“But you never would have known about any of that if it weren’t for Ryan.” Scarlett doesn’t look at me when she says it, but I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s standing tall and powerful, and even though she shifts uncomfortably on her feet, her words are true. She knows what she’s doing.

“I’m not the type of person to say anything when I’ve been wronged. Or, at least, I wasn’t. I hope one day, I can be. But Ryan…he won’t let people like Charles Hall win, and I think that’s admirable. If there were any questions that he has always had not only the best interests of this book at heart but my best interests as well, I would think his willingness to tell you everything that happened despite the fact that you’re unhappy with him should dispel them.”

My brows pinch as I stare up at her. She’s setting something up here, but I don’t know what. Is she trying to save me this time? If that’s the case, I want to jump up and tell her she doesn’t have to.

Anastasios flicks his gaze to me, then back to Scarlett. “I won’t argue with that,” he says.

“Good.” She shifts her feet again and rests her hands on the back of the chair in front of her. “In the interest of full disclosure, Ryan and I were involved when we were both at JMP. Any relationship between us was established long before I signed with you, and I agreed to work with him because I knew he was the best person to work on my book. He only felt the need to disclose our relationship because you accused him of leaking my identity. I need to make it clear that I am not the only one who lost something because of Charles Hall. Ryan did, too. He loves this book as much as I do, and I think Casey would agree that his edits so far have been spot on.”

Casey nods, but my frown deepens. What the hell is she doing here? I take a breath to chime in, but she splays the fingers of the hand at her side closest to me in a signal to keep quiet, so I close my mouth and try my best to stay out of it.

“Ryan went one step further yesterday. He reminded me that men like Charles Hall shouldn’t win. Yes, his deals were rescinded, but if I don’t publish my book, he wins in a different way. I cannot let that happen.” She pulls the chair out and finally sits down, folding her hands in front of her in a move that mirrors Anastasios’s exactly.