Regina emerged into the sunlight, her presence causing Dahlia to instinctively smooth out the wrinkles in her demeanor along with her skirt as if trying to brush away the dust of conflict.
âWhat am I doing here? Really, Regina, is it not blatantly obvious to you? Perhaps youâd rather reflect on your recent escapades?â
Reginaâs smile twitched; âDahlia, arenât you sticking your nose a bit too far? Since when do I owe you a rundown of my comings and goings? Weâre hardly more than interviewer and interviewee.â
âLook, we didnât have much to do with each other, true, but then you went and snatched my boyfriend like a slice of Thanksgiving pie! That makes it very much my business. How could you be so shameless? I was with him for years, and there was never another woman. Then you show up, and suddenly heâs gone. Youâve got a heart of stone! Does your family know about this? Would your mother not turn in her grave with shame?â
Regina felt a flush creep up her neck even though she hadnât done what Dahlia accused her of, especially since her mother had passed away long ago. What was Dahlia implying?
âForcing me to admit to something I havenât done? Who do you think you are, Dahlia? A judge? You have no right to decide I took your beau, especially since you havenât even told me who he is! How can I steal a man when I donât even know who Iâm supposed to have stolen?â
Regina struggled to keep her composure, but Dahlia blurted out a name that struck a chord: Nolan.
âThatâs absurd. You two were never an item,â said Regina.
With a confident stride, Dahlia closed the distance, her poise unshaken. âAnd who told you we werenât together? Since when do men disclose every little detail? If we werenât a thing, how come I was all over his office like icing on a cake? Ever seen anyone else waltz in there like they owned the place?
Do you even know when his birthday is? His favorite dish? You know nothing, Regina. So how can you claim Iâm not his girlfriend?â
Dahlia had chosen the lobby for this showdown, banking on the traffic of curious onlookers. Sure enough, colleagues had begun to gather, their natural attraction to drama keeping them rooted to the spot.
âHey, who are they talking about?â
âLooks like weâve got another love triangle. What kind of man has these two beauties at each otherâs throats?â
âShh, I heard Nolanâs name. They canât be serious, can they? Nolan just got hitched, didnât he? No way heâs mixed up with them.â
Another onlooker gasped at the mention of Nolanâs name, âNo way, is Mrs. Harris one of them?â
âGoodness, New Blossom Press is quite the talent pool to have Nolanâs wife in our midst!â âQuiet down, will you? Theyâre still hashing it out.â
As Dahlia pressed her, Regina retreated step by step. She really didnât know. The marriage certificate between Nolan and herself was a product of her fatherâs pressure, not passion. Doubt crept into Reginaâs mind. Could it be that Nolan had already been with Dahlia? Why hadnât he said anything?