something was going on by the constant, fucking stupid grin on René’s face contrasted with the uncomfortable look on Leah’s.
While I hadn’t been in any position to do anything because I hadn’t seen or heard anything untoward, I was ecstatic that she’d put him in his place. If she said he’d had his hands on her, then I believed her. I also believed that he’d used all those terrible lines on her since her responses didn’t seem to have been at all random.
For a few seconds following her outburst, there was total silence. Everyone seemed to be in shock and Leah had gone so pale that she was practically translucent.
René recovered first, his face turning redder by the second as he jumped up from his seat. He glared at Leah for half a second, then disregarded her to aim his disgust at Jefferson.
“I am appalled by this woman’s rudeness,” he spat. “I have never been treated like this in my life. Consider your business with Fayette done. We wouldn’t touch any company who employs such despicable people.”
Leah’s mouth opened, but she shut it again almost instantly. Her gaze turned down, but not before I’d seen how misty her eyes had become.
René narrowed his eyes at Jefferson, balled his napkin up, and threw it back down on the table before storming out. With a deep sigh, Jefferson raised his hand to stop me when I made to go after the asshole, getting up himself instead.
“I’ll go try to make things right,” he said. “Katie, when you’re done with your meal, you’re excused.”
She nodded, only waiting until he had left before going to Leah’s side. Sitting down in the seat beside her, she reached out to touch her arm and offered her a small smile. “When Mr. Killen talks to me about what happened before they arrived at the table, I’ll tell him everything. That man was ridiculous.”
Leah dragged in a shuddering breath before glancing at her friend but doing it without lifting her head. “Thanks, Katie. I appreciate it, but I’m not sure how much good it’s going to do.”
“It’ll do enough.” Katie squeezed her arm again, then shot me a hard look as she stood up. “You’ll take care of her?”
“Of course,” I said, not waiting until she was gone before I went to Leah. Kneeling down beside her since she obviously wasn’t ready to look up yet, I dipped my head until I could see her eyes even if she wasn’t looking at me.
“Leah?” I said softly. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head, covering her face with her hands as she released a deep sigh. “I feel terrible. Did I just ruin Jefferson’s new launch? If Fayette cuts ties with Killen over this—”
“They won’t,” I said evenly. “René is an asshole, but Jefferson will soothe his ego. Fayette Senior isn’t an idiot. He won’t cut ties with a company like Killen just because his son got told off by a woman.”
“Okay, but what about you? If this reflects poorly on you, will Jefferson reconsider his decision to leave the company to you?” Her voice was shaky, filled with fear and doubt.
I slid a finger underneath her chin, putting only the slightest pressure on her skin to encourage her to look into my eyes. When she did, her green orbs were filled with the same emotions as were in her voice.
Making sure to keep my gaze firmly on hers, I injected as much confidence into my tone as possible. “Jefferson and I have a good relationship. I’ll handle him, but you don’t have to worry about how this reflects on me. The only person it reflects horribly on is René.”
“You and I might feel that way, but I’m not sure Jefferson will agree,” she said sadly, slumping back in her chair to roll her head back toward the ceiling. “I just feel so awful. I didn’t mean to snap, but he wouldn’t quit. He just kept pushing and pushing. It’s not an excuse, but that’s what happened.”
I paused for a minute, willing her to look at me but asking what needed to be asked even when she kept her eyes closed and her head back. “When you said his hands were all over you, what did you mean? Where did he touch you?”
She sighed. “My leg mostly. Right at the end there though, he went a bit further.”
My heart lurched, rage tightening my chest and coursing hot through my veins. I gritted my teeth, my jaw grinding as I dragged