Page 153 of The Price of Scandal

“Go make us reservations,” she said with a wink.

49

Emily

Ipropped my feet up on the desk and admired the aggressive point of my shoes. I’d probably be spending more time in Nike than Prada in the future. Or completely naked if Derek had a vote.

A lot of things would be different. And the only thing standing between me and that wide-open future was walking in the door in Givenchy couture. The kind of dress you’d want to be photographed in when you were named CEO.

Lita stopped short when she spotted me behind her desk but recovered quickly.

“Emily? What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling off her oversized sunglasses and scanning the room.

“I’m just here to congratulate my very best friend on her new promotion,” I said. “CEO. Are you sure you’re ready for it?”

All innocence and feigned confusion evaporated like a snake shedding its skin. “I’ve been ready for it for years. So has the rest of the company. You have no vision, no drive.”

“Oh, and you do?” I laughed. “You work maybe twenty-five hours a week, and that’s if I count your ‘working’ lunches. Your team does all of the heavy lifting. You’re lazy. You’re entitled. And you have no loyalty.”

“That’s rich,” she laughed mirthlessly.

I felt like I was in some overly dramatic soap opera.

“I’ve done more for this brand than anyone else, including you. You’d still be in the lab playing with pipettes if I hadn’t gotten you out of there.”

I rolled my eyes. “So you’re adelusionalbackstabber? Fun. Tell me, did La Sophia actually expect you to work for them, or were they just buying my formula with a salary and a fake title?”

“They paid outright for the formula. A salary and title were the bonus,” Lita said. She dropped her bag on a console table and rummaged through it, producing a compact. “But that’s peanuts compared to being CEO of Flawless. You really should be going, by the way. I have a meeting withmyboard.”

“Yeah, about that,” I said, offering up a fake wince. I took my feet off her desk and rose. “That meeting is going to go a little differently than you expected.”

She stopped lining her lips long enough to sneer in my direction.

“Now, what little fantasy world are you living in? I know they asked for your resignation. You don’t believe that you’re still in charge, do you?” She pouted. “Boo, so sad.”

“Oh, I’m not in charge anymore, Lita. At least not after this last little task. The board gave me one more thing to do before I leave.”

“What’s that? Pack your things? I’ll take those lovely little chocolates so you don’t have to carry them home.”

“You’re fired, Lita. Flawless no longer requires your ‘services.’”

Her eyes went hard. And for the first time, I saw her. Really saw her. Beneath the extensions, the fake lashes, the makeup. She was plain. That would have grated on her.

“Just for fun. What did you hate me for the most? That I always got the attention when we went out? That I had a trust fund? That I made straight As? Because I know it didn’t start with Flawless. You’ve always hated me.”

Efficiently, she capped her lipstick and tucked it back in her bag.

All masks gone. “You don’t deserve a damn thing,” she hissed. “You think just being born into a trust fund makes you worthy or interesting? It doesn’t.” She took a step toward me, and I crossed my arms so I wouldn’t belt her one.

“You could have had so much more. All you had to do was work for it. Earn it. But you didn’t. I gave you a title and a team, and you still couldn’t do the work. You’re no better than Trey, just expecting a handout everywhere you go. It’s pathetic.”

“Pathetic? Fuck you, Emily. Pathetic is you locking yourself in a lab or an office and living and dying by data. You don’t deserve your fortune. It’s wasted on you.”

“Hard work is never wasted. You barely made it through college. Without my help, you would have failed out. And without my generosity, you certainly wouldn’t be where you are now.”

“Generosity? You reminded me at every turn that you thought you were better than me. I hate you,” she hissed.

“That’s a shame. Because I really cared for you.” I had. And I’d mistaken her consistency in my life for loyalty.