HARPER
After Julian left, I wandered around the lobby for a while, trying to avoid the heavy gazes of people who pretended to work. The murmurs grew louder, sharper, morphing into accusations and insults as the seconds dragged by. Some were subtle. Others were not.
I tried to compel myself not to react, not to fall for the bait. But I failed miserably. Every word felt deliberately chosen to provoke me. That was what they wanted, after all. To see me lash out so they could drag me down even further.
I would not give them that satisfaction.
I had a reputation to protect. And the only reason I had followed Julian here was because he said he would be meeting a potential investor for the company we were building together. He had not told me who it was.
Only that the person was interested in what we were offering and that the deal would likely go through.
So, I did not bother him.
