The color drained from his face.
I stepped closer, cornering him. "Leo, did we really break up because of the long distance? Or was there someone else?"
"I..."
"Don't insult my intelligence."
His jaw tightened. Finally, a sharp nod. "Fine. Yes. I cheated. So what?"
The admission hit like a physical blow, but he wasn't done.
"Rena, look at where I came from. My parents worked themselves to the bone just to get me out of that town. I had to claw my way up here. When I saw a chance to secure my future, I took it. Grabbed it with both hands."
Confusion warred with the pain. "What are you talking about?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The interview for the Fortune 500 branch position. I missed the cutoff score. Wasn't going to get in."
He looked me in the eye, unapologetic. "Vanessa spoke to her father—the General Manager—and got me the offer."
My blood ran cold. "Her father? You're sure it was Richard Whitmore?"
"Yeah."
The ground tilted beneath me.
I, the biological daughter, had been rejected over a minor technicality. Held back by rigid adherence to the rules.
Yet all it took was a single word from Vanessa.