Bryce pulled Olympia behind him, shielding her as though Rosamond were the threat.
"Rosa, Olympia isn't like you. She needs this retainer to establish herself at the firm."
"You have plenty of cases. You won't miss this one. Besides..."
His gaze flicked over her face, his tone flat, almost clinical.
"Your PR situation still isn't resolved. If the company keeps you on as counsel, it reflects poorly on us."
Rosamond studied his face and realized, for the first time, that the boy she remembered no longer existed behind those eyes.
Perhaps this had always been who he was. Perhaps the Bryce Delgado she thought she knew had never been real.
She still remembered the day they first met. She had been proud and solitary by nature, and her classmates had made her pay for it.
They spread rumors with gleeful abandon: her money came from a sugar daddy, her designer bags were gifts from a patron, even the awards she'd won in competitions were bought with her body.
She became the entire school's favorite target.
Back then, Rosamond believed the truth would speak for itself. She refused to dignify the lies with a response.