Trust in Advertising (60 page)

She continued to flip through the pages, her stomach dropping. Excalibur had 362

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been her baby, Vincent trusted her with it, and she somehow let it slip through her fingers.

“What the hell is going on? How does David have your mock up? What does he care?”

“Someone at Hunter has been leaking our ideas to competitors. Vincent has no idea why, or who it is. This,” she waved the papers at Erica, “is the account he gave me. The one he wanted protected above all others. Now I have to tell him David has the information, including private meeting notes, and our presentation date. This is bad.”

“Oh my God,” Erica gasped.

“Yeah.”

The papers in her hand were all the proof they needed that someone was selling Hunter ideas, but as far as she could tell, nothing about them would be helpful in finding the culprit. “Can I keep these? I need to show them to Vincent.”

“Absolutely. Now that I know what I’m looking for, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for anything else fishy.” Erica hugged Lexi and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too. I’m sorry you had to put up with David being awful just so you could give me this.”

“Don’t worry about it. I figure I’m just gonna get him liquored up and let him make a fool of himself. If I’m lucky, I can get my next Christmas card picture tonight.” She earned a wry smile from Lexi.

After a reassuring squeeze to Lexi’s arm, Erica disappeared back into the crowd. Lexi’s mind reeled as she tried to figure out when the files could have been found and photographed. She had kept everything under lock and key, no matter where she was in the building. Maybe she thought she had locked the drawer one day, and it was actually left open. Vincent was going to be furious.

He might even fire her. Everything she’d worked for would be taken away. A sudden wave of nausea hit Lexi, and she needed to get some air.

Out in the garden, everything was peaceful. Most of the crowd was still inside, while couples trickled through the garden looking to share some quiet time. It was the perfect escape. Lexi found a bench off to the side, sat down, and again scoured through the papers in her hand. In the dim moonlight, something caught her eye. She held the sheet up to one of the outdoor lights and froze.

Scribbled on a Post-it note attached to one of the print ads was a name, underlined twice.
Jade
with an arrow pointing at the main female model in the shoot.

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Staring at it, Lexi’s stomach lurched. Who picks the model before the design campaign is even solidified? Why would he do that unless …

Just as she crammed the papers in her purse, she heard two very low voices coming from the shadows. “I’m going to take care of that little problem we have, once and for all. She’s just getting in the way.”

“Do you have anything else for me?” a deep voice Lexi immediately recognized as David Reid asked.

“Get me the Fitzgerald’s modeling contract, and we’ll talk. Until then, any other Hunter goodies I may have up my sleeve are available to the highest bidder.”

“Jade, if you give another client to Parketti,” David threatened.

“You’ll what? I’m making you millions with the information I gave you. I have to spread this stuff around to keep everyone at Hunter guessing. I never give Adria anything good. Her ungrateful attitude real y pisses me off. But she’s gotten me the cover every time, so I’m not complaining. Vincent’s completely wrapped up in his little Kewpie doll of an assistant. He has no idea what’s going on.”

Lexi’s heart thundered in her chest, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Jade had been selling out Vincent for months. She was the mole. It would devastate him when he learned the truth. There was a long silence and then a few sickening giggles from Jade.

“I love you,” David said in the darkness.

Jade giggled again, and Lexi snapped. She shot up out of her seat and loudly cleared her throat, glaring into their hidden alcove. Jade and David peeked out from the shadows like two teenagers caught making out and froze.

“You make me sick.” Lexi took great pleasure in watching the terror sweep across Jade’s face. She mockingly gave a little finger wave. “See you in hell, Jade.” Then Lexi turned on her heel and walked out of the garden, trying to scrub the image of David’s hand threaded up through one of the holes in Jade’s dress out of her head.

As she stepped back into the warehouse, she had one thing on her mind.

Vincent. She needed to find him. Her eyes darted around the room, but the crowd seemed to have doubled in size while she was gone. Finally, off to the side of the dance floor, Lexi found Julian and Christina. Thinking they might have an idea where Vincent was, she hurried off in their direction.

