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“The food appears to be on point, but everything else seems wrong.” All their heads nod, and I continue to skim through the pages. It’s all white, almost sterile and clinical in appearance, but it’s just about getting the aesthetic right. “I could rebrand this place in my sleep.”
“Your budget is high too,” Hugh says, and I peek up to see all of them grinning at me.
“What about the location?” I ask, not finding it easily in the pamphlet.
“High competition, but if they could draw in the right people, they’d make it work,” Lara answers before Hugh can.
“How much time do I have?”
Lara and Hugh share a glance, and Lara offers me a wicked smile. “You’re hosting the client meeting tomorrow. But from the sound of your initial assessment, I’m confident you’ll have amazing ideas.”
Hugh adds as my anxiety spikes, “It’s trial by fire here, but I’m sure you’ll do just fine with your presentation.”
Holy shit.My heart’s pounding so fast, it feels like I at least earnedoneof the curtains in my expensive-ass dining room.
With a feigned smile, I let the folder close and tell the table I’ll be ready.
CHAPTER9
Madox
Seven years ago
Ithink she’s going to say it again, but she doesn’t.
Instead, she offers me a small smile and I force one back.
I’ve been waiting to hear those words again, but she hasn’t said them since that one time. I thought it would bring us closer, but all I can feel is distance. I should have known better than to lean on her like I did. I should have been on my own. I should have dealt with it myself.
She said it to make me feel better. That’s all.
“You okay?” she asks me.
“Fine.” My answer is stern. I am fine. I’m her rock. I’ll keep being her rock. That’s what she needs. That’s what I’ll be.
Today
Everyone wants something.It’s fucking constant.
If I had nothing, no one would message me. My inbox would be empty. No one would have to wait for an appointment to sit in the chair across from me.
I know it’s true, because I was there at one point when I took over this failing company and worked tirelessly to bring it back to its former glory and then surpass it. I was only fifteen when my dad died, and eighteen when my mother shoved me into this role. I learned young that nothing comes without a price.
The patter of rain has been a constant all day, hitting the glass wall behind me and lulling me into a false sense of peace.
I keep staring at my phone, noting how only ten minutes pass each time I check. I’m waiting for a text, or an email… something from Sophie. As if she has any reason to want a damn thing from me.
Of everyone who desires a piece of me, or something I have to offer, I just want one of them to be her.
The rap of knuckles at my door breaks my thoughts of what used to be, and I’m grateful for it. Until it opens before I can answer, and Ryan strides into the room.
“So?” Ryan’s smirk is cocky and confident as he settles into the seat across from me, tapping the tips of his fingers, eagerly waiting for details.
“So, what?” I fuck with him, keeping my own smirk in check. “Did you get your notice?”
“Notice?” he asks, and the smirk fades as his lips droop down.
“You’re fucking fired for two reasons.” I keep my voice hard as I lean forward and tell him, “One: You put your manwhore hands on Sophie the other night. Two: You knew she was here, and you didn’t tell me.”
