Chapter 9

Lila texts me three times before I say yes. u owe me a drink, drama queen. girl talk. no boys, no clients, no genexis. My first instinct is to ignore her, throw my phone across the room, and crawl under the shower until the hot water runs out. Instead I stare at her name pulsing on my screen and hear the ghost of her voice from the gala: You’re ruining this for me. Maybe I need to see if that was a one‑off or the truth. “Fine,” I mutter, thumbs moving. Sure. Eight? Her reply comes...