Chapter 2 - The Lie Between Them
Lauren almost called in sick the next morning.
Almost.
Then she imagined David discovering that she had stayed home because of him.
That possibility irritated her enough to get out of bed.
At 5:46 a.m., she walked into Bingham Holdings wearing her usual gray blouse and apron.
The lobby felt different.
Nothing had changed.
That was the problem.
Yesterday, the enormous silver letters spelling BINGHAM HOLDINGS had been decoration.
Today, they were his name.
She saw David everywhere.
On security badges.
Corporate screens.
Annual-report displays.
An employee walked past discussing “Mr. Bingham’s meeting with Tokyo.”
Lauren wanted to scream.
Instead she took the elevator to five.
Piper arrived twenty minutes later.
“You came.”
“I work here.”
“I would’ve understood if you didn’t.”
“I refuse to let one billionaire ruin my attendance record.”
Piper smiled.
“There she is.”
At 6:17, David appeared.
Lauren saw him through the doorway.
He stopped before entering.
“Can I come in?”
That question caught her off guard.
Technically, he could enter any room in the building.
But he waited.
Lauren nodded once.
David stepped inside.
No assistant.
No security.
No expensive peace offering.
He wasn’t even carrying coffee.
“I owe you an apology.”
Lauren continued wiping the counter.
“Yes.”
David almost smiled.
“I deserved that.”
“Yes.”
“I should’ve told you immediately.”
“Yes.”
“I allowed you to misunderstand because I benefited from it.”
Lauren finally looked at him.
That was better than the excuses she had expected.
David continued.
“When people know who I am, they change.”
“And that made lying okay?”
“No.”
“You keep saying you didn’t technically lie.”
“I’m not saying that anymore.”
Lauren crossed her arms.
“Good.”
David took a breath.
“I liked being David.”
“You are David.”
“You know what I mean.”
She did.
And that annoyed her.
He looked toward the coffee machine.
“I spend most days with people who want something. Investors want returns. Politicians want support. Employees want promotions. Consultants want contracts.”
Lauren’s expression hardened.
“So I was refreshing.”
“Yes.”
“And you preserved that experience for yourself.”
David went quiet.
Lauren nodded.
“That’s the part you didn’t understand.”
He looked at her.
“You weren’t protecting our friendship. You were protecting how the friendship made you feel.”
The accuracy of the sentence hit him visibly.
“I think you’re right.”
Lauren had prepared herself for resistance.
His willingness to accept the criticism made anger more difficult.
She turned away.
“Why are you here?”
“To apologize.”
“You did.”
“And to ask whether you want me to stop coming down here.”
Lauren looked at him.
“I don’t know.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
She frowned.
“You’re not going to convince me?”
“No.”
“Buy me lunch?”
“No.”
“Send flowers?”
“No.”
David hesitated.
“I considered flowers.”
Lauren almost smiled.
“Of course you did.”
“My assistant said it was a terrible idea.”
“Give her a raise.”
“She already earns an unreasonable amount of money.”
“There he is.”
A tiny laugh escaped her.
Then Lauren immediately regretted it.
David noticed but did not exploit the moment.
Instead, he nodded.
“I’ll give you space.”
He turned toward the door.
Lauren’s phone rang.
She looked down.
MOM.
Lauren answered immediately.
“Hey.”
Ellen’s voice sounded strained.
“Sweetheart, your dad fell last night.”
Lauren gripped the counter.
“What?”
“He’s okay.”
“Mom.”
“He’s awake. Nothing broke.”
“Did you take him to the hospital?”
“He refused.”
“Of course he did.”
David stopped at the doorway.
Lauren turned slightly away.
“What happened?”
“He got dizzy getting out of bed.”
“Has he seen the specialist?”
“Not yet.”
“Mom, you said the appointment was supposed to be this month.”
“They moved him again.”
Lauren closed her eyes.
“To when?”
“January.”
“That’s four months.”
“I know.”
Lauren whispered something under her breath.
Ellen tried to reassure her.
Lauren promised to call back.
When the call ended, she discovered David was still standing there.
His expression was concerned.
“Your father?”
“He fell.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes.”
