Page 38 of The Deception: Hercules Valentine and I

“Good morning,” Hercules and I say at the same time.

We wait until they’re inside before we look at each other again.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later,” he says.

Products. Yikes.I feel ill prepared for our meeting.

I swallow to moisten my dry throat. “Yes, of course.”

Hercules nods. I feel like I should say more. Then Harv rounds the corner and heads in our direction.

“Goodbye,” I say and rush inside.

When I sit down at my desk, I can feel Lake staring at me. I avoid looking at her as I power on my computer. A personal message from her immediately pops up:What happened last night between you and the demigod?

I fight the urge to hyperventilate as I see scenes from our interaction in the elevator. I don’t want to lie to her, and the current setting and time isn’t conducive for telling the truth.

We’ll talk later, I reply.

Did you f?she asks.

I blink at her, thinking,Lie.I can’t.

My cellphone chime jolts me out of my state of crisis. I take my device out of my purse and read the screen.

Shit, it’s Treasure.I leap to my feet as I tap the answer button while heading to my private office. “Hi.”

“Where are you?” Treasure asks rather curtly.

“Umm…” I go inside and quickly close the door behind me. “Work.”

“Where are you working?”

“I’m in New York. Why?”

“Doing what?”

I sigh sharply. “Working. Why are you asking me that?”

“Are you working at VTI?”

Shocked, I sit up straight and whisper, “Did my brother tell you?”

“Listen to yourself. ‘My brother’? You can’t say Max’s name?”

I scoff. “What do you want, Treasure?”

“This is you, isn’t it? I mean, she’s your twin, only her eyes are a funny kind of blue, and yours are brown.”

I frown, confused. “What?”

My phone dings, and I pull the device away from my ear to view the photo Treasure just sent me. I gasp into the palm of my hand. I’m looking at a picture of me standing in front of my team during yesterday’s meeting.

“Who sent you this?” I whisper. It feels as if the walls are watching and recording me.

“Who do you think?”

Only one person in that room knew Treasure. “Orion?”