Irina's POV
I held her stare without flinching, my conscience completely clean.
"I don't give a damn," Melissa snapped, her voice breaking as she tore her eyes away from me and locked onto Karl. "Karl, where the hell did you dig up this con artist?"
I let out an exasperated breath, wondering silently, 'Do I seriously look like some kind of scammer? Why does everyone keep throwing that word around?'
Karl's anger flared, his tone ice-cold. "Melissa, watch your damn mouth. We brought Dr. Brent here specifically to help Mr. Brent."
"Bullshit," Melissa shot back, eyeing both of us with a bitter laugh. "I see what's going on here. She's some girl you dragged in to work your connections, right?"
That's when Karl caught on—Melissa had completely misread whatever was between us. The fury in his eyes was unmistakable, but his upbringing held him back from really letting her have it.
