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𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

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"I guess you could say I'm a bit of a rogue, but I try to keep it on the DL. Don't want that kind of thing getting around the office."

Cora blinked as the floppy haired hipster leaning over the bar took an elongated shrug, swirling his whiskey rhythmically. She was trying desperately to keep her attention zoned in on the Vaulter employee, a man named either Steven or Stephen, she wasn't entirely sure. He'd spent the last half hour speaking with no pauses about all manner of things that didn't interest Cora in the least, all while addressing her as though she possessed the mind of a child.

She'd managed to keep her composure, though the sugar rush of the mocktails that Roman was sending over to the table was beginning to make her twitchy, not the ideal state to be in when one was pretending to be drunk. She could see him from the corner of her eye, leaning against the bar, in conversation with a couple of the other Vaulter employees who'd been naive enough to stumble into his grasp. His gaze flickered over to the pair, sitting at one of the tables, before returning to his conversation. She felt a strange flutter in her chest.

"Oh, yeah?" Cora lazily gestured her hand as she switched her attention back, shifting her body slowly from side to side in her seat as she kept her eyelids low. Steven or Stephen was watching her like a hawk, though thankfully a mildly lecherous one. He leaned closer to her, inhaling her perfume, a mixture of Coco Mademoiselle and the Shirley Temple she was nursing. She suppressed the urge to push him away, smiling instead, her lips pursed.

"Yeah, uh huh."

"And what other," Cora paused, breaking eye contact with him to stir her mocktail with that toothpick that had recently been speared into her cherry. She raised it to her lips, between her teeth, sucking the syrup from it as she eyed the man, the toothpick indenting on her bottom lip. He gazed at her mouth unabashedly as she continued. "Rogueish things do you happen to get up to?"

________

That morning when Kendall and Cora had turned up at the Vaulter offices together, Kendall clad in sunglasses and Cora nursing a coffee, Roman's interest had been perked.

His attention was obvious, given that he'd all but been avoiding eye contact with Cora for the entirety of her time at Waystar, so when he'd pulled her aside after Kendall shuffled off to a meeting with Lawrence Yee, she'd felt a pleasant wave ripple from his hand on her shoulder and echo throughout her body. She cleared her throat with a cough as she turned to him, eyebrows raised in expectancy as he pulled his hand away, arms folding over his chest.

"What's up with him? He smells like a fucking brewery."

"You didn't see him last night?" Cora replied, pretending as though she hadn't noticed when Roman and Tabitha had departed early. Roman gave his head a shake, eyeing her with equal measures of suspicion and amusement.

"Nope, but evidently you did." There was an edge to his voice and Cora found herself wondering if she was being blamed for Kendall's lack of sobriety. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"I didn't get him drunk, if that's what you're implying." Cora replied, her defensiveness evident from the stiffness of her voice. "I actually took my rehab trip seriously."

"Well, it's kinda hard to not pull a Lohan when you spend barely 48 hours in the place." Roman muttered, shaking his head. "So there's not a weird, y'know, thing happening there?"

"Roman!" Cora hissed, and she felt a sense of deja vu overwhelm her. She swallowed and let out a huffed sigh. "No, your cousin also stayed over too. It was a convenience thing."

"Checks out, no one who's fucking Kendall is going to find any convenience there." Roman quipped. He paused, studying her. "And I know what you're thinking. No I'm not going to narc on him, don't worry. Not everyone understands nuance like myself, and would probably jump to some silly little conclusions. Tabloid readers, if you will."

Cora rolled her eyes, trying not to feel stung by the reference. "Har har. Thanks, I guess." She folded her arms against her chest, glancing over her shoulder before switching her gaze back to Roman. "Do you know if he's, like, ok?"

"Kendall's almost never ok, his colon's a diamond factory."

"Jesus, Rome."

"What? You haven't missed my sparkling wit?" He looked at her expectantly, lips pulled into a smirk. She rolled her eyes, scoffing to cover up a giggle.

"Not particularly, no."

"Ooh, icy Cordelia. C'mon, we better go keep an eye on him."

Roman set off, gesturing for Cora to follow. They found Kendall with Lawrence, who was leading them around the open plan office and running through some of Vaulter's key numbers. Cora had gleaned on the car ride over that Kendall was going to try his best in order to keep the Vaulter deal in place, an argument that was already unpopular with Logan. Even with the numbing effect of a hangover, he seemed wired and jittery, his leg bouncing as they had spoken, underscored by the sound of morning New York traffic.