“Lexi, love the dress on you. You having a good time?” Julian greeted her as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. When he saw the paled expression on her face he stopped. “What happened?”

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“I was out in the garden. I just need to find Vincent—it’s an emergency.”

Lexi’s voice trembled with emotion.

“Are you all right?” Christina stepped forward in a panic. “Did someone hurt you?”

A very dazed Lexi answered. “What? N-no, nothing like that.” She shook her head. “It’s a work thing.”

Julian eyed her cautiously. “Last time I saw him, he was near the bar, talking to his mother. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I will be. Thanks.” Lexi hugged Christina and Julian and congratulated both of them on the evening’s huge success.

After a few more minutes of pleasantries, Lexi’s eyes continued scanning the room for Vincent. “Go find your man.” Christina smiled.

“Thanks.” Lexi waved and disappeared into the crowd. She caught a glimpse of Robert and headed in that direction as fast as she could. When she finally broke through the throngs of people, she found Robert and Elizabeth together, but no Vincent.

“Damn it,” she muttered.

“Well, hello to you too, dear.” Elizabeth laughed.

“Sorry, I’m looking for your son.” Lexi smiled apologetically and then began scanning the room again.

“Oh, you know what? He’s off doing something very important right now and real y can’t be interrupted.” Elizabeth threaded her arm through Lexi’s. “Why don’t we go get something to eat? I see a lovely dessert table set up in that corner.”

Lexi was running out of time and was becoming more desperate to talk to Vincent. “I’m not hungry. I don’t mean to be rude, but I really have to talk to him about something.” As she waved the papers at Elizabeth, she caught sight of Vincent and Jade heading upstairs. “Never mind, I see him. I’ll be back.”

“Lexi, wait!”

On the trip across the room, it seemed like Lexi ran into every person she knew, everyone wanting to stop her and chat about something. As politely as possible, she excused herself from each of them and continued toward Vincent.

As she was about to go upstairs, a huge hand landed on her shoulder.

“Yo, Lexi. Where are you sneaking off to?”

“Sean, Hope, oh thank God! Listen, Jade’s the mole. Someone from Reid gave me these papers. They’re pictures of the Excalibur account—the boards and PowerPoint. Then I heard Jade and Reid out on the garden talking about it 365

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and … making out. She’s cheating on Vincent too.” As she spilled all the sordid details, she became nauseated. She could only imagine what Vincent would feel like when he heard. Her heart broke for him.

“What?” Sean’s smile evaporated from his face.

“That bitch,” Hope snarled. “After all the shit she accused you of, here she is sleeping around on Vincent?”

“Yeah, I know. Listen, they just went upstairs. I have to go tell him. He needs to know. Screw Jade, I’ll deal with her too.”

Sean held out an arm to stop her. “Do you want me to go with you? Jade isn’t going to take this well. I’d feel better if I was there.”

She reached out her hand and laid it on Sean’s cheek. “Thanks for the offer, but it’s time someone showed Jade the door, and I’m thrilled to be the one to do it. But there is something you can do for me.”

“Name it.”

“Go find Anna. Vincent’s going to need her when he finds out what Jade did.” The two exchanged a sad look. Both understood this would hit Vincent like a ton of bricks, and his reaction would be explosive. It was the thing that he loathed the most: betrayal.

“Be careful,” Hope whispered as Lexi started running up the stairs in search of Vincent.

The serenity of the warehouse loft was a definite contrast to the throngs of chattering people down below. Off in the distance, Lexi heard voices coming from one of the back rooms. She made her way down the hall, her stomach clenching with each step. She wanted Jade gone, but she’d never wanted to see Vincent hurt this way. With a trembling hand, she reached for the doorknob and turned it.

“V-Vincent, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Lexi stepped inside Julian’s office and waited for Vincent to acknowledge her. He was sitting in the large leather chair behind Julian’s desk. Jade was perched on the edge of the desk, her back to the door. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, and the sinister curve of her lips sent a chill down Lexi’s spine.

