Page 50 of Hurt Me Not
Did something change between now and then?
More importantly, whose life did I have to ruin to make sure Pearl was happy?
"I just started, so it's hard to say, but the classes are pretty straightforward. It’s just a bit weird to be in school again after so many years.”
I nodded. Maybe it was just nerves.
It better be.
“You never did tell me why you had to drop out,” I said and leaned back in my chair, fully forgetting about lunch. I felt like I needed to probe some more.
“Is that really what you want to talk about?” she asked and started opening the boxes. “What, you don't want me togive you a showtoday?”
“No, I think I want to hear about this instead,” I answered, tilting my head to the side to watch her more closely.
She started to shift nervously in the chair.
“I could find out for myself,” I noted. “But I want you to tell me.”
I had done a little research. Most things could be discovered with a thorough internet search, but Pearl had nothing.
No social media presence at all. No friends as far as I could tell, or at least her phone hardly ever rang or beeped. Where were her parents? Didn’t they keep in touch?
I had connections. An information broker—a bit on the insane side—who could get the job done for a certain price and tell me all I needed to know.
But I would only resort to that if Pearl refused.
“It's nothing. I just… It was just all too much, okay? I was alone. I couldn’t rely on my parents—not that I wanted to. I cut them off as soon as I left for college. But it meant that I could barely make ends meet. Sometimes it all just gets to you, you know?”
She was lying. I didn’t know how I knew, but Pearl was lying to me.
It may be time to send the info broker a message.I had distanced myself from her for a reason, but for Pearl, I would close the gap.
I wanted to call her out on it, but then I saw movement behind her. My employees were chatting together, but they seemed to be… panicking a little bit? Cristian was running his hand through his hair. Leslie stood next to him, her arms crossed. She kept looking from my office to the door.
“Hold on,” I said and got up, going straight for Cristian, who immediately dropped his voice into a low whisper.
“You have another…visitor.”
Anger burst inside me. This had happened once, but I had made it clear that if he sent another person to my goddamn place of work, I wouldn't be so kind next time.
“Go have lunch with Pearl.”
Cristian nodded.
“We'll make it a team thing,” he said with a forced smile. “Let me know if you need help.”
I nodded, but there is no way in hell I would ask him for help on something so… embarrassing.
It took a lot for me to feel embarrassed. I was self-confident, and there wasn't much in the world I was ashamed of.
Only one thing. Oneperson.
I took one last look at Pearl as Cristian walked into my office and gave her a quick explanation. Whatever he said, she shot me a panicked look. Like she was… scaredfor me or something.
If she only knew.
With a sigh, I turned and left the office.
