“What the hell do you mean by that, Susy?”
Susy looked up from her desk just as Marina burst into her office, eyes blazing. Marina shot a look at Susy’s assistant and waved her away.
The assistant left, pulling the door shut behind her, leaving the two women alone.
“You’ve got some nerve coming in here and questioning me,” Susy snapped. “If I hadn’t stuck my neck out for you before, would I ever have gotten on Jonathan’s bad side?”
Marina had stormed in brimming with anger, but Susy’s words seemed to hit a sore spot. For a moment, her fury faltered.
“So, it really was Jonathan who destroyed your family–the Frasers?” Marina asked quietly.
“Who else could it have been?” Susy rolled her eyes in exasperation.
She’d once thought Marina would make the perfect ally against Niamh. But not only had Niamh come out of everything unscathed–her career was soaring. Meanwhile, Susy herself had been left teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, her once–glamorous life now reduced to a mountain of debt.
The more Susy thought about it, the angrier she became.
“Marina, are you really Jonathan’s first love, his ‘one that got away‘?” Susy said, her voice biting. “Jonathan’s out to ruin the Fraser family for one reason: to get revenge for Niamh. Face it–he’s already fallen for her, hasn’t he?”
“Absolutely not!” Marina shot back, her denial sharp and immediate.
But the more agitated Marina became, the more ridiculous she looked to Susy. This was exactly the kind of overreaction you’d expect from someone who’d just been called out.
Catching the mocking glint in Susy’s eyes, Marina crossed her arms and sneered, “Like you’re any better? Couldn’t even keep your own man. Now that your family’s in shambles, Julian has all the excuse he needs to call off the engagement, doesn’t he?”
“Marina!” Susy raised her hand, about to slap her, but Marina caught her wrist mid–air.
“Enough,” Marina said, her grip tightening. “We’re only making things easier for
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