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“Aaliyah,” I hissed, annoyance filling me up inside. “And I’m twenty-four.”
“Oh, so young! I swear, Jason makes them younger and younger each time,” she commented. I parted my lips to defend myself, but the guy dived into the conversation before I could.
“Well, good for you, Aaliyah. You’re living the new American dream. With Jason, money is no longer an issue, and I know you gen Z kids don’t want to work. You ever think of starting a blog? Maybe a YouTube channel?” Insert mocking laughter here.
“Actually, she’s an employee at one of the biggest magazine lines in the world, Wayne, unlike you, who still lives with your parents,” a familiar voice said, joining the conversation.
The amount of comfort that hit me as I turned to see Marie was astronomical.
She gave me a wink before turning back to the judgmental crowd. “And Ruby, isn’t it true that your husband just filed for bankruptcy? Perhaps you shouldn’t cast stones when you already have rocks in your own garden.”
Ruby huffed and puffed but didn’t say anything in response to Marie. It was clear who the queen bee was, and Marie Rollsfield sat on top of the throne. She stood like royalty, and the bullies retreated as if they were unworthy to take in the same air as her.
“A word of advice, love,” Marie said, turning to me with the brightest smile. “Don’t ever let peasants intimidate you. You are more than they could ever dream of becoming.”
“I’m quickly learning that I don’t think I really fit in with this business side of Jason’s world.”
“Good,” she agreed. “These people are animals. You don’t need or want to fit in with this world.” She gave me a sideways hug. “But you do fit in with our family, and that’s all that matters. I always wanted a daughter.”
If she knew how much I’d always wanted a mother, too…
“What about Jason’s business partner, Connor? Is he one of the good ones?” I asked, trying to seem nonchalant about it but curious about what kind of business person he was.
“One of the most genuine human beings in this world. He’s a good person—which isn’t common to come across in our world. I’m a bit shocked that the dark side of the business hasn’t crushed him yet, but he always seems to make mountains out of molehills. It seems he has angels in his corner. I’m glad Jason is working with him. Even though Jason is older, Walter and I hope Connor can be a bit of a mentor to him. He has a good head on his shoulders. With his help, Jason can do big things.”
I smiled, pleased with the knowledge that Connor was just as good a person as he had been when I crossed paths with him two years earlier.
Marie lightly nudged my arm and whispered, “Now, go get your breath of fresh air before the hyenas come in and attack again.”
I smiled. “How did you know I was running to get some air?”
“Oh, sweetheart, don’t forget, I was you once upon a time—the outsider brought into a world unknown where people judged me for my looks, for my skin tone, for my lack of finances. I remember needing a few quick escapes from time to time. If you go to the left, take the elevator to the rooftop. The view is beautiful. Just remember, when you take those breaks, strengthen that invisible crown of yours and remember who you are, and remember you have a whole team in your corner now.”
9
Connor
If you lookedup the definition of people person, you would find a picture of me smiling ear to ear. I prided myself on my extrovert ways and how I loved meeting people of all types. One of my superpowers was my ability to find common ground with anyone and everyone—except for Jason-fucking-Rollsfield. When it came to my disdain for an individual, he was at the top of my list. He was the only one on the list, honestly.
The unstable hothead had recently been placed in charge of running our West Coast division by yours truly. Thankfully, now he wouldn’t be in New York, and I wouldn’t have to cross paths with him as often as I had over the past few months, but knowing he was taking her with him to California sent a silent rage throughout my whole system.
How in the world had an asshole like him landed a woman like her?
Her.
Red.
My Red.
Not mine, but still.
My thoughts began to flood with anguish as the realization that Aaliyah was his settled inside me. Even worse, I thought about how he hadn’t even flinched when she tripped. He had stood there like the disappointment that she was and then passive-aggressively put her down instead of asking if she was all right.
How did she think that kind of treatment was okay? Surely, she knew she deserved more than someone like Jason out of life. I stood at the bar with him as we waited for our drinks, and like a creep, my eyes darted across the room, looking for her. She stood with a group of wealthy individuals, ones Aaliyah was too good for. I knew each one of them. They were all snakes, but Aaliyah appeared too nice to walk away from their trap.
I noticed the hesitant discomfort weighing heavily on her shoulders as she engaged with them, and my sudden sense of protection shot through the roof. I took a step in her direction but I stopped the moment I saw Marie move into the situation. The moment that happened, Aaliyah’s shoulders relaxed, and an authentic smile spread across her lips.
Good. She seemed more at ease. Unlike her dick of a son, Marie was a good person. I knew she was standing up for Aaliyah based on how the rats scurried away. Once they were all gone, it was as if the light came back to Aaliyah’s eyes, and she began to shine once more.
