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He hangs up. Which likely means I just lost my job.
Chapter Twelve
Maddox
I’mevaluatingagentsperformanceswhen I get the call. I recognize Nixon’s number and answer, curious about why he’s calling. He should be meeting Ava right now.
“Hello?”
“Hope you have a really good reason for this, Reign.” Harry’s voice is uncharacteristically irritated.
“Reason for what?” I ask.
“For setting me up with an agent who just abandoned our meeting with no explanation.”
“What?” It’s not at all what I’m expecting him to say.
“Yeah,” he says. “She stepped out to take a call in the middle, and then didn’t come back for ten minutes. By the time Taylor went out to check on her, she was nowhere.”
At first, I’m pissed.
Like seriously pissed.
Harry Nixon is a connection I worked very hard to foster. The man is notoriously hard to reach and suspicious of everyone who's not in his inner circle. Luckily, we went to the same boarding school and he remembers me. We weren't necessarily friends at the time but we did get along for the most part. I remember him being an awkward theater kid and it's hard to imagine him as the heartthrob movie star everyone loves now, but that's how life is, I suppose.
Me personally? I don't care about his fame or his perceived exclusivity. The man spends millions a year on personal homes alone, not to mention what he buys for charity. So, in my eyes, he’s a high-level VIP and that's what's most important.
Plus, he’s one of the few people I can actually stand.
So, for Ava to fuck this up is a massive letdown.
And she’ll have to pay for it. I meant what I told her. It would be one thing if she couldn't make the sale. I might have been able to forgive her for that. But here's the case where she didn't even try is. And her carelessness is personally insulting too.
“I’m sorry Harry,” I say. “I have no clue what’s going on.. Let me get to the bottom of this and get back to you.”
I couldn't believe this was happening. That Ava had done something like that, so I waited another few minutes to see if she would show up or at least call me to explain. But nothing. In the end, though, it's on me. It’s what I get for trusting someone I barely know with such an important project just based on a hunch that she’d be good at it. It’s what I get for thinking with my dick.
It’s the first time I’ve done anything that spontaneous. I surprised even myself.
And rightfully, I got burned.
Why the fuck would Ava pull some bullshit like that? I heard how excited she was for the job, and could practically see her bouncing around in the way she does when she's happy. And, in the few weeks since she has worked for me, I've seen her professionalism. I saw her talent even from that day at the gala.
But to run out in the middle of an important meeting?
That’s unacceptable.
I’ll have to fire her, clearly, but first, she’s going to have to pay for potentially destroying a business relationship.
I’m irritated when I make the call.
The first time, it goes straight to voice mail, and my irritation only grows. I try again each ringtone grating on my nerves till, finally, she answers.
“Hello?” Her voice is harried, and there’s some noise in the background like she's in a car. She's driving somewhere.
“What the fuck is going on, Ava?” I ask. She’s quiet for a second and her silence only infuriates me further.
“Nixon said you walked out in the middle of the meeting.
