Chapter 28

David’s POV

“Riley!” a staff called out, pushing her sunglasses higher on her face as she climbed into the car.

“You’re late,” Riley grinned as she rolled down the window. “Traffic. Get in.”

There was something about the way she held her phone tucked tight to her ear, thumb nervously tapping the side. It sparked something.

Two weeks ago, I’d dropped files to the finance strategy department floor—quick delivery, no chit-chat. But I remembered her. The girl in the corner cubicle with a desk that looked like a stationery convention threw up on it.

I was parked just a few cars behind, engine off, eyes trained on the exchange like a man on a surveillance mission—which, to be fair, I kind of was.

 

I narrowed my eyes. That girl—Harper, right? —looked familiar. Not just because I’d seen her in the office before, but… there was something else. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“He still thinks I’m in Peru,” she muttered, letting out a breath. “Honestly, if he shows up at my funeral.. I’m haunting you.” 

My grip on the steering wheel froze.

Peru. 

That’s what Jessica told Ethan she was going. A ridiculous lie. Ethan had repeated it to me, laughing at how absurd it sounded. 

 

"She said she was flying to Peru. Didn’t even G****e which continent it’s on."

My eyes locked on Harper through the windshield. 

No.

It couldn’t be.

…Could it?

And the way she said it—deadpan dramatic, with just a hint of glitter-in-your-wake sarcasm. Ethan had mentioned that too. “She joked about haunting me. Like, actually haunting me. Who says that?”

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

Harper.

That’s who.

I slouched lower in my seat, adjusting the angle of my rearview mirror to track them as Riley pulled away. 

I gave them a ten-second head start before starting my own car. She didn’t know I was following. Good.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to a small, home like restaurant. Riley parked and both of them got out, laughing about something. I stayed in my car, parked half a block away, watching.

They went inside. I waited.

I told myself this was just due diligence. A professional courtesy to Ethan. But deep down, I couldn’t deny the nagging curiosity I felt toward Riley. Not just about Harper—but about her, too.

I don’t know how long I sat there, but eventually Riley emerged, carrying a plastic bag, chicken by the smell. She looked happy, Then she froze when she saw me.

“Miss Bennett” I called out, stepping from the car as casually as I could.

She jumped. “D-David?! What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I—uh—” Her hand tightened around the plastic bag. “Just getting food.”

“At a family-owned place you’ve never mentioned once?” I raised a brow.

She tried to laugh it off but I could see the panic flash in her eyes.

“Let’s talk,” I said gently. “Please.”

She hesitated, then nodded “Fine. Get in.”

We sat inside her car with the scent of crispy chicken thick in the air. She pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and popped open a can of beer like this was just another Tuesday night.

“So?” she said, not meeting my eyes. “What’s the lecture?”

“No lecture,” I said. “Just a question.”

“Shoot.”

“The woman my boss—Ethan—went on a blind date with…”

She choked on her beer and started coughing uncontrollably.

“You okay?” I handed her tissues from the bag and rubbed her back awkwardly.

“I’m fine!” she wheezed. “You just caught me off guard.”

“She agreed to work with him. Pretend to be his girlfriend. But now she’s vanished. We can’t reach her.”

Riley went quiet. Then she shook her head. “I can’t help.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sorry.”

The silence stretched.

Then I tried again. “That woman you were just with… she looked familiar. Is she…?”

She flinched.

“No!” she barked. “Of course not! My friends just… look similar!”

I tilted my head, pretending to play dumb. “Relax, I was just going to ask if she works in glowmira. I think I’ve seen her around the finance floor. Admin maybe?”

That hesitation.

The slight exhale.

It cracked her.

“Oh Uh, maybe? She drops by sometimes,” Riley mumbled, suddenly fiddling with the chicken bag like it had state secrets buried inside.

I leaned back in my seat, letting the silence

Then I said, “Funny. She said something about Peru.”

Riley froze. Completely.

I didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

“You know,” I added casually, “the same place Jessica told Ethan she ran off to? Kind of a niche coincidence, don’t you think?”

She slowly turned to look at me, her eyes wide, mouth opening, then closing again.

“I—I mean..s-she could’ve heard it from someone?” she stammered.

I just stared.

“You’re a terrible liar” I said calmly.

Her shoulders slumped. “Ugh”

“I have to report back to Ethan.”

“No, please!” she suddenly grabbed my hand, eyes wide. “Please don’t tell him.”

I blinked. “Riley…”

“She doesn’t know how big this has gotten,” she rushed out. “It started off as a favor for me. She didn’t know who he was until the date.”

“Then why did she ghost him?”

“She got hurt.”

“…Hurt?”

“Just her face,” she said quickly. “A bruise. It’s not serious, but… she’s embarrassed. She didn’t want him to see her like that.”

I rubbed my temples, trying to process everything. “So she’s waiting until she heals?”

“She’ll reach out to him. I promise. Just give her a little more time.”

I was quiet for a long time.

“I’m not supposed to lie to him,” I said.

“I know. But please,” she said, her voice softer now. “If she finds out I blew this, it’ll ruin everything. I messed up. Not her.”

She leaned her head on my shoulder. Her voice wavered. “I’ll owe you.”

I swallowed hard, every logical part of me screaming to walk away from this. But my heart—the stupid, impulsive part—kept me frozen.

“Fine,” I said at last. “But this is the last time I cover.”

Riley threw her arms around me in a tight, sudden hug that nearly knocked the breath out of me. “THANK YOU, DAVID! I WON’T FORGET THIS!”

I chuckled, stunned. “You owe me chicken for a month.”

“You got it”

-------

“You’re making excuses now because you couldn’t fix things?” Ethan said, his voice low.

“I’m sorry, sir—”

“I told you what would happen if you failed to find her.”

“Please—just a little more time.”

“And on top of everything else? The shooting grounds smell like cow shit.”

“Ethan…”

“But that shouldn’t be too hard for you, considering your room smells the same.”

“Hey!”

He hung up.

This was dragging on too long.

I sat in my apartment later that night, staring at the ceiling. Riley’s voice echoed in my head. Her hands. The desperation.

Then Ethan’s.

I was stuck between the two of them.

I sighed burying my face in my hands.

“…What exactly have I gotten myself into?”