It was only in this moment that Niamh realized she was actually smiling.
And it was unmistakably a smug, almost gleeful smile.
“Are you really that happy just because I’m not meeting with Ramona?” Jonathan asked, sounding both skeptical and amused.
Niamh took a slow sip of her coffee before shifting her attention fully to him. The two of them sat across from each other, separated only by the expanse of Jonathan’s desk, their eyes meeting in a silent standoff.
She found it almost surreal. Not that long ago, she’d been a housewife who hardly ever left home, her world as small as the kitchen window.
“My happiness isn’t quite what you think it is,” she replied, deliberately phrasing her answer in an old–fashioned, almost theatrical tone.
Of course she was happy–the Quinn family’s embarrassment was deeply satisfying.
“I heard… Preston gave Susy a bit of a hard time for your sake?” Jonathan interjected.
Niamh blinked, surprised by how fast news seemed to travel around him.
“That was just karma coming for her,” Niamh said, voice light. “Besides, what Preston did barely counts as rough treatment.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jonathan’s smile vanished, his features tightening.
“So you’re really taking Preston’s side now? Have you forgotten all the things he used to say to you?”
Niamh shrugged. “I don’t hold grudges. People can change, you know…”
She trailed off, repeating softly, “People can change.”
Some changed for the better–Preston, for instance.
But others…
Niamh took another sip of her coffee, grateful that Prescott had made it sweet, not bitter.
Then Jonathan’s voice broke the silence again. “Do you really think Preston is so
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good to you?”
Niamh tilted her head, watching him. Jonathan’s expression was unreadable his dark gaze was as cold as black ice.
“Preston just took the easy way out and did you a favor when it cost him nothing. If Susy were still the Fraser family’s golden girl, do you honestly think he’d stick his neck out for you?”
“Whatever his reasons, Preston stood up for me when I needed it.”
“But I’m the one who brought down the Fraser Group,” Jonathan muttered, almost under his breath.
Niamh froze.
If she had to be honest, Susy’s fall from grace–well, Jonathan had played a major
role in it.
But she couldn’t figure out what he was doing now. Was he trying to take credit? Looking at his furrowed brow, Niamh couldn’t help but laugh under her breath.
She decided not to overthink it. Jonathan had probably just brought her here to badmouth Preston a little. Draining the last of her coffee, she stood up.
But as she did, her purse slipped from her hand and tumbled to the floor. A small, elegant jewelry box rolled out.
Before she could react, Jonathan bent down to pick it up. He opened it without thinking—a half–finished brooch lay inside, the metal frame gleaming, still waiting for its gemstones. Jonathan could tell at a glance: this was a man’s brooch.
“A gift for a client?”
“No,” Niamh replied quickly, snatching the box from his hand and tucking it back into her purse.
Jonathan watched her leave, a subtle, almost secret smile curving his lips.
Next month… was his birthday.
After leaving Thomas & Co., Niamh drove all the way out to a new development on the edge of town. There, a recently built fitness park sat empty, the surrounding apartment buildings all still unoccupied. The place felt desolate, the silence broken only by the wind.
Niamh parked and walked into the park, where she spotted Carlisle–alone, in a sharp suit, of all things–playing on the slide. The sight was so absurd, she couldn’t
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help but laugh.
“Reliving your childhood, are you?” she called out.
Carlisle looked up, already halfway down the slide. “Something like that,” he replied, smiling. “Just reminded me of when I used to take you to the park.”
Niamh’s laughter faded, her smile slipping away. “Yeah… back then, you were the only one who ever took me to the playground.”