Jade’s voice broke the eerie silence that had settled over the room. “Just the person he wanted to talk to.” She stood up and stepped beside the desk, giving Lexi her first view of Vincent, who appeared to be devastated. His eyes were flat as he looked at her, devoid of all emotion. The tight line of his lips and furiously shaking knee scared Lexi more than anything.

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“I need to talk to you,” Lexi pleaded but his expression didn’t change. It remained stone cold and dead.

“I don’t think he wants to hear anything
you
have to say anymore,” Jade snarled, her arms crossing over her chest.

“Back off, Jade. I’m in no mood for your bullshit right now.” Lexi took a step toward the desk, and Vincent leapt to his feet as if he couldn’t get far enough away from her. “Vincent, please?”

He wheeled around with fire in his eyes. “Please what, Lexi? What do you want me to do exactly? Listen to you? Put up with you overstepping your bounds in my office? With you worming your way into my family? Or should I just bend over and let you continue to screw me while you play footsies under the table with Reid? I just hope he paid you in cash for the information you gave him, because if he paid you with sex, you’re a damn fool. The man doesn’t know his dick from a rotten banana.”

The malice and rage in his words floored Lexi. Jade grinned victoriously just out of his line of sight. Lexi tried to process what he was saying, but her head was spinning. “I—I’m not doing anything with Reid. He tried to come on to me tonight, and I told him to take a hike. Wh-where is all of this coming from?” Her eyes darted over to Jade. “What lies has she been filling your head with now?”

He laughed darkly as he leaned against the far wall, still glaring at her.

“You want to know where it’s coming from?” He pushed himself up and stalked toward her, scaring Lexi. “
This
is where it comes from.” His phone was in his outstretched hand. “Go ahead, take it. Read the text I just got.”

With a shaking hand, Lexi slipped the phone from his palm, careful not to touch him. The words on the screen stopped her heart.

Just heard from Reid’s assistant looking for a meeting the day before
you. Prelim ideas same. Excalibur is in play. There’s your mole. - MJ

She read and reread the words a mil ion times and stil couldn’t believe them.

He was accusing her of being the mole. If there was one person who had been on Vincent’s side, it was Lexi. Ever since she’d walked through the elevator doors of the twenty-third floor, she had put up with his crap, his yelling, his tirades, his satanic girlfriend with her fire and brimstone, all for him. Lexi’s eyes locked on Jade, whose smile seemed ready to burst from her face.

“Do you have anything to say?” Vincent snarled.

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Lexi’s eyes flicked up to his and she held is gaze, her anger now growing to rival even his. She slammed the phone back into his palm. “I am not the mole. I haven’t shared that information with anyone. It’s been under lock and key since the second you gave it to me. I know where every copy is. They’re all locked in my desk drawer and numbered.”

Vincent rolled his eyes.

“I did not sell you out to Reid.” Lexi bit out every word through her clenched jaw.

The two of them stood face to face, neither one breaking eye contact. Jade cleared her throat in the distance and spoke. “So then it’s just a coincidence that the leaks started about the time you arrived? Is it just a coincidence that Reid sent you flowers and that you two were huddled together in the corner tonight?

Then, soon after, Mr. Johnson gets a call about the Excalibur account? Vincent isn’t stupid, Lexi.”

“He is the stupidest man alive if he’s listening to you and the load of shit you’re feeding him.”

“Why?” The strangled word came from Vincent’s lips. His eyes were no longer angry; they were lost. The sadness seeped out of his pores, nearly smothering Lexi.

“I did
not
sell you out, Vincent. But I know who did.” She cast a quick look in Jade’s direction, long enough to see her pale, and then Lexi returned her gaze to Vincent. “So it all comes down to this—do you trust me?”

Vincent flinched at her words, breaking eye contact and fidgeting nervously with the change in his pocket. Time stood still as she waited for his answer. He turned away and began pacing the room, his hands raking through his hair and tugging on the tangled strands.

Sadly, Lexi had her answer. His silence spoke volumes. Overwhelmed with grief, Lexi turned toward the door and started to walk away. She reached out and touched the knob when she heard Vincent speak.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. I have my answer. If you had to think about it for even a second, you don’t know me at all.” She pushed open the door and turned back around.