Page 125 of Ten Day Affair
Of course it is.
I study her face. She's already won and knows it.
"What do you want, Ms. Harrelson?"
"The truth. Pretty simple concept, right?" She leans back, completely at ease.
"You already have your story. Shell company, hospital acquisition, potential conflicts. What else is there?"
Her smile sharpens. "Oh, Mr. Houston. I haven't even gotten started yet."
My stomach drops, but I keep my expression neutral.
"I know the timeline. March 15th, King's Holdings purchased Good Samaritan's outstanding debt. March 22nd, you arrived in Palm Beach for a meeting with some board members. March 24th, you paid cash for a house here, right beside Dr. Samantha Taylor." She counts off on her fingers like she's reciting a grocery list.
She knows everything.
"Sounds like corporate business to me."
"Does it?" She tilts her head.
"Yes," I reply without flinching. She's fishing.
"Because I also know about the personal entanglements. The neighbor situation and the after-hours visits. Were those meetings considered corporate business? I might not know everyone's part in all of this. Yet."
My jaw tightens. "I'm not following."
"Sure you are. Here's what I find interesting, though. Did she want her mom's legacy to shutter because of allthe pressure? Because as soon as you left Palm Beach, after the vote, she moved to Atlanta."
The words hit like a physical blow. My chest constricts, but I force myself to stay still. Don't blink. Don't react.
But inside, I'm reeling. Why did she move? Did all of this push her out of her home, away from her only family?
"That's news to me. We haven't spoken recently."
Harrelson watches my face carefully. "Hmm. Interesting. Funny timing, don't you think?"
The café noise fades into background static. Sam left. Not just angry, not just avoiding me. She packed up her entire life and moved to another state.
I did this. I drove her away.
"I still don't see the story."
"The story is that a billionaire engineered a covert takeover of a nonprofit hospital, then voted to gut its community programs, all while sleeping with a woman whose familybuiltthat legacy. A woman who had no idea who you were. It’s not just sex. It’s power. It’s deception. And it stinks." She stands, smoothing her skirt.
I don't respond. I'm not sure what to say.
As she walks out, she turns around and looks me square in the eyes.
“You think this is about two people hooking up? It’s about one of them holding all the cards and never showing his hand.”
She walks out without waiting for a response.
I stay seated, staring at the door long after it shuts behind her. My pulse ticks in my throat. I’ve just been peeled open and laid bare, because every word she said was true. Or close enough to hit like it was.
I scrub a hand over my face.
Christ.
