Brothers of Paradise Series

I want to groan. The last thing I can stand at the moment is a dressing down from my senior partner. “Send her in.”

Rykers saunters in with a wry smile, obviously aware of the situation. “I know,” I say preemptively. “It doesn’t look good.”

She sinks into the chair in front of me. “No, it doesn’t.”

“Kyle was a snake from the start.”

“He was. I think that’s why we liked him, because he would do anything to get a project done.” She sighs, running a polished nail along her chin. “But if these are his true colors, then good riddance to him.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“I won’t berate you, but we do have to talk about… it.” Her smile turns sardonic. “I’ve known you for a long time, Henry. I don’t believe this is simply a lustful slip.”

I release a breath. “It’s not. It’s poor timing, and it’s been handled poorly at that, but it’s not particularly scandalous at all.”

“You two like each other, then.”

I give a curt nod, even though Faye’s feelings are a mystery to me. All I have are hopes.

“She’s smart. I saw her pitch with Terri, you know. Quick on her feet.”

“She’s a brilliant architect.”

Rykers leans back, a thoughtful look on her face. “Do you know what, Henry? I think it might be time for us to split up the firm.”

Fuck. This? At the same time?

I put my hands at my temples. “I understand that this could tarnish our reputation with clients and other firms, if it’s circulated widely. But I already have a slander suit filed, and-”

“Oh, Henry, no. Men have been having improper relations with their assistants since women joined the workforce. It’s not palatable, but it happens. And if you two are actually serious, I doubt this will have any negative repercussions for business.”

I’m floored. “Then why?”

“Don’t you think it’s time? We’ve both benefitted from this. We’ve built a good name for the both of us. But I want to branch out, outside of New York. I want more creative control over the projects. We’ve reached a point where it makes sense.”

I regard her, the woman who fought side by side in the trenches with me to establish this firm ten years ago. Who was brilliant at convincing investors, using financial calculations I’d drawn up overnight.

We’ve had a good decade together. Both of us have independent client bases now. Her suggestion has terrible timing, but it makes sense, echoing some of my own thoughts. “You might be right.”

She smiles. “It will be amicable, just like this was when we started.”

“We’ll split the associates?”

“We’ll solve something with HR. And-here’s the part you might or might not enjoy-Faye Alvarez handed in her resignation an hour ago.”

“What?”

“Don’t be angry. It’s the only reasonable thing for her to do, in this position. But I’ve offered her a job in my own firm after the split.” Her smile is triumphant. “See? Isn’t splitting the firm a good idea?”

My hand stills. “As an architect, I hope.”

“Absolutely. I know talent when I see it.”

My mouth sours at the implication. “I know you’re not doing it for me, but is it wrong that I want to say thank you?”

“Yes,” she says immediately, standing. “Because it’s your loss, and my win. But as one friend to another, Henry… She’s been humiliated in the worst possible way for a woman in the workplace. Let her find her footing again and regain some dignity before you push.”

“Push?”

She shakes her head at me. “You’re a pusher, Henry. So am I. But it’s not always a recipe for success in private relationships.”

And with that she leaves, and I’m left to ponder a world that looks radically different than it did just a few hours ago. Faye resigned. My heart feels squeezed in my chest, pushed too far by this entire ordeal. Why didn’t she talk to me about it?

When I open my office door, she’s right there, her beautiful features fixed in a mask of cold professionalism. I watch in disbelief as she packs up her belongings. A set of mints from the bottom drawer. A hairbrush from another.

She’s ignoring me, standing just a few feet away.

“You resigned?”

“It’s the only way.” Her voice is infuriatingly calm. “I can’t work with these people anymore.”

“Of course you can. It’ll pass.”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“No, it won’t. I can’t call them into a meeting or demand they adhere to their deadlines, all the while knowing what they’re thinking.”

I put a hand on her wrist. “Let’s solve this. I’ve already-”

“You’ve what? Handled Kyle? Made angry phone calls? I’ve heard, and that’s good. But it won’t fix my reputation.”

I want to shake her, shake us both, into some form of understanding. But Faye’s face is the picture of distance as she shakes off my hand. “I have to do this.”

“Did Rykers speak to you?”

“Yes. She offered me a job.” Faye pauses, swallowing miserably. “It’s generous. It’s what I want. I said yes on the spot.”

She looks at me as if she’s daring me to protest. “I heard. That’s great, Faye. Truly.”

“Yes. Yes, it is. It’s a chance to make something of myself out of all of this. A chance I don’t really feel like I deserve.”

“You do. Fucking hell, Faye, you’re so talented. The opera house is twice the building it was before you joined.”

It must have been the wrong thing to say, because she shuts her bag with a snap. “I’ve written an instruction sheet for my replacement and notified recruitment that we need to put up another ad for your personal assistant.”

“Faye…”

She pauses and looks up at me, her eyes closed off in a heartbreaking way. I want to tell her that it’s all going to blow over. That we’re still us, that I’m sorry. But all of it feels too little and too late. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “News of this won’t spread.”

“You can’t promise that.”