"I'll need you to sign in your guests." She passes a clipboard across the polished marble.
"This is my team, Scottie and Miller." I release Miller's hand and sign them in myself.
Kristi gives a slight wave, her gaze glossing over as she stares a little too long at Miller.
Scottie doesn't hide his snicker, and I try to remain passive.
"What the fuck are you doing with my fiancée?" A snarly bark comes from the other side of the lobby as Brock storms across the area.
I spin, Miller closing in on my back as Scottie steps halfway in front of me protectively.
"Fiancée?" Kristi cries out.
My head flies to the side in time to see her hands land on her baby bump.
"Fiancée? You're engaged to her?" she repeats in a strangled voice.
It all clicks into place, and my chest seizes at the heartache in her appearance. He ignores her completely, stopping a few feet away, his eyes sweltering with self-righteousness.
It's time. I straighten my shoulders, find my inner bitch, and glare back at him. "You demanded I come, I'm here."
An evil grin curls on his lips as he nods. "Defiance looks sexy on you, Ash. I've missed it."
Miller snarls, Kristi sobs, and Scottie whistles low.
"We'll be in my office. Deal with your mess." I hook each man's elbow and usher them out of the lobby without another look at the poor girl.
My entry code still works and I drop their elbows, walking in front of them, feeling all eyes of the staff as we pass. It seems like a hundred miles before we reach my old office and I can close us in.
Once the door is shut, Miller is in my space. His body is trembling, his anger alive in the room. "I don't like him near you."
"He's slime."
"Well, I didn't see that coming. The receptionist is knocked up with Satan’s baby. Sucks to be her." Scottie falls back on my office couch, clearly unaffected.
"She's a twenty-eight-year-old woman who was orphaned when her parents died in an accident!" I hiss. "She's been working her way toward a bachelor's degree in paralegal sciences for years! He took advantage of her."
"Got that, but cool the empathy for a few more hours, Burberry Bitch."
"I hate this place!"
"Understandably. Stephanie and I would never sleep with our receptionist," he throws back.
"Scottie," Miller growls, "let's get this shit going."
"Right, Ashlyn probably needs to have this couch soon. Pregnant women need to rest."
All my reflexes go at once, and I instantly fall back to the door, shoving Miller back. "I'm not pregnant."
"You are after that performance in the shower this morning. It rocked through the walls."
All the breath leaves my lungs, and my jaw drops as I glance at Miller.
The anger drains from him, and his cocky smile blinds me. "Yeah, that was good."
"ARE YOU CRAZY? Don’t encourage him. "
"I think it was a good performance."
"I agree." Scottie thrusts his hips in the air.
"Boys! I hate you right now." Embarrassment washes through me.
"Good, I need a lot of hate instead of this—whatever it is." Scottie heaves himself up as there's a knock at my back.
They go stone still, assuming similar stances as I open the door and find my previous junior associate in M&A, Lena, scowling with a stack of files.
"Fucking golden girl shows back up." She shunts past me, making a point to elbow me in the ribs. "You left a goddamn mess."
"Lena, I didn't invite you into my office." I snap into character.
"Cut the shit. I'm done walking in your footsteps; I'm an associate now. Brock and the senior team think this case needs your grace, your name on this because of your reputation. But I'm done living in your shadow."
"My shadow is the best place you could be. Ride those coattails as long as you can."
She glowers, flames directed to me. "Fuck you, Ashlyn."
The air in the room turns glacial. A quick glance toward Miller and Scottie tells me they're unhappy but letting me take the lead. I cross my arms, locking gazes with Lena. One of my sharpest traits while practicing law was the ability to read people. It was a survival skill in my position. The proficiency clicks back into place easily as I study her closely.
My and Lena’s working relationship was purely professional. With me dead set on gunning the fast track to partnership, there wasn't the time or interest in any socialization. Her work, research, and dedication were acceptable, and with the right mentor, she could have skyrocketed.
No one in my professional circle had any interest in coaching her to the next level. They passed her over repeatedly for opportunities she openly desired, but she kept working hard to prove herself. The black-hearted bitch in me played my role well.
But now, my chest aches. Looking at her, knowing she'd do anything to be noticed and get ahead, it's plain to see. The woman she was when I left was tough, but the hatred in her expression and the loathing in her spewed words tell her story.
They played her, annihilating her self-worth in the process.
"Lena, you didn't have to do it." My voice is steady but not harsh.
She remains stony, not giving anything away.
"He's a married man in a position of immense power. Judge or not, he would not escalate your career."
To some, it may be unnoticeable, but it's a blinking sign to me. Her dark eyes flicker and pack with regret.
She did what I wouldn't do. They swayed her to have sex in order to benefit the firm.
"You don't know what you're talking about," she replies acidly.
"Ashlyn." This comes from Scottie. His tone alone speaks his warning. This is not the time to show my bleeding heart. There's too much at stake.
I battle down my sympathy and square my shoulders, walking around her to the back of my desk. "I assume those files are for my review. You can leave them."
"I'm not leaving them. We will
