"I see. Anyway, good job, Lyra. At least with this, we can start an investigation into his sister."
His words alarmed me.
"You can't!" I said sharply, and Daniel looked at me, shocked. "Why?" He gives me a puzzled look.
"Ryan will know it's me, and it will blow my cover. I was the only one who wasn't family present last night."
Daniel sits back down, a thinking look on his face. "You are right. We have to shift the focus from you. Tell me who else was there?"
I gave him the descriptions of everyone there, including the two security guys, before our arrival.
"What are you going to do?" I ask him with a sinking feeling. I am sure I am not going to like whatever he has to say.
Daniel stares directly into my eyes, leaning a little forward in his seat. "Look, Lyra, this is a golden opportunity you have given us, and we have to use it."
"You are right that suspicion will fall on you if we start an investigation into this, so we first have to create a scapegoat—someone who would take the fall."
I didn't like the idea of an innocent taking the fall for something I did. I mean, how are we any different from the Blackwells?
As if he could read my doubts on my face, Daniel says. "Lyra, I know you are a good person and wouldn't want an innocent to get hurt, but I want you to know that no one associated with the Blackwells is innocent."
I tried to find solace in Daniel's words, but I still had doubts and couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in my stomach.
Elated to have a plan against the Blackwells, Daniel didn't waste any time leaving; his mind already focused on the endless tasks needed to start investigating Ryan's sister.
He stopped by this morning to bring me groceries because he knows how much I hate grocery shopping.
And he's right.
After Daniel left, I went back to my room to get some much-needed rest because I was feeling exhausted, with my joints aching like I was ninety.
Ryan gave me ample time to rest at home before returning to work, and I did. Three days later, I returned to work feeling refreshed but a little nervous.
I haven't spoken to Daniel since he left my house the other day, so I have no idea how the investigation is going, and I worry his actions might have blown my cover.
I need not have worried because nothing has changed at work, except maybe for the little annoying sexual tension between Ryan and me.
We haven't talked about the heated kiss we shared that night or his early-morning visit. We've been keeping things professional and pretending to ourselves that nothing happened, that we're just colleagues.
It's lunchtime, and Ryan is still in his office, with no sign he'll be coming out soon. I decided to go to lunch, but not before telling him I was stepping away from my desk for a moment.
One thing I've learned since working for Ryan Blackwell is that he hates incompetence, and leaving your desk unattended is the highest form of incompetence in a business setting.
His permission for me to leave was abrupt and a little cold, and I must admit I felt a little hurt. I understand that we overstepped our professional boundaries that night and need to draw the lines again, but his cold attitude stings.
Lunch was simple, but the drama started when I went to the ladies' room to use the toilet and touch up my makeup.
I walked out of one of the stalls to hear a group of women talking in front of the mirror as they fixed their makeup.
They are personal assistants like me, and the subject of their discussion seems to be my boss.
I pretended I wasn't interested in their discussion and headed to the sink, even though I had one ear paying attention to their words.
I overheard one of them say he called off his engagement. I believe she's the assistant to the head of marketing, a redhead with bold makeup.
Her words caused my heart to leap to my throat as my eyes widened in shock. He called off his engagement!
Because of me? The thought, though a bit conceited, made me feel uneasy. When he said he was going to handle things, I didn't realize he meant calling off his engagement.
"I heard it's because of a woman."
I almost choked at the next words. Fuck! Please don't tell me he was crazy enough to tell his fiancée the reason he's calling off the engagement.
Maybe I should leave the office before Melissa arrives because she would have my head on a chopping block.
My little cough drew the women's attention, and they turned to look at me, studying me like I was some specimen under a microscope.
I felt self-conscious. I haven't really gotten close to anyone since starting here, so I'm not familiar with these women. Making friends has never been easy for me, and it got worse after the incident, when I preferred my own company.
Their stare became expectant, as if they expected something from me, and honestly, I have no idea what.
"Lyra, right? Mr. Blackwell's assistant?" One of them asked. She's tall like a model and very slim. I've seen her a few times, but we haven't officially been introduced or spoken.
I nodded, wondering why I chose this moment to come in here. I prefer to stay away from office gossip; it brings nothing but trouble.
"I remember you," the woman smiled, and I noticed that though the smile looked friendly and polite, it didn't reach her eyes. "You are one, he asked, if you are better looking than him."
My face heats up at the reminder of the crazy bet Ryan made on my interview day, glad that mess is over. Outwardly, I smiled at the woman speaking, but didn't confirm her words.
"So, is it true?" Her grey eyes widen with curiosity. The others are also looking at me, waiting for me to dish out something juicy, not knowing that they have more tea than I do.
"I don't know," I answer. I didn't mean to sound abrupt and distant, but that is how I came across to the women with my honesty. They glared at me, especially the tall one. She looked very displeased at my lack of information.
"Don't know or won't tell?" She challenges with a very confrontational tone. She looks like someone with a bone to pick with me, and for the life of me, I can't remember doing anything to anger her.
I dry my hands and turn to face her, not at all intimidated by her height, even though she towers over me by a foot.
"Both. Look, I am here to work, not get involved in the boss's business. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I have a job to get back to."
I didn't mean to be rude, but their acting as if I owe them something rubbed me the wrong way, and I am also dying to confront Ryan to find out if this insanity I am hearing is true.
I should have known the tall assistant wouldn't take my dismissal lying down. She moves her body to partially block my path.
"Look at you, acting like you are better than us. Walking around the office with a chip on your shoulders just because you are the assistant to the big boss. How are we sure you are not the reason he called off his engagement?" she sneers, staring at me with a hostility that shocks me.
I stiffen at her accusation. Even though her words are just speculations, they have a bit of truth in them, and I might also be the reason behind the canceled engagement, not something I am proud of, and will definitely not be confirming to these hawks hovering over me.
And neither will I back down from her confrontation. I straightened to my full height, adding a little bit of spatial height to my five feet six height, and stared at her squarely in the eyes.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" I growled, my expression guarded.
Grinding slyly at me, the woman retorts. "The fact that you are fucking your boss, I mean, we all know the reason you got the job in the first place, and it's definitely not because of your brains," she mocks.
Panicked and a little uneasy about her accusation, I looked around me to find the other women staring at me with the same feelings reflected in their eyes.
Though distressed by her words, I wasn't going to let her have the last word.
"You really shouldn't broadcast your business openly," I threw back at her with a dark smirk, and I walked out of the bathroom with their shocked stare following me out the door.