Page 147 of Provoke

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I can’t believe this. I honestly thought we had this in the bag.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless.”

“Me, too.” He looks at me as though he’s got something to say but quickly looks away.

“What is it?” I ask, stepping forward.

He rocks back on his heels. “You didn’t share anything else about the Diosa campaign with Asher... right?”

I can tell he’s struggling to ask the question, but it doesn’t matter. It’s clear the thought entered his mind, and that only makes my chest ache as anger and anxiety flare.

“You’re serious? We talked about this, Charles. You know everything.”

His hands fly up. “I know. I just... had to be sure. You must understand my predicament, considering.”

“Considering what?” I snap. “That one time I mentioned in a conversation with my best friend that I was excited because we might land a superstar? It’s a far damn cry from handing over my pitch.”

He sighs, jaw ticking. “I know. I am sorry I asked. I simply needed to hear from you that it wasn’t the case. Please understand—”

“When did they reschedule to?”

I cut him off, trying to avoid a bigger fight. He has reason to ask, and as much as I want to lash out at him, I can’t. I put the doubt there in the first place.

His head shakes as though he’s trying to clear his mind. “When did they reschedule to?”

“The meeting,” I snap a little too harshly.

“Monday, nine o’clock.” He runs his hands back through his hair, pulling at the roots. A move I’ve seen him do far too often lately.

“We should probably postpone going to the Hamptons,” I say, lowering my voice and looking toward my feet.

“The presentation is ready. We’re going,” he says firmly. “But we should probably limit it to one night.”

Relief swims through me. He still wants to go with me. Despite everything, we’re going to have some alone time.

“That makes sense,” I say, stuffing as much happiness into my voice as possible, considering we’d just been arguing. “Get back late on Saturday and have an entire day to rest before the pitch.”

“You still want to go?” he asks, and it’s filled with hope.

I nod. “Of course, I do.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. The events surrounding Diosa are surely weighing heavily on him.

“What did Sergio say about the change?” I ask.

“He was concerned. Wanted to know that we could get Holly on board.” He sighs. “Sergio saw the mock-ups, and he’s obsessed with the campaign we’ve created around Holly at this point. If we have to change talent, it will be a hard sell for him.”

“I don’t understand how this happened.”

“Someone in this office is feeding Bauer information. It’s the only way,” he grits through his teeth.

“It’s not me, Charles. I swear it.”

He grabs my hand. “I know you don’t think it’s you, Raven. I’m willing to gamble it all that this has nothing to do with you.”

I squeeze his hands. “How do we figure out who it is? Can we do that?”

“I’ll have the security team comb through incoming and outgoing emails. That will be the best way to snuff them out.”


Tags: Ava Harrison Romance