Greg had greeted them both earlier with coffee he'd made with the machine on the bench. He'd awoken before either of them, Cora emerging from the master bedroom after a steaming hot shower, dressed for the day as Kendall stumbled over from the couch.

"Oh, hey! Hope you don't mind, I kinda whipped out the ol' barista skills." Greg nodded to the mugs on the counter. Cora picked one up and nodded her head as she took a sip. "I tried to find something for breakfast but, uh, you really don't have a lot of groceries. I just found, like, a lot of ... crackers and brie?"

"She can't cook." Kendall muttered, his throat rasping as he spoke.

"I can ... Cook, I just choose not to actually." Cora replied, rolling her eyes. The last time she'd tried to make a quiche, she'd had to call the fire department, but she let this anecdote go unsaid. "You can get anything ordered these days anyway."

"She's pretending like she doesn't just eat out at restaurants." Kendall said again, taking a gulp of coffee.

"You're welcome for making sure you got out of the party unscathed." Cora said with an eyeroll.

"I actually got into fine dining recently, uh Tom took me out because he didn't think my favourite food should be from California Pizza Kitchen." Greg said with a nod.

"It probably shouldn't be, yeah." Cora replied, not entirely sure what to make of the comment. Greg didn't seem to hear her apprehension, leaning a hand against the kitchen bench.

"I guess I didn't really get the problem y'know, like, California Pizza Kitchen is an All-American classic."

"Pig swill would be more edible." Kendall managed, before a look of nausea overtook his face, disgusted at the image his own words conjured. "What's the time?"

"7." Greg replied without a beat.

"Fuck, guess I'm not showering then." He muttered, downing the rest of his coffee. "Gotta call the driver."

Cora looked at his crumpled white shirt, a stain of red wine on his left cuff, and wondered if his suit jacket would manage to cover the worst of it.

"We should make it to Hudson Square on time." Cora replied. She'd looked up the Vaulter offices before her shower. Kendall's eyes flickered up to her, confusion denting his brow. Cora found herself letting out a sharp scoff. "You said I could come."

"Uh, I mean," He scratched his head as he searched for his words. Finally he gave a defeated sigh. "Yeah, just as long as you don't fuck around."

"Am I known for fucking around?"

Standing in the Vaulter offices as Lawrence stopped abruptly to show them where they could grab a coffee if they wanted to, Kendall shot Cora a look of warning, which Cora pretended to ignore. She knew he was on edge, but it felt like if she so much as let out a stray cough, his eyes were suddenly fixed on her. Kendall for his own part seemed to be managing off adrenaline alone, his voice holding a slight tremble each time he spoke and his throat clamped down whenever he was trying to say something witty or insightful. Cora couldn't help but feel unsympathetic, especially when she too felt drained by the evening before, and much of that had been his doing.

When Kendall stalked off to the bathroom briefly, Lawrence turned to Cora and Roman. "Sorry, Kendall has neglected to introduce you, but that's on brand. You are ...? "

"Cordelia Vernon." It felt rather alien to introduce herself so formerly, but she extended her hand out of obligation. Lawrence gave it a concise shake, and she found herself startled at how soft his hands were.

"Any relation to-"

"His step-daughter." Roman said, interrupting. "Bit hard to win the genetic lottery with a guy who's looked 70 for the past two decades."

"Ah, I see." Lawrence smiled politely, his lips pulled tight. From behind them, the expensive coffee machine began to whir to life. Cora glanced over her shoulder to see a man bent at the waist, inspecting the coffee as it drizzled into a mug. With nothing else to say, all three fixed their eyes on the man, before he realised that they were staring at him. Hurriedly, he cleared his throat, nodding towards Lawrence.

"Oop, didn't see you there." He pulled his mug from beneath the coffee machine, straightening up. His eyes flickered to Cora, and then, so brazenly that she almost doubted he had done so, his eyes fell to her chest, zeroing in as if he were x-raying her body. Cora's mouth opened, and from her side, Roman let out a small chuckle.

"Certainly seen something now." He muttered under his breath. Cora jabbed her elbow into his side and he winced, dramatically clutching his side.

