Page 60 of The Price of Scandal

“Even though he—and the rest of your board—went behind your back and hired me? That’s very big of you.”

She schooled her features into her classic Ice Queen expression. “Point, Price?”

“Lita,” he said. “How do you know you can trust her?”

“Lita?” Emily laughed as if the question were ridiculous. “Because she held my hair when I threw up Cristal on my twenty-first birthday. Because she was there with me in the lab from the beginning. Flawless is our vision. She’s the only one who believed in me. Because she’s kept secrets.”

“Yet she isn’t your partner. Neither is your father,” I pointed out.

“You’re annoying me with your questions,” she said.

“I’m asking simple, direct questions. You say you trust people, yet it looks to me as though you’re keeping them at a precisely measured distance.”

She stayed silent for a long beat, and I wondered if I’d pushed too hard, then decided it didn’t matter.

“Both your father and Lita are minority shareholders. Your father could have invested in your company. You could have given Lita a bigger piece.”

“Derek, how I structure my company isn’t any of your concern,” she said, her tone frosty.

“Emily,” I replied in an exact imitation of her own chilly annoyance. “I’m merely doing my job. I need to know who you trust and why if we’re going to get you out of this situation.”

She turned back to the sunset. She looked tired, and I wondered if all of this was taking an invisible toll on her.

“My father has steamroller tendencies and no understanding of—or interest in—the female skincare industry. As a director, he’s encouraged to provide guidance and feedback, not direct the vision of my company.”

“And Lita?” I pressed.

She sighed and chose her words carefully. “While she has been there since the inception of Flawless, she doesn’t have—forgive the pun—skin in the game. She wasn’t lucky enough to be born into a trust fund as I was. I fronted the cash. I own the company.”

“There’s more you’re pretending to be too polite to say,” I pointed out.

“Lita has never been one to bleed or sweat for a cause.” Her shoulders tensed. “She cares as much as is convenient. I don’t mean that flippantly. She cares deeply for me and for Flawless. But not everyone is interested in making their work the top priority for every one of the twenty-four hours in a day. I understand that and respect it.”

“Is there a resentment there?”

“You mean does Lita resent me?” she clarified. “I think she’s quite comfortable with our arrangement. In fact, there are many times I envy her ability to prioritize her personal life. She has no qualms about escaping for a long spa weekend or taking every single one of her vacation days. Her life is her priority. Flawless is mine.”

“And you wonder if anyone can care as much as you do if they aren’t willing to put in the time,” I guessed.

She paused. “Maybe.”

“I care,” I said. “And I’m not going to stop until you have what you want.”

The last sliver of sun dipped below the horizon.

She returned to the chair next to me and sat. “No offense, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said.

“How about a side wager?” I offered.

“You want me to bet that you won’t save my reputation?” she asked with a laugh.

“I’m very competitive. The higher the stakes, the better I perform.”

“We’re not discussing your bedroom habits,” she said haughtily.

“Funny. See? No one in the world knows what a wicked sense of humor you have. I can show them.”

“I’m a real comedian,” Emily said dryly.