Page 7 of The Retreat
She approached the receptionist, her voice tight. ‘I’m looking for Talia Knox.’
The receptionist smiled, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. ‘Talia Knox? Let me check... She’s in a meeting right now, but if you wait a moment...’
‘I’ll wait,’ Imogen cut her off. ‘Tell her my name is Imogen, and I’ll be here until she comes down,’ she declared, not hiding her anger.
The receptionist looked nervous and uncomfortable, but Imogen didn’t care. She had no patience for pleasantries now. She was going to… What exactly? There wasn’t a plan, as such. But yelling would figure heavily. Maybe she might even break something in the lobby, cause a scene—like for like.
She perched on a seat and looked around her. There was a tall plant pot in the corner. Looked a bit heavy, though. Maybe if she leaned against it and pushed…
‘What thehell,’ said a cold voice.
Imogen looked up, startled. She hadn’t expected Talia quite so quickly. She thought she’d have more time to plot. But cometh the moment…
Imogen stood, getting a better look at Talia now that she could meet her eye properly. She looked as sharp and pristine as ever, her fancy suit hugging her petite frame perfectly, her grey eyes cold and controlled, her shiny dark hair in that anallyretentive bun. The woman was pulled tighter than a Victorian corset.
‘Imogen,’ she said, her voice flat. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
Imogen didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she took a step forward, the anger still bubbling beneath the surface. ‘You just got mefired.’
Talia’s lips pressed into a thin line. ‘This isn’t the place,’ she said. Imogen noticed she was trying to be quiet. Embarrassed, was she?
A laugh escaped Imogen’s lips, sharp and bitter. ‘You don’t get to do that. You just went apeshit at my place of work, and I was blamed.’
Talia’s expression faltered, just for a moment, before she crossed her arms and stepped back. ‘I’m not doing this with you now.’
Imogen was lightheaded with rage. ‘You don’t get to control this,’ she hissed. ‘Not after what you’ve done. That was myjob. And now I’m flat broke. Because of you.’
Talia looked down for a second, a flash of what might be guilt flitting through those cool eyes. But she quickly masked it with indifference. ‘Imogen, you know what…’
Imogen squared her shoulders, ready to tear into her again, but before she could open her mouth, Talia glanced over her shoulder. ‘Oh Christ,’ she muttered miserably.
Imogen followed her gaze to see someone glide out of the elevator, a very tall, elegant woman. Imogen smiled. She didn’t know who this woman was, but she could tell from Talia’s reaction that she was important to Talia in some fashion.
This was way better than the plant pot.
Five
The moment Talia spotted Imogen standing in the lobby, everything in her body went tight. Imogen looked wild-eyed, flushed, and furious. And she was here.At her work.
Imogen had been fired because of the sort-of accident in the café that morning, and she was clearly here to make that Talia’s problem. Talia hated Imogen and didn’t exactly regret that. But she also didn’t exactlynot. But she didn’t have a chance to decide how she felt before the shit truly flew into the fan.
Talia glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of her boss, Celeste, stepping out of the lift. She was heading in their direction, fast.
One little ‘Oh Christ’ escaped from her mouth. She turned to Imogen. ‘We arenotdoing this in the lobby of my office.’
‘Why not? Embarrassed someone might hear what an unhinged maniac you are?’ Imogen shot back.
Talia winced. ‘You’ve made your point. But you’ve also just said you’ve got no money. So how about this?’ She pulled her phone from her pocket, heart hammering, and opened her banking app. Her thumb hovered for a second. ‘I’ll give you a grand. Right now. Just walk out of here.’
Imogen blinked at her. The fury was still there, but Talia could tell that number was tempting her. One thousand pounds.Not an insignificant amount but a small price to pay to escape this scene.
But before Talia could get confirmation that the deal was acceptable, the clock ran out.
‘Talia!’ Celeste’s voice rang out.
Talia turned and pasted on a smile just as her boss reached them. ‘There you are,’ Celeste said brightly. Her eyes slid to Imogen, curious. ‘And this must be Alex.’
Talia froze.What?
