Olympia stood in the hallway holding a box of pastries, her gaze sliding over Rosamond with undisguised satisfaction, her tone bright with the kind of cheer designed to cut.
"Oh, Attorney Henson, you're still here? I came to see Bryce. I wanted to thank him personally for renewing the retainer with our firm this year."
The words drove into Rosamond's chest like a cluster of needles, each one small enough to ignore on its own, unbearable together. She turned to Bryce.
"You already signed a new contract with the firm? Why didn't I know about this?"
Olympia pressed a hand to her lips in exaggerated surprise.
"You really didn't know? It just happened. Delgado Group's secretary signed the renewal with the firm a few minutes ago."
"But it doesn't matter whether you knew or not. Bryce specifically requested that I replace you as their lead counsel. Delgado Group's affairs have nothing to do with you anymore."
Rosamond's heartbeat faltered. She stared at Bryce, unable to process what she was hearing.
"Is what she's saying true?"
Bryce pulled Olympia behind him, shielding her as though Rosamond were the threat.
"Rosa, Olympia isn't like you. She needs this retainer to establish herself at the firm."
"You have plenty of cases. You won't miss this one. Besides..."
His gaze flicked over her face, his tone flat, almost clinical.
"Your PR situation still isn't resolved. If the company keeps you on as counsel, it reflects poorly on us."
Rosamond studied his face and realized, for the first time, that the boy she remembered no longer existed behind those eyes.
Perhaps this had always been who he was. Perhaps the Bryce Delgado she thought she knew had never been real.
She still remembered the day they first met. She had been proud and solitary by nature, and her classmates had made her pay for it.
They spread rumors with gleeful abandon: her money came from a sugar daddy, her designer bags were gifts from a patron, even the awards she'd won in competitions were bought with her body.
She became the entire school's favorite target.
Back then, Rosamond believed the truth would speak for itself. She refused to dignify the lies with a response.
But the rumors only grew. Those people started showing up at her classroom door to hurl insults to her face.
Not a single classmate spoke up for her. Even her teachers believed the accusations and wanted to suspend her pending an investigation.