I’m back,” she said, blowing out a breath and smiling at Paola, trying to ignore the intense quivering in her stomach.
“Good,” she said. “Very good. We’re glad to have you.”
“As am I,” Eduardo said, his eyes never leaving Hannah. “Come,
querida,
I want to show you some of the changes I’ve made.”
She offered Paola another smile and a stilted nod before following Eduardo into the first elevator on the right. She let out a breath when the platinum doors closed.
“Very convincing,” Eduardo said, a strange smile curving his lips. It was almost predatory.
“I know, right?” she snapped. “I’m a great actress, remember?”
“Why didn’t you just head to Hollywood instead of pursuing a career in finance? You wouldn’t have had to fake school transcripts.”
She cleared her throat and tightened her hold on her bag. “Too much chance involved. I don’t do chance. I do certainty. Control. Something I could work hard enough to achieve. Luck has never really been on my side—” she swept a hand up and down in Eduardo’s direction “—obviously. So I didn’t figure I should make a plan that included lucking into anything.”
“Are you saying our association has been unlucky for you?”
She gritted her teeth, thinking of the letter of recommendation that had happened to find the firm she’d wanted so badly to get a job at in New York. A letter from the HR department at Vega. “Not entirely, but you have to admit, getting kidnapped on your wedding day isn’t good luck.”
He chuckled as the elevator stopped. “Now, that depends.”
The doors slid open and he stepped out; she followed. “On what?”
“On how you feel about the person you’re marrying.”
The floor was quiet, essentially vacant. The highest offices in the building were reserved for the big dogs of the company, and at this point, Eduardo was the biggest dog.
He opened the door to what had been his father’s office, and Hannah’s throat constricted. More emotion. She wasn’t used to it. She didn’t like it, either.
“You don’t have to open doors for me, you know,” she said, sweeping into the room. “I know you aren’t a gentleman.”
He arched a brow and closed the door behind them. “I’m hardly trying to convince you otherwise.”
“Obviously.”
“All right, Hannah,” he said, moving to his desk, his demeanorchanging. He sat down and hit a few keys on his keyboard, waking up the flat-screen monitor. “This is what we’re looking at.”
“What’s this?”
“Financial records for the past few years.”
“I need to sit,” she said.
He stood from the computer chair and she slid past him, trying to ignore the little jolt of pleasure she felt when she brushed against him. “So, what exactly do you think is going on?”
He blew out a breath. “Certain things in particular are problematic for me. Remembering numbers and dates are among them. But it wouldn’t be as big of an issue had I not hired someone to handle it that didn’t do his job.”
“On purpose or … criminally?” she asked, opening the report for the previous years’ finances.
“I’m not entirely certain.”
“Well, incompetence should be criminal,” she said, skimming the numbers. “And please hold all comments on how I should be an expert on the matter. I am in here saving your butt, after all.”
“You are so very charming, Hannah.”
She gritted her teeth and leaned in closer to the computer screen, trying to close him out of her range of focus. “Yeah, well, had I gone to charm school I probably would have failed there just as spectacularly as I flunked out of high school.”
“Why did you fail high school? Because we both know you’re capable of doing the work.”
Her stomach dipped and she tried to will away the guttearing pain that always came with this set of memories. Tried to put herself firmly in the present, as Hannah Weston. Not as the Hannah she had been. “I didn’t try.”
“That
“Good,” she said. “Very good. We’re glad to have you.”
“As am I,” Eduardo said, his eyes never leaving Hannah. “Come,
querida,
I want to show you some of the changes I’ve made.”
She offered Paola another smile and a stilted nod before following Eduardo into the first elevator on the right. She let out a breath when the platinum doors closed.
“Very convincing,” Eduardo said, a strange smile curving his lips. It was almost predatory.
“I know, right?” she snapped. “I’m a great actress, remember?”
“Why didn’t you just head to Hollywood instead of pursuing a career in finance? You wouldn’t have had to fake school transcripts.”
She cleared her throat and tightened her hold on her bag. “Too much chance involved. I don’t do chance. I do certainty. Control. Something I could work hard enough to achieve. Luck has never really been on my side—” she swept a hand up and down in Eduardo’s direction “—obviously. So I didn’t figure I should make a plan that included lucking into anything.”
“Are you saying our association has been unlucky for you?”
She gritted her teeth, thinking of the letter of recommendation that had happened to find the firm she’d wanted so badly to get a job at in New York. A letter from the HR department at Vega. “Not entirely, but you have to admit, getting kidnapped on your wedding day isn’t good luck.”
He chuckled as the elevator stopped. “Now, that depends.”
The doors slid open and he stepped out; she followed. “On what?”
“On how you feel about the person you’re marrying.”
The floor was quiet, essentially vacant. The highest offices in the building were reserved for the big dogs of the company, and at this point, Eduardo was the biggest dog.
He opened the door to what had been his father’s office, and Hannah’s throat constricted. More emotion. She wasn’t used to it. She didn’t like it, either.
“You don’t have to open doors for me, you know,” she said, sweeping into the room. “I know you aren’t a gentleman.”
He arched a brow and closed the door behind them. “I’m hardly trying to convince you otherwise.”
“Obviously.”
“All right, Hannah,” he said, moving to his desk, his demeanorchanging. He sat down and hit a few keys on his keyboard, waking up the flat-screen monitor. “This is what we’re looking at.”
“What’s this?”
“Financial records for the past few years.”
“I need to sit,” she said.
He stood from the computer chair and she slid past him, trying to ignore the little jolt of pleasure she felt when she brushed against him. “So, what exactly do you think is going on?”
He blew out a breath. “Certain things in particular are problematic for me. Remembering numbers and dates are among them. But it wouldn’t be as big of an issue had I not hired someone to handle it that didn’t do his job.”
“On purpose or … criminally?” she asked, opening the report for the previous years’ finances.
“I’m not entirely certain.”
“Well, incompetence should be criminal,” she said, skimming the numbers. “And please hold all comments on how I should be an expert on the matter. I am in here saving your butt, after all.”
“You are so very charming, Hannah.”
She gritted her teeth and leaned in closer to the computer screen, trying to close him out of her range of focus. “Yeah, well, had I gone to charm school I probably would have failed there just as spectacularly as I flunked out of high school.”
“Why did you fail high school? Because we both know you’re capable of doing the work.”
Her stomach dipped and she tried to will away the guttearing pain that always came with this set of memories. Tried to put herself firmly in the present, as Hannah Weston. Not as the Hannah she had been. “I didn’t try.”
“That
Similar Books
