Page 91 of Her Dark Lies

Harper has to make this right. This woman holds her future in her perfectly manicured hands. “Mrs. Compton, I’m so embarrassed. I have abused your trust, and your kindness. Will you be able to forgive me?”

Those cold eyes bore right through her. “I admit, I’m not thrilled by your lack of faith in us, that you wouldn’t at least have the courtesy to talk to us before you tried to land the scoop of the century.”

Harper nods, chagrined. “It wasn’t very classy.”

“No, it wasn’t. But I admire your ambition. I admire the guts it took to try and go up against us. You were trying to right a wrong. A wrong that didn’t happen, a malicious prank, but a wrong, nonetheless. And that’s something I can understand.”

“I’m grateful to hear that, Mrs. Compton.”

“Please. Call me Ana.”

“I... Okay. Ana.”

“Which brings me to why we’re having this little chat. Here’s what I’d like to talk to you about, Harper. You’re smart. You’re stylish. You have guts, and determination, and independence. We’ve already established that you are ambitious, to a fault. You’re also an excellent photographer and have quite a following. I’ve just lost my right hand. Henna was the most dynamic woman I’ve ever worked with. She too had style, and determination, and ambition. You remind me of her, in many ways. I know this is a sudden offer, but I wonder if you’d be interested in working for me. Taking over Henna’s position.”

Harper’s head snaps up.

“I just tried to blow up your family, and you’re offering me a job?”

“I’m offering you an opportunity.”

Harper laughs, mirthlessly. “Claire won’t like it.”

Ana smiles. “From what I can tell, you don’t particularly worry about your sister’s opinion, do you? We’ll make it work. We aren’t all together like this very often. You wouldn’t have to see her if you didn’t want to—we could work the schedules so you’re elsewhere. But I think, perhaps, you’ve had your revenge? A sister is an important part of a woman’s life. I wish I had one. I always have. Good, bad, indifferent. It’s a blood tie that can’t be broken.”

“Some things aren’t forgivable.” Harper hears the bitterness in her tone. She can’t help it. Forgiving Claire is impossible.

“I understand. Well, you think about it. If you decide you’d like to work with me, you let me know.”

Harper makes the decision without another thought. If this woman is magnanimous enough to offer her a position after she’d tried to screw her to the wall? It feels right, and she can always leave if it doesn’t work out.

“I would like to, actually. Yes.”

Ana’s face breaks into a wide smile, and Harper is struck by her beauty.

“Excellent. I took the liberty of having an NDA drafted. As you can imagine, what I’ve just told you is quite personal to the family. This will cover our current and future conversations. Will you sign it?”

Ana sets the blue-backed paper on the table between them, and hands Harper a pen. She barely glances at the document before signing. Is it her imagination, or do Ana Compton’s shoulders relax a fraction when Harper sets down the pen?

“Wonderful. Let’s get through the wedding this evening, and tomorrow we’ll sit down and discuss your salary, your duties, and what I feel you can bring to the table. And you can think about how you’d like to work with me. And with your sister, of course.”

“That sounds great, Mrs. Compton.”

“Ana. Please.”

“Ana. The wedding is this evening?”

“In light of everything that’s happening, we’re going to move up the ceremony. I assume you’ll want to take some photographs of your sister?” She nods at Harper’s camera. “It has a fresh SD card. I’m sure you understand.”

Harper sighs. “I do. It’s a shame. The photographs I took of you were wonderful.”

“We’ll do it again. Thank you, Harper. This is a burden lifted.”

“No, Ana. Thank you.”

“Before you do anything else, you need to talk to Karmen again, so she can get the process moving for your background check. Just give her your basic information, social, address, and we’ll get the ball rolling. That won’t be a problem, will it?”

“No. Absolutely no problem at all.”