“Does he need—”
David stopped.
Lauren waited.
She knew what would normally come next.
I know someone.
I can arrange it.
Let me handle this.
Instead David said, “What are you going to do?”
She blinked.
“Call the specialist’s office when they open.”
He nodded.
“If you decide there’s anything you want from me, ask.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Lauren studied him.
Some part of her hated how relieved she felt.
“Okay.”
David left.
At 9:10, Lauren began calling.
At 10:47, after three transfers and twenty-seven minutes on hold, she reached the scheduling manager.
At 11:02, she was offered a cancellation appointment in two weeks.
Lauren nearly cried with relief.
Then suspicion arrived.
She texted David.
Did you call the clinic?
His reply came immediately.
No.
She stared.
Did anyone from your office?
Not at my instruction. Do you want me to check?
Lauren typed:
No.
Then:
Sorry.
David replied:
You don’t need to apologize for checking.
She stared at that message for a long time.
For the next week, David kept his distance.
He still visited the pantry occasionally.
But the visits were shorter.
He asked permission before discussing personal matters.
He stopped making unsolicited suggestions about Lauren’s education or family.
The result should have made things easier.
Instead Lauren missed him.
That irritated her even more.
One evening, Piper found Lauren looking toward the elevator.
“He’s not coming.”
“I wasn’t waiting.”
“You’ve checked the hallway six times.”
“I’m monitoring traffic.”
“Very important pantry responsibility.”
Lauren threw a napkin at her.
Piper laughed.
Then her expression softened.
“You still like him.”
“I liked who I thought he was.”
“What if that person was real too?”
Lauren looked away.
“That’s the problem.”
Two days later, David finally stayed for coffee.
They discussed baseball.
Nothing personal.
Nothing dangerous.
For ten minutes, things felt almost normal.
As he prepared to leave, Lauren said, “David.”
He turned.
“My ex’s name was Nolan Pierce.”
David waited.
Lauren had never told him that.
“He came from money. Not your kind of money.”
“My kind?”
“You have your name engraved on buildings.”
“Fair.”
“He started helping when my dad got sick.”
David remained quiet.
“At first, I thought it was generous.”
Lauren traced one finger around the rim of her cup.
“Then I learned he remembered everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Every bill. Every trip. Every favor.”
Her expression went distant.
“He kept a record.”
David’s jaw tightened.
“How much?”
Lauren looked at him.
“Forty-eight thousand, six hundred twelve dollars and seventy-three cents.”
David stared.
“You remember the cents?”
“He mailed me a spreadsheet after I left.”
David looked horrified.
Lauren gave a dry laugh.
“I repaid him.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted the total to become zero.”
“You didn’t owe him.”
“I know.”
“Legally—”
“David.”
He stopped.
“This isn’t about whether I legally owed him.”
David nodded slowly.
“You wanted there to be nothing left he could use.”
“Exactly.”
She looked at him.
“That’s why your identity mattered.”
His expression softened painfully.
“I understand.”
“I’m not sure you did before.”
“I didn’t.”
Silence.
Lauren appreciated the absence of defense.
Then her phone vibrated.
An email.
She glanced at the sender.
Every bit of warmth left her face.
David noticed immediately.
“What happened?”
Lauren didn’t answer.
The subject line read:
WE SHOULD TALK.
Sender:
Nolan Pierce.
Her hand became cold.
She opened it.
Lauren,
I heard Thomas is having trouble again.
You know I could make sure he gets whatever care he needs.
I also heard you’ve made an interesting new friend.
David Bingham?
You always did have expensive taste.
Call me before this becomes embarrassing.
—Nolan
Lauren stared at the screen.
David had moved closer but did not look over her shoulder.
“Lauren?”
She locked the phone.
“Nothing.”
Her voice sounded wrong even to herself.
David didn’t push.
Lauren slipped the phone into her pocket.
Then it vibrated again.
A text from an unknown number.
Does Bingham know how much you cost the last man who tried to help you?
Lauren’s face drained of color.
Because Nolan wasn’t merely back.
He knew about David.
May you like
And somebody had told him enough to know exactly where to hurt her.
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