The man seemed to remember himself, introducing himself, and Cora found that the sound of blood pumping in her ears from the embarrassment obscured his name. Roman shook the man's hand when he reached his hand out to Cora, grin spread wide across Roman's face. From the corner of her eye, she could see his mind turning.

It wasn't until hours later, after they had spent the day beginning to turn through Vaulter's figures as a unit, assessing the weaknesses and strengths, that Roman and Cora spoke again in private. She almost ran into him on the way out from the bathroom, startling slightly and clutching her chest, her eyes wide open. "Fuck, you gave me a heart attack. Do you often lurk outside of the women's?"

"Only when you're in it." He replied, his hands crossed behind his back. He rocked forward, looking like an schoolboy idling at the school gates. "So, after we're done here, what're you doing?"

"Nothing." Cora replied, her voice laced with suspicion. "Why?"

"Because," Roman paused, taking a step forward. Cora bit down on her bottom lip, waiting for him as he scanned the hall before craning towards her ear, lowering his voice. "We're turning up nada on this audit. There's something fishy, shit's a little too relaxed around here. I asked someone about deadlines earlier and they gave me a blank look. We need the fucking juice. I've got an idea."

Cora waited expectantly for him to continue.

"That guy who was ogling you before was a manager. I'm going to ask them to grab a beer at whatever local fuckoff hipster joint they all get shitfaced at. I'll milk the underlings but you work him over."

"Don't say milk." Cora muttered, casting her own conspiratorial glance around to make sure they weren't being overheard. She considered his idea. He was true, there was very little dirt in the Vaulter office to swing the decision away from Kendall's own path, but that was also the conundrum. Maybe going with Roman would be a dud, maybe things were really as they seemed. That being said, if they did find something, that something was guaranteed ammunition against Kendall.

"Don't tell me you're thinking about him. Cora, this shit's dead in the water." He pulled away, shaking his head. "My dad wants to cut it, he doesn't get the digital media thing and he's never gotten why Ken put up so much for Vaulter, and he's going to cut it regardless. Just depends if the bandaid rip happens now or later, months from now, when it's covering a festering wound and the deal's gone septic."

Cora raised her hands. "I get the idea."

"Thank you." Roman replied, nodding his head. "So you're in, yeah?"

She took in a deep breath. The image of Kendall from the night before, the cigarette smoke, piling him into the back of car with Greg. Vaulter was important to him, but that was a boat he was in alone. Most importantly it was a boat that Logan wasn't in, at least if Roman was to be believed.

"Ok, but if I do this, you have to put in a good word for me with your dad." She said slowly, her brows knitting together. "I need to be brought in on this. It has to be obvious that I'm, like, involved. Doing stuff. Not useless."

"Of course." Roman replied, grinning. "You got my word. Leave earlier than the rest of us and wait for me to send you the address. And it goes without saying, obviously, don't tell Kendall."

________

When Cora arrived in the office the next day, Roman was waiting near the lift, holding two cups of coffee and a shit-eating grin. They'd chosen to quickly part ways after the visit to the bar, wanting to avoid looking conspiratorial, but neither needed a conversation to confirm they had, in fact, found something amiss at Vaulter. The staff were preparing to unionise, a sure sign of a sinking ship, and from the look of smugness sprawled across Roman's features, the fact was also a smoking bullet. But the discovery didn't feel like victory. Cora couldn't shake the feeling that she'd chosen a side of an invisible war that she only knew about through sheer accident and inference. Though no one had outright told her where the battle lines were drawn, she was sure she'd stumbled across them.

"Morning sunshine," he chirped handing her the coffee. "Though you don't look particularly well rested."

Cora took a sip of her drink, burning the tip of her tongue. She pursed her lips, shrugging. "I ... I guess I feel a little bad. Logan's not going to-"

"He's already neutered him after the whole takeover thing he tried to pull. Pretty sure you can't become a double eunuch."

"I was gonna say, is he going to eviscerate him, but good to know." Cora said, chuckling stiffly. Roman shrugged, he didn't seem all that perturbed by the concept of Kendall being dragged against the coals, but he shot Cora a sidelong look as he drank from his cup.

"Are you scared about the wrath of Kendall coming down on you if he finds out?"

