Page 50 of Broken Surrender
“My husband worked—”
“Worked?”
I tensed. She wasn’t going to drop it this time, was she? I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “He disappeared recently.”
“Cue my brother?”
Was she suggesting that her brother had something to do with my husband’s ‘disappearance’?
“Something like that,” I said. She straightened, nodding to herself. I continued: “You must think I’m an awful person.”
“Nah.” She crossed her legs. “Everyone’s got their demons. Who am I to judge?” She smiled, peering from under her dark hair. After saying that, I liked her even more now. “As long as it’s got nothing to do with me, what do I care?”
“You’re rather mature for a sixteen-year-old.”
“And you’re rather cool for a thirty-year-old.”
I laughed. “I’m twenty-six!”
“One foot in the grave.”
I smacked my chest, laughing hard. I pushed her shoulder playfully. “You have no concept of age!”
“I’m messing with you. Geez. It’s a joke!” she laughed. “So what did your husband do, anyway? His job, or whatever? He must have been rich.”
“He was the owner and CEO of Shin & Co Inc.”
Corinne leaned back, a puzzled expression covering her face. “That sounds familiar,” she said. “What is it?”
People sometimes acted strange when I talked about John’s company. Shin & Co Inc didn’t have the best reputation, especially in the last decade. I hated being ashamed of his work, but I told myself that even if he made me take weird medications in pursuit of knowledge for his company, they always made advancements.
“It’s a pharmaceutical company,” I said.
“Oh. That’s right.” Corinne smacked her hand down on the couch. “Desmond used to work there.”
My heart stopped. He hadworkedfor Shin & Co Inc? She smiled, glancing at the door as if her brother would walk in at any moment.
How had he kept that from me?
“What?” I whispered.
“Shin & Co Inc. Or was it the Institute at Shin’s Manor? Whatever it was. My brother used to work for them. That’s how he knows you, right? You must have helped him find this house.”
The hairs on my arms and neck stood, electricity vibrating through the air.
“Your brother used to work for my husband?” I repeated.
She wrapped her arms around herself, reading my discomfort. “I guess. I mean, you didn’t know?”
I shook my head. “I thought Desmond owned Universal Medical Industries.”
“He does. But before that.”
My gut sank. Why had he kept this from me? What did it mean?
I wasn’t going to like this answer, but I asked anyway: “What happened there?” Corinne’s shoulders pushed forward, crossing her arms. “Corinne, what happened with Shin & Co Inc?”
She stared at the door again. “I’m not sure, actually.”
