over time, the increases became more noticeable. The increases were all categorized as design development. I tried to access the information needed to break down the expenditures further, to see where they were coming from and which designer was responsible for them, but I was shut down and told to back off. I became insistent, called for an internal audit—”
“And then you left.” She interrupted me, finishing my sentence.
I looked up and met her gaze, hurt still visible in her eyes. I squelched a desire to reach out and touch her face. I nodded. “That’s when I left.”
“Because you thought Sasha was stealing from the company and I refused to believe Sasha was anything but my one-way ticket to my dreams.”
We sat in silence, thousands of unspoken words hanging in the air between us. It still hurt to think about those painful days right after I left LeFranc.
“Alex, why didn’t you tell me?”
I moved to the desk, flipping through the letters Dani had left. “I wanted to,” I said, my back to her. I turned around and crossed my arms across my chest. “But I couldn’t tell you specifics. You were still so loyal to Sasha. I couldn’t risk her finding out I was suspicious for fear of her destroying any proof of her activities. To be fair, Dani, you were pretty defensive when I implied anything negative about Sasha. I don’t think you would have taken the details kindly.”
She bit her lip. There were so many emotions behind her eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
“Once I left, I couldn’t say anything because of the cease and desist. They threatened legal action. I had no choice but to back down, especially since I couldn’t prove anything.”
“Except . . .” She paused. “You just did say something.”
I offered her a small smile. “You don’t work for her anymore. And you possibly just gave me the proof I need to convince Alicio she’s been stealing from him.”
“It’s still a risk though, right? For you, personally?”
I couldn’t lie, not when she’d asked me so plainly. “I haven’t been financially dependent on Alicio since I graduated, but he has threatened to retroactively charge me my very expensive education that he paid for.”
Dani shook her head. “That’s a lot of money, Alex. You can’t take that on for me.”
“But I would, Dani. In a minute, I would.” The fire in my gut raged fierce enough, the words I’d spoken had to be true; it was not lost on me that I’d just committed to do the very thing I hadn’t been willing to do before.
I’d been a coward. And it was time to make it right. “Also, it’s the right thing to do. Someone needs to stop her. And I might be the only person who can.”
“Alex, when did your mom die?”
It wasn’t a question I expected. “Why?”
“What year? You were still in school, right?”
“I was almost finished, but yes. She died just after Thanksgiving. Five years ago.”
Her face fell. “So Sasha met Alicio before your Mom died?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, feeling suddenly agitated. “I’ve always suspected—she appeared in his life so soon after Mom was gone—but I don’t have any way to know for sure. Why?”
Dani bit her bottom lip the same way she’d used to when we’d played Scrabble and she’d known she had a word that was going to score big. She’d always tried to play it cool, but she had a terrible poker face. When she knew something—anything—I’d always been able to tell with one look.
“Nothing. I was just curious.”
“Dani. Just tell me.”
She closed her eyes for a moment before locking her gaze with mine. “Sasha told me right before I quit that she and Alicio were going away for the weekend to celebrate the five-year anniversary of when they first had dinner. That was three months ago, which means—”
“Alicio was sleeping with Sasha while Mom was in the hospital.” I dropped into my desk chair and took a deep breath. “Wow.” It was hardly an adequate response, but it was all I could manage. Something fierce and hot roiled inside me; anger at Alicio for cheating on my mother when she was sick, anger at Sasha for taking husbands and money and dresses and ideas without even thinking about the consequences. I had to stop her. For Dani, but for my mom, too.
Dani reached out and curled her hands over my arms, squeezing them gently. “I’m sorry, Alex.”
She dropped her hands, but I wished she’d left them there. I