AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Audrey seemed to bristle at his words, “I shouldn’t have to book an appointment to see you, let alone with your assistant. You know she was about to refuse me entry?”
I could see Eddie was trying to hold back his laugh as he looked at me. I saw the glint in his eyes as he smirked, and it made my stomach knot inside. Did he realize the effect he was having on me? It wasn’t until his gaze shifted down to my mouth that I realized I was biting down on my lower lip. I watched as his breathing deepened.
Unfortunately, so did his mom.
“Pick your jaw off up the floor, woman, and go back to your desk,” she snapped, “You’d think you’ve never seen a man before, and judging by the look of you, we all know that’s a lie.”
My eyes widened at the woman’s brashness. I had known her to say some horrid things before but never quite so aggressively. She clearly wasn’t happy about the sexual tension between Eddie and me.
“Mother, you can’t talk to her like that,” warned Eddie.
“I can talk to her however I want. I stood by your father as he built this company off the ground. They should all be thankful they have jobs here.”
Eddie rolled his eyes and mouthed a sorry in my direction before leading Audrey into the office, but it just made me think – could I rely on him to stand by me?
SEVEN
~ Edward ~
She made me feel like a little kid again.
My mother clinked her spoon against the side of her cup as she continuously stirred her tea. Her lips were pursed, just waiting to criticize yet another aspect of my life. But this time, it was Selena. And not in a professional capacity.
“You’re treading on thin ice here,” she said finally, “It’s all very well to have your fun, but you can’t risk the company because of some floozy. Your father almost made the same mistake when he was younger.”
I was confused, “With you?”
The scathing look she cast me was enough to stop my train of thought. Of course, someone of her status could never be compared to Selena. At least in her head, that was the case.
She leaned back into her chair, elegantly crossing her legs at the ankle, “Not with me, obviously. It was before my time. Your father wouldn’t have dared to try anything behind my back. He was seeing this girl from the poorer side of town. Nadine, I think her name was. Wretched little thing. He tried to keep it a secret from his family, but they kept tabs on him. Once wind of it got to his mother, she had to put an end to it. That’s where I came in. Your father was 42, and I was 20 when we got married. I was quite the catch back then. Not only was I considerably younger, but I also came from a strong and affluent lineage. We were quite the match. Admittedly, Gerald tried to resist at first. He wanted his little fling on the side. Between his mother and I, we squashed it. Couldn’t have any scandals getting out. It’s just as well I spotted you and that obscene assistant before it was too late.”
I could no longer bite my tongue and stood up, “Her name is Selena, mother, and it’s not your place to decide who I can or cannot be with. Grandma shouldn’t have interfered with dad’s life back then, and you shouldn’t be interfering with mine right now.”
My mother tutted and took a sip of her tea before responding to my outburst, “Sit down, Edward. Stop making such a fuss. I’m only looking out for your best interests. Trust me. You wouldn’t want the board catching wind of your fling with that low-class secretary of yours.”
I could feel my blood starting to boil. My mother had a special knack for getting under my skin, for pushing all the right buttons to drive me mad. Nevertheless, she was my mother, and I knew I couldn’t risk hurting her.
“I hope that’s not a threat, mother,” I said between gritted teeth, “You can’t be playing about in the company’s affair, especially at such an integral point in the project.”
She narrowed her eyes over the rim of her cup, “Well, that’s up to you, isn’t it? I’m just offering you some friendly advice. Whether you take it or not is another matter. Just don’t be surprised if it all comes crashing down if you don’t give up this ridiculous relationship with that woman. She’s poison.”
“How would you know?” I marched over to the window just so I didn’t have to look her in the face, “You don’t even know her. Every time you come here, you treat her like dirt and then expect her to be all rosy with you. I’m surprised she’s lasted this long.”
She placed her cup down gently on the table before standing, “She doesn’t have much choice. I’m the mother of the CEO and wife of the founder.”
I turned toward her, “So, shouldn’t you be setting an example? You can’t come in here and start treating my employees like this. You don’t work here.”
This seemed to touch a nerve. Her face twisted into something unrecognizable as she stormed right up to me, her sharp nail almost jabbing me in the nose as she pointed into my face.
“I may not work here, but my blood, sweat, and tears went into this company alongside your father’s. You may have an issue with how I treat them, but at least I’m not sleeping with them!”
Before I got a chance to correct her, she had turned on her heel. Grabbing her coat from the back of the chair, she stormed out of the room. The door crashed into the wall as she flung it open dramatically and walked out. I stood there in silent shock staring at the empty space. It wasn’t until Selena peeped around that I realized that my hands were shaking.
It was then I knew that Selena Ramirez was worth fighting for.
EIGHT
~ Selena ~
