I stood and left without a goodbye, sliding into my seat and opening my own laptop to file away her threat and work through my notifications. Emails first, then my calendar. I went through my following day, making a mental checklist of everything I’d need to get done to match the expanded calendar, adding the Hilton menu to my next visit to Skylight.

Busy, busy, busy I kept myself, surprised when I realized the sky was on fire with dusk.

Swearing to myself, I closed my laptop and packed up my things. It was far enough beyond our normal hours that I owed Addison no explanation, and she didn’t ask, just watched me with those jackal eyes as I left the office.

And almost ran straight into Caroline.

She laughed, an easy sound, and grabbed my arms to stop us both from falling.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, heart pounding, though I smiled in response to her laughter. “I am so sorry.”

“It’s all right. I was actually coming to find you. I just received a call from Iris Berkshire.”

I stepped back, stiffening for the blow.

But she kept smiling. “Don’t look so worried. She called to apologize for Johanna’s behavior last week and mentioned that she’d received a partial refund for the flowers. When she called Longbourne, they said you’d told them of the mistake, so they took care of it. Well done, Lila.”

Relief and pride brought a flush of heat to my cheeks. “Thank you, Caroline.”

“No, it’s me who should be thanking you. We knew Johanna was going to be difficult the second she walked in, and she lived up to her reputation. You handled it beautifully. Keep up the good work,” she said before cupping my elbow and breezing toward her office.

I floated to the elevator, though I felt Addison’s eyes on my back. She’d seen the whole exchange, and like a petty bitch, I hoped it ate her alive not to know what had been said. When I turned in the elevator to face the doors, our gazes snagged for the briefest of moments before getting cut by the closing metal. It was a win—a small one but a win nonetheless. And I needed a win.

Because my next task would be utter bullshit. I only hoped Brock wouldn’t be home when I completed it.