She summoned a bright smile of her own. “Good morning, Mr. Tavio.”

“Good morning, Julia. It is Julia, isn’t it?”

Mark Tavio knew her name? She nodded in surprise, but before either of them could speak again, the next elevator arrived. The door opened, and Mr. Tavio headed in. He saw Jules hovering and motioned her in with a chuckle. “Oh, come on. I’m not that scary.”

Jules managed another smile and hurried in. The other people in the lobby didn’t seem to share Mr. Tavio’s assessment of himself, however, and hung back with anxious faces.

The doors closed. Mr. Tavio pressed the button for Du Jour’s floor, then his own. The elevator jolted into motion.

Her hands were getting sweaty on her purse strap.

“Things going well at Du Jour?” he asked, his gaze on the doors.

“Uh, yeah. I mean, yes.” Jules kept smiling because he could at least see her reflection. “Busy as ever, but fine.”

Mr. Tavio hmm’d. “And Vivian? What’s she up to these days?”

Shit. She should have known. He was probing her for information. Who better to keep an eye on Vivian and then report back than her assistant?

“Just the usual.” Her voice was shockingly steady, thank God. “You know, being fabulous and all that. The Charleston shoot looks like it’s going to be great.”

His chuckle was decidedly less friendly. “It better be, for what it’s costing Koening.”

Jules stared at the elevator buttons as they lit up floor by floor. Why was it taking so long?

“I’ve heard great things about you,” Mr. Tavio said abruptly.

Her stomach flipped.

“Vivian puts her trust in you,” Mr. Tavio continued. “Completely, from what I understand. That hasn’t happened in all the time I’ve known her.”

She said nothing.

He looked down at her, his white eyebrows drawing together as if he just didn’t get the appeal. “Then again, these are unusual times for her. Times like this, you need all the friends you can get.”

That gleam in his eye portended nothing good. Here it came. He was going to ask her to narc. Not that Jules would. Not that there was even anything to narc on. Vivian wasn’t up to anything dastardly in the office. But Mark Tavio was paranoid and untrusting and undoubtedly thought a lowly assistant would jump at the chance to get in good with the chairman. Well, he was wrong. Never in a million years would Jules—

“I think Vivian could use one less friend,” he said. “You’re fired.”

Silence, except for Jules’s heartbeat in her ears.

He looked down at her with his subzero eyes.

“What?” she croaked.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll find something else soon, a smart girl like you. Get Vivian to help.”

“Help?” Jules said. Her eyes widened. “Mr. Tavio, I don’t understand.”