Cora opened her mouth, but faltered as she went to deny the question. The truth was that yes, she was scared. Kendall had been the one Roy who had made her feel welcomed, in his own way. He'd spoken to Logan, he'd invited her to Connor's party, he'd acknowledged her existence. Ever since she'd arrived at Waystar, both Shiv and Roman had basically treated her like a leper, yet here she was, knowing full well that if Shiv had asked the same of her, that she would have leapt at the chance. Old habits seemed to die hard, and even the years of separation hadn't killed them off.

She shrugged in response, her brows knitting together. "I'm just ... I guess I'm a bit worried I should have stayed out of it."

Roman swallowed, pressing his lips together. His eyes flickered upwards as he thought to himself, as if considering his words carefully. "A piece of advice? Dad doesn't like fencesitters. Pussies, if you will. He hates 'em. If you can't go in for the kill, then it's like," he paused, taking a quick sip. "It's like why even bother? In his opinion, obviously. Not even really saying there's sides, per say, just that you can't look like you're, y'know, indecisive."

"Right." Cora replied, nodding slowly.

Roman continued. "And Kendall's in the doghouse for a reason, so judging everything off of how he's going to take it is probably not a smart thing to do."

"So I should judge everything off of how you're going to take it?" She joked. Roman didn't laugh, nor did he reply, simply lifting his coffee to his lips. Cora let her shoulders sag a little, sighing. "Fine, I mean, what's wrong with getting some drinks with any old friend, right?"

Again, Roman didn't reply. Suddenly, Cora was overcome with the feeling of eyes on her back, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on edge. Silently, Kendall strode past the pair, moving quickly and ducking into his office. Roman's eyebrows shot upwards and Cora felt her stomach drop deep, deep down.

"Welp, I'm going to the little boy's room." Roman said quickly. "See ya in there!"

"I-"

She stopped short, he was already off, leaving her standing alone, stunned, in the dust of his leather Feragamos. Cora swallowed, blinking rapidly. There was no way that Kendall could have known what they had been up to from a passing comment, at least she was almost certain of it, despite the dread sweeping through her body. Plausible deniability was on her side if Kendall confronted her, but she also knew it was strange for her and Roman to suddenly be chummy with one another. It would have taken wilful ignorance not to notice how he'd been avoiding her before now.

She debated knocking on the door of his office, but a loud booming voice broke through the air of the office, forcibly halting her thoughts.

"You three!" Logan bellowed, leaning out of the door of his office. "In here, pronto!"

Cora felt as though her feet were rooted to the ground, taking a deep breath inwards as her fingernails bit into the palms of her hands. From across the room, Roman ducked through the office door first, giving her a cursory glance before he slipped through. Kendall appeared then, and Cora steeled herself, following in his wake across the room.

She moved to enter Logan's office but Kendall stopped short, his movements rigid. Cora stopped short, almost colliding with him. Slowly he turned around to face her. His face was leaden, as though he were carrying the weight of some terrible secret in his chest. The lines beneath his eyes were dark, the shadows even more so, as he glanced down at his feet.

"Everything all good?" She asked, trying to deny the waver in her voice as she spoke.

"Uh, no." He said, unable to meet her eye. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on edge as he continued. "I can't let you into this meeting."

Cora opened her mouth, letting out a short scoff. She inhaled sharply before she spoke, her eyes narrowing. "Because I went to the drinks thing with Roman?"

"You knew how big of a thing this is to me and you knew how he's against it. Do you really want to say to my face that you weren't conspiring with him when you two went out last night?" Kendall's eyes had moved upwards, and the intensity of his gaze made her want to crumple into a ball. He seemed to want to say more, but he kept his lips still, waiting for her to answer.

"Kendall, I was jus- It wasn't even serious. And I thought I was helping! You know I have to do stuff so your dad takes me ser-"" Cora could feel her throat tightening.

"What the fuck are you even doing here Cora?" Kendall said suddenly, his tone sharp. "Seriously. Just because you're not huffing coke every weekend now means you're ready for the real world? Please. You've lived in a bubble your entire life."

"And you haven't?"

From behind him, Logan Roy's voice called out. "Don't be a fucking moron Kendall, let her in." He snapped.

Kendall opened his mouth, the muscles in his neck visibly tensing as he stared at Cora, unblinking. It looked as though he'd gone into shock. She felt a shiver travel up her spine as he turned to glance over his shoulder, before stepping aside, allowing her to enter.