the foreseeable future, you’ll be working directly under me.Effective immediately.”

“I—wait.You mean?—?”

“You’re moving into my office.”

Her brows spring upwards.“That’s… unconventional.”

“So is a post about my ‘superior posterior’ on the company SkySnap.”

“I didn’t write it!”she snaps, then softens.“But fine.I understand.When do I move?”

“Now.”I stand.“And Ms.Peters?”

“Yes?”

“If I find out you were behind this…”

“You won’t.”She meets my gaze, steady and unflinching.“Because I wasn’t.I’ve worked too hard to lose everything over a meme.”

My phone buzzes again.

Connor:Bro.Your kilt pics are trending higher than my company stock.My engagement party theme = Scottish Formal?Asking for the group chat.

Of course.My friends are spreading this like wildfire.

“This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn’t it?”I mutter.

Karina rises, grabbing her things.“Probably.But don’t worry, Mr.Abernathy.”She smiles tightly.“Handling Abernathy disasters?Kinda my specialty.”