Page 112 of Point of Contention

I’m sorry. This morning has been a shit show.

She responded a second later, with:

Learn how to deal with your shit.

My jaw clenched, but instead of sending an angry response, I set the phone down again and spun to look out the window. See? Iwaslearning how to deal with my shit. She was forcing me to, for fuck’s sake.

This woman was going to test me for the rest of my life, wasn’t she?

Groaning because the thought of that should have irritated me but it only worked to soothe, I turned back around and grabbed my cell, then pulled up my call log and called Travis It would be all hands on deck for the near future.

“What’s up?” he answered after two rings.

“We have a problem.”

“Yeah, when do we not?”

“Roderick Rombauer is behind the leaked photos.”

It was quiet for a beat, then he said, “That fucking asshole.”

I nodded. “Get here quickly.”

Ending the call, I tilted my head back, closing my eyes as I began to search my mind for a solution to even just one of my problems.

My father wanted me to marry and, I’d recently hypothesized, give him a grandchild. It made sense in a generational-wealth sort of way, but I still didn’t fully understand it. Why now? Why the rush?

Before the scandal, I’d been ready to step up, take my rightful place as his successor, so why the deceit? Why the scheming behind my back?

Was it simply because he knew the Rombauers were after Reed Enterprises?

Was he stacking his cards?

Thirty minutes later, and no further along in my plan of counterattack, Cole sent me a text to alert me to Rylan’s arrival. She was on her way up.

I rose swiftly from my desk and hurried out of my office. I’d have to head her off at the elevators so she wouldn’t see Stella. At least not until I could make sure Rylan didn’t murder the woman—we still needed information only Stella could provide.

I poked my head into the conference room and said, “Stay put.”

Stella looked up at me from her phone, eyes narrowing as she flicked them between me and the elevator doors. “She’s coming here, isn’t she?”

I clenched my jaw. “She is. Rylan is going to be my wife.” The lie came out easily enough, though I wasn’t sure why I’d said it. Maybe to hurt Stella. Revenge for quite soroyallyhurting me.

Stella’s eyes lowered and she resumed scrolling.

An itch bloomed between my shoulder blades, then I stepped forward and plucked her phone from her hands.

Stella gaped at me.

“As long as you are inside Reed Tower, you are Enemy Number One.” I held her phone up, dangled between my fingers. “Can’t have you reaching out to either of your accomplices.” I tucked the phone into my breast pocket. “I’ll see to it that your lawyer is notified of the situation.”

Stella’s jaw clenched tight, but she didn’t argue.

The elevator dinged, alerting me to its arrival, so I shut the conference room door and turned toward the lobby.

The doors opened and Mina stepped out, followed closely by Rylan.

I breathed deeply and braced myself. These two women in the same small space together wasn’t ideal. Mina still hadn’t forgiven us for our relationship and the subsequent fall out that stemmed from it.