Gabrielle's heart races out of control, and she feels the blood rush to her face. Every muscle in her body screams at her to run away, but she stands still and stares at Jessica. She clenches her hands into fists and waits to see what Jessica will do. Jessica stalks forward like a cat.
Suddenly Jessica lunges, raises her hand, and swings at Gabrielle's face. Gabrielle pushes her away, but Jessica is fast; she jumps to the side and tries to grab Gabrielle's hair. Gabrielle dodges her and grabs a wine bottle from the table. She smashes it on the hardwood; shards of glass flying in all directions, and the won scream. Gabrielle waves the broken bottle at Jessica.
"Stay away from ," Gabrielle says.
Jessica's eyes widen, and her mouth falls open. For a mont, she looks at Gabrielle like she's crazy, and then she starts to laugh. The won laugh, too. The drunken sound echoes through the room and Gabrielle feels a wave of panic risesweat prickles on her skin, and her hand starts to shake. The won laugh louder.
"Look at that, Jackson," Jessica says. "The little kitten thinks she's a fierce lion now."
Gabrielle loosens her grip on the neck of the bottle, and the glass smashed to pieces on the oak floor. She looks at Jackson and sees that he's smiling crookedly at her. Her stomach churns, and she wonders if she's going to throw up. I can't believe I fell for his amnesia story, she thinks. He's clearly a spoiled brat used to getting everything he wants. I was so stupid to trust him.
She swallows hard and says, "I better not see any of you ever again." Then she squares her shoulders and marches out of the room. As she walks down the hall, she hears won screaming and then the sound of sothing breaking.
Jessica's furious voice carries down the hall, "Jackson, where are you going? Are you seriously going to chase after her?"
"Shut up," Jackson shouts back.
Gabrielle hears heavy footsteps behind her, and she breaks into a run.
The clock in the bell tower chis three as Avery enters the elegant brick building. At first, the dim room looks empty, and then a short man in a gray suit clears his throat.
"Are you looking for F.S.?" he asks, raising his bushy eyebrows.
"Yes, can I see her?" Avery asks, passing him the business card Sophie gave her.
The man purses his lips and asks, "Do you have an appointnt?"
Avery shakes her head and says, "It's kind of an ergency. I was hoping she could make an exception and see ."
"Absolutely not," the man says. He straightens up to his full height, but he's still a head shorter than her. "She never sees anyone without an appointnt. Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"But you haven't even asked her," Avery objects.
The man puffs out his chest, "The rules are the rulesleave!"
"I didn't want it to co to this," Avery says with a sigh and a nod toward her bodyguards.
One of the bodyguards steps forward and grabs the little man by the arm. The man kicks and squirms, his face turning a furious red. Avery walks past his desk toward a simple black door. She opens the door and begins to climb the stairs to the bell tower.
"You can't go up there," the man shouts after her. "It's completely forbidden."
Avery pauses on the first-floor landing and carefully opens the door. The room looks and sounds like a workspace. So people are drawing at design tables, and others are typing quickly on computers and talking on phones. She slips into the room and taps one of the artists on the shoulder. The woman looks up and blinks confusedly.
"Where's F.S.' office?" Avery asks.
"It's on the top floor," the woman says. "Wait, you can't go up there!"
Avery ignores the woman and races up the stairs. The top floor of the building is a quiet office space. Tall gray filing cabinets line the walls, and a few modern paintings hanging above them. A large, sloping table sits in front of the window, and a woman is bent over a drawing with her back to Avery. The woman slowly turns around, and Avery feels chills creep up her spine.
"I can't believe it's you," Avery says.
"Are you always this rude, Mrs. Howel?" Fiona Sumrs asks, pursing her dark red lips. "Why have you barged in on without an appointnt?"
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Sumrs," Avery says. "It's just that I have an ergency."
"I don't care," Fiona says. "In fact, I can't think of anything so important you'd want to break into my office. I'm going to ask you to leave just once. If you don't, I'll call the police."
Avery chews her lip nervously. I would never have guessed that F.S. is Fiona Sumrs, Avery thinks. God, I'm screwed. In the hospital, she blad for what happened to Leonie, and she doesn't look like she's forgiven at all. There's no way that she'll agree to help .
Fiona nods as if she can read Avery's mind and says, "Even if you had an appointnt, I'd never agreed to help the woman who stole my daughter's man. You know, Evan is still refusing to recognize Leonie's child. She's almost had a nervous breakdown because of you."
Fiona reaches under her desk and flips a switch. An alarm blares through the room, and bodyguards co charging in. They imdiately grab Avery and twist her hands behind her back. Avery screams for help.
"That won't do you any good," a security guard says. "We've already subdued your n."
"Get her out of here!" Fiona screams. "I don't even know how she got past you in the first place."
"I'm so sorry I disturbed you," Avery says calmly. "But I'd appreciate it if you asked your n to take their hands off of . I can find my own way out, thanks."
Fiona runs her fingers through her short black hair and sighs. She nods at the guards, and Avery rubs her sore arms. She smiles tightly and starts to walk toward the door. As she crosses the threshold, she subconsciously slips her hand into her pocket and touches the ring.
"Stop!" Fiona screams.
Avery turns around, hoping that maybe Fiona has changed her mind. Fiona narrows her eyes and looks at Avery from head to toe.
"You know, I keep many priceless jewels and tals here," Fiona says. "You say you broke in to see , but I'm not so sure I believe your story. What if you ca here to take sothing that isn't yours?"
"Are you calling a thief?" Avery asks angrily.
"I'm saying I don't trust you," Fiona says.
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