Truth. I had never given the concept much thought. I generally assumed that people told the truth, because looking into every little thing would drive me crazy. Maybe it made me a little bit gullible, and maybe the business wouldn’t have survived without Nate’s inherent suspicion of everything and everybody, but it was just the way my mind worked. I didn’t expect people to lie to me.

But somebody was, and I needed to figure out who. If Shelley was telling the truth and the kids were mine, then Nate had spent almost three years lying to my face. If she was lying, then my last hope of finding a woman I truly wanted to be with was dead. Shelley hadn’t looked like she was lying, but then again, neither had Nate.

“It’s a lot easier to not look like a liar when you’re lying by omission,” I reminded myself as I pulled into the parking lot of my headquarters. “Shelley would have had to make that whole story up, kids and all. Those eyes…”

I shook my head. There had to be reams of stock photos online of kids with blue eyes, and it was statistically probable that at least a few of those kids would have eyes the same shape and shade as mine. Seemed like a lot of work to go through for a quick buck, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Still, I was pretty sure I believed her.

Nate was working late, as always. The top floor glowed like a beacon in the night, floating over several darkened floors. Questions tumbled through my mind as I made my way to the top of the building, questions which demanded immediate answers. I pushed into the office to find Nate alone, shuffling through papers and muttering to himself.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Hm? Oh, hey, Miles. Didn’t you have that thing tonight? It’s not over already, is it…what are you doing?”

His blasé attitude rubbed against my frayed nerves, and I crossed the space between us to take him by the lapels and push him against the wall.

“Shelley Smith.”

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, then a convincing look of confusion settled on his face.

“Who?”

“Shelley Smith. The girl I went out with, the night before we had that first meeting with the investors.”

“Okay, what about her?”

“What did you do?”

“Let go of me.”

He brushed my hands off and I took half a step back, giving him just enough room. He shook his head at me and scoffed.

“How much have you had to drink? This is why you should drink with me; if you’ve always got a little in your system, it won’t hit you so hard when you binge.”

“Don’t change the subject. Tell me about Shelley.”

“What about her? I met her one time in passing when you were working at that dump of a bar.”

“Did you send her an email?”

“What the hell would I have to email her about?”

“Did you?”

“You’re acting crazy. What’s the matter with you?”

I slammed my fist into the wall beside his head and glared into his eyes so close that our noses were nearly touching.

“Twins, Nate. She has twins. They look like me. Spill it, right now.”

“All right, all right, bro, back up. Jesus. So, this chick calls—coincidentally, right after we’ve made our millions—and says that she’s pregnant and you’re the father. I knew she was lying, dude. It was obvious. The timing was too perfect. She calls right when you get your big break? Please.”

I shoved my hands through my hair.

“You knew. Damn it, Nate, you knew! You didn’t even bother to check if she was telling the truth; you just decided that you already knew everything.”

“Look, I knew something like this would happen to one of us as soon as we started making headlines. The rising star profile on us came out that same morning, Miles. It was an obvious scam!” Nate cut in, managing to sound genuinely peeved. “How about a thank you, man? I got her off your back. I dealt with it before it could blow up in your face!”

“And clearly, you believed her enough to pay her hush money all this time.”

Nate was quiet, then. I’d caught him out. Trapped him in his own lie.

“Hush money is such a slimy way to put it…” he said finally, then trailed off, making little shrugging gestures.

I stared at him blankly as rage built up within me.

“Where did the money come from?” I asked icily.

Nate sighed again. “The company. However much I told her I’d pay her automatically came off the top of anything incoming and went into a separate account, and was then transferred to her on the first of every month. It never messed with the numbers because the money never even made it to accounting. And it was a small price to pay to keep her from going to the media and dragging your name through the mud with her accusations.”

“If her accusations were unfounded, why did you keep paying her off? Almost three years of payments, and you never once considered taking legal action against extortion? Why, Nate?”

“Well, that would probably hit the news and…”

I cut him off. “No, shut up. I know why. It was because you knew that it could be true. And you knew that if it was true, I would step up and do the right thing.”

Nate spread his hands and gave me his best negotiation smile.

“What is the right thing, Miles? How do any of us really know what the right thing is? She was provided for, whether she had a kid or not, and you were free to focus on the business. That sounds about right to me.”

As I stared at him in shock, it suddenly became clear. Nate Dunn, my best friend and business partner, was an absolute snake. He took my silence as room for him to maneuver, and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Miles, you’re young! Let’s forget about this, all right? Forget this whole thing ever happened. She’ll keep getting her money. Hell, she’ll get more money if that’s what you want. And you can focus on your work and forget all about her. There are limits to what you can deal with, Miles. You never have to take on the burden of her kids. You never even have to talk to her again. Let’s just reset this whole thing, all right? Let it go.”

Fury cooled to ice. Straightening my shoulders, I absorbed all of the new information. Nate was absolutely right. There were limits to what I could deal with.

Turning to him, I extended my hand. Relief relaxed his face into a beaming grin, and he shook my hand enthusiastically.

“I knew you would see it my way. Good man. Now, let’s—”

“This is goodbye, Nate.”

He froze, his hand still in mine. He shook his head a little bit, and looked at me sideways.

“What are you—”

“You’re fired.”

Nate snatched his hand away and grinned, his eyes glinting dangerously.

“You can’t fire me, Miles. We’re partners. I own as much stock in this company as you do. You’re stuck with me, bro.”

“The hell I am. You’ll sell your stock to me for a fraction of the price and step down, because if you don’t, I will sue your ass for every penny you own.”

“On what grounds?” Nate demanded haughtily.

I set my jaw and met his eyes with a steely glare.

“You have inflicted irrevocable harm to me, to Shelley, and to my family. There isn’t a court in the country that wouldn’t award me what I’d ask for. You can’t put a price on family, Nate, and your attempt at doing just that makes you the villain here.”

Nate paled and backed away slightly, hunching over as if I’d struck him in the gut.

“But…I did it for you.”

“No, Nate. You did it for you. You did it because, without me, you wouldn’t even have a company, and you wanted me married to the work. You didn’t spare a stray feeling for me, or Shelley, and you sure as hell didn’t give a thought to the kids. They’ve been living for two years without a father. Tell me again how that was selfless on your part.”

Nate clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together. He zoned out, his eyes darting back and forth as he considered everything I’d said. He pushed a hand through his hair and scribbled numbers down on a legal pad, running through some calculations. Even a fraction of what his shares were worth was better than nothing—and more than he deserved. He tapped the pen on the desk, filling the heavy silence that I’d allowed to settle over the office.

“When do you want me out?” he asked.

“Immediately. Wrap up whatever you’re working on, get your stuff, and get out.”

Nate shook his head with a heavy sigh.

“You know you’re never going to be able to keep the momentum going without me. Especially if you’re planning on playing Daddy to a couple of snot-nosed brats. But you do what you think is best. When you crash and burn, give me a call. Maybe I’ll let you buy me back.”

I didn’t react. I knew his tricks; I knew the way he planted seeds in people’s minds. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me that way. He waited for me to say something, and I let the silence stretch out until he wriggled uncomfortably.

“Fine. I resign. You’ll never see me again.”

“Perfect. Now get the hell out of my office.”