The Truth

Before I can reply, Daniel steps forward, getting right up in Shaun’s face. His jaw is clenched and his eyes are full of cold fury. His hands fist at his sides, but I’m not scared Daniel’s going to punch him. Daniel doesn’t lose control like that.

Daniel’s voice is hard as he clips out, “Tiffany is not a secretary. She’s the head of the front desk staff and admin department.” He raises his voice, clearly intending to say this one time only. “She is also my fiancée. Both of those roles require you to respect her, as you should every person in this company. If you’ve got a problem with that, I’ve got a problem with you.”

Shaun’s face pales, and I think he’s starting to realize how badly he’s fucked up. What led him to this suicidal commentary is beyond me. All I can think is he must have pre-spent that bonus before it evaporated on him.

“Mr. Stryker, I—”

“And Mark and Brandon were not fired for who they were dating,” Daniel declares in a voice so loud that it echoes off the ceiling, ensuring that the gathered crowd on the upper floors can hear every word too, “but rather, why they were dating.”

“What? They said it was a conflict of interest. Some bullshit you fabricated to get out of paying our bonus.”

I appreciate that Daniel defended me, and us. And especially the speed with which he cut that shit off, showing that he’s definitely learned from the incident at the restaurant.

But I’ve learned too. Daniel prioritizes business and is smart about what moves he makes. He can’t say too much about former employees. It’s not professional, possibly not legal, and most of all, it’s not his style. I am not nearly as classy, though.

And I know all the dirt.

“Those two were getting led around by their balls by someone at TRE. The same someone, and she was using them both for intel so they could all buy stocks in TRE before the buyout and make bank off Fox’s back. Might have gotten away with it too if they didn’t get so greedy and add stupid shit to the contract. Dumbasses didn’t even realize they were being used by her.”

Shaun blinks, and his head drops. “Fuck.” Horror stricken, he looks around at the crowd of people he just royally messed up in front of. “I didn’t . . . I didn’t know—”

“Exactly,” I snap. “You didn’t know. You were on the same team, in case you don’t remember. So perhaps you should go upstairs and be thankful that you’ve still got a job because Daniel took the time to look into the whole issue and not slice and dice the whole team. And also, shut the hell up about what you don’t know.”

Daniel takes a deep breath, putting a calming hand on my lower back. “Tiffany.”

It’s just my name on his lips, but it stops me in my tracks.

Okay, so maybe I said too much. Or maybe it was a bit too aggressive. But I’m not going to let anyone talk shit about Daniel or about his business.

He takes my hand, the warmth grounding me as we present a united front, shoulder to shoulder and daring anyone to have an issue with us.

Daniel dips his chin, finishing the scene, and leads me to my office door. Behind me, I hear Billy and Ricky talking, and Shaun says something about updating his resume. I ignore it, focusing on Daniel instead. Along the way, I whisper, “You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”

“Tiffany, I won’t let anyone speak badly about you, ever. Not in front of me, not in my building, not anytime I can stop it.”

“Thank you. But . . .”

I trail off, not sure if I should say what I’m thinking. Daniel gives me a pointed look, reminding me of what we’ve vowed. The truth, always.

“What?” he asks, and we stop at my door.

“Every person here should get the same respect,” I tell him softly. “You have no idea how much it sucks to be invisible in your own company.”

Daniel blinks, obviously thinking about my words. He clears his throat before saying, “You’re right. I’ve overlooked too many good people. Too many of us do.”

“But we can change that,” I remind him. “Together.”

He gives me a grateful smile. “Together,” he repeats. “And thank you for saying what I couldn’t. That mouth of yours is something else.” He looks at my lips, and though I desperately want to kiss him, I refrain because of where we are and the audience we have. I think we’ve done enough for one day. “Instead of tonight, can I see you for lunch? I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

“Yep, can’t say no when the big boss man asks you to lunch,” I tease, emphasizing big just a little for his benefit.