"So tell me, which option works better, Athena?" Benedict leaned back in his chair and asked her, his tone perfectly flat.
I didn't let go. I stared Athena down. I hadn't even begun to settle accounts for what happened to Cindy, and here she was, delivering herself right to my doorstep.
Athena wrenched her hand free and rubbed her wrist, humiliation curdling into fury.
"You dare claim you don't have a single skeleton in your closet?"
Derek's shadow flickered through my mind. But no. There was no way.
"Feel free to dig, Ms. Simmons. After all, you do have a talent for fabricating things out of thin air."
"You—!" Athena choked on her own words. Then she pivoted, her whole demeanor softening as she turned to Benedict. "Ben, she's violent! Look what she did to me!"
"Thelma. Apologize to her." Anger flashed across Benedict's face, edged with impatience.
"Then she owes me an apology for slander," I fired back.
"Athena isn't like that. Someone under her probably dug these up, and she rushed over to tell me." Benedict was making excuses for her.
"Then she should apologize for throwing unverified photos in your face," I pressed, refusing to yield.
"If you still want this contract, apologize." Benedict's voice hardened into a command.
I looked at Athena standing there, triumphant. Then at Benedict, her willing accomplice. Then I remembered why I'd come here in the first place.
A smile slid onto my face in an instant. I'd perfected that skill during years of corporate servitude.
I took Athena's wrist, the same one she claimed I'd bruised, and said gently, "Athena, my temper got the better of me. I'm sorry." Then I turned to Benedict with a warm smile.
"And Mr. Fox, please don't be upset. Athena is just so trusting, she's bound to make mistakes sometimes. I'll help you keep an eye on her from now on."
Athena opened her mouth to find fault but couldn't land a single blow. She stood off to the side, fuming in silence.
"Head back. I'll see you at the gala tonight." Benedict's voice turned gentle again.
I walked out of the office. Miles fell into step beside me, his voice low. "Ms. Summers, Mr. Fox treats you differently than the others."
"Differently?"
"The previous nine. He never let any of them stay in that house. And he never personally delivered shoes to anyone."
I paused mid-step. "That house. Whose is it?"