Christian POV
She lied.
I wanted to believe her. But there was something in the way her body stiffened when I asked, something too fast in her smile, too smooth in the way she said I was with Tessa.
Elizabeth Harper couldn’t lie to save her life.
And that’s how I found myself standing outside Tessa’s apartment the next day, my hand heavy against the door as I knocked.
The moment Tessa opened the door, her face drained of color. Then she forced a nervous smile.
“Please, I don’t want to lose my job again, Mr. Reed,” she blurted out, half-joking, half-pleading.
“That depends,” I said evenly, my gaze pinning her in place. “If you tell me the truth. Was Elizabeth with you three days ago?”
Her lips parted, her hand tightening on the doorframe. “Yes,” she said quickly. “We hung out, lost
