Free Cover Up (Cover #2) by Kim Black Page B

far side of my office.
    “Well sir, Mr. Belmont…” she paused and then continued, “Mr. Shane Belmont made sure that all the staff was hired during his time here, and the building passed all inspections thankfully. So, there are no major issues to worry about, other than the organizing the grand opening, which I am already working on. I hope you don’t mind, but with Ms. Roberts’s accident and you having to take care of her, I thought it best to get started on the planning,” she declared, before shifting over in my direction. “How is Emily, by the way?” she asked sincerely, concern evident in her face.
    Inwardly I cringed and sighed softly. She as a kind woman, so I knew Sylvie would ask about Emily at some point. Hearing her name made my heart ache and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. The walls were closing in on me and I needed to escape. I brought the glass of scotch to my lips; finished the contents in one long gulp, and set the glass down hard on the mirrored bar top. After breathing in deeply in an attempt to steady my breathing, I glanced at Sylvie, who now stood beside me. It was obvious that she had detected the shift in my mood and quirked her brow in confusion and worry.
    “She is just fine! That’ll be all Sylvie,” I grumbled at her, flinching when she placed a hand on my shoulder.
    “Did I say something wrong?”
    She hadn’t. I knew she was truly concerned , given the severity of Emily’s condition after the accident, but I couldn’t help the aggravated tone in my voice. I wanted to forget Emily’s existence, to go back to the life I had before she turned everything upside down. On the other hand, had she turned everything right side up? I shook the thought from my head and poured myself another drink, also gulped it down in one long pull.
    I turned to face a very confused Sylvie, and didn’t bother responding to her. Instead, I sauntered to my desk chair, turned it to face the spectacular view of Los Angeles behind my desk.
    “Julien , what’s going on?” Sylvia pushed softly. I knew she could see my upset and her scrutiny caused me to sink deeper into the chair. No amount of alcohol had aided me during the last two days, but it was my only solace.
    “ Please, get me another drink,” I murmured. As I had done just a week ago over the phone with my brother, I silently wept. Sylvie stayed by my side, confused, but determined to stay by my side.

Chapter Seven
    “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
    ~ Gloria Steinem ~
     
    EMILY
    Adam told me everything; at least I hoped it was everything. He told me that he and I had broken up last year due to a misunderstanding. He said that he tried to get me to speak to him, but I had refused. When I asked him what the misunderstanding was, he grimaced uncomfortably. Instead of answering me outright, he asked me to speak to Diana, claiming that she would be best able to answer my questions.
    It didn’t make any sense. What the fuck did Diana have to do with my relationship with Adam? I wanted to press him for more information, but decided against it since I was grateful that someone was finally telling me the truth. Since the time I awoke, I felt as if everyone was hiding something and now that I was getting pieces of my life back via Adam’s tales, I didn’t want to press my luck.
    Apparently , I had quit my internship at Tajh and was currently interning at Farjo; which I couldn’t really say was a step down, since Farjo was one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. Any aspiring chef would be lucky to be accepted into their program. Still, it was foreign to me. I couldn’t remember applying there, or what my days were like at work. Did I get along with my co-workers? I had no idea, and the more I thought about it, the more frustrating it all became.
    When we arrived at my apartment, I sighed in relief that it was still the same. Aside from a few new items, the place was familiar and I desperately needed