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I hear my mother’s voice in my head.“You and Clara, running around with all those grand fuckin’ notions in your heads. Be realistic, Paige. You’re not better than me or this trailer park. This is where you belong.”
I sit at the head of the table and stare down at the twenty empty chairs waiting to be filled. I don’t belong in that trailer park. I never did.
But I don’t know if I belong here, either.
My doubts keep whispering to me in my mother’s voice.The only reason you’re sitting at the head of this table is because a powerful man put you there.
You know what you deserve, and it ain’t this.
51
MISHA
She’s wearing the suit.
I prepared to show up today and see her in a ratty t-shirt dress and slippers out of sheer spite, but Paige is wearing everything I picked for her, down to the heels.
She looks incredible.
She also looks scared shitless. Anxiety ripples off of her like heat from an asphalt road.
I could lean forward and clear my throat, remind everyone I’m here and who Paige is to me. I’ve known most of these men for years. They’re all loyal members of the Orlov empire, but they’re also slaves to their egos. They’re not going to give Paige their approval simply because I demand it of them.
She needs to earn it.
Paige clears her throat twice and takes a sip of her water before finally getting to her feet.
“You’re probably wondering what I’m doing at the head of this table,” she says abruptly. The men lean in, scrutinizing her every move. “I’ll be honest, I’ve wondered the same thing myself.”
This is not the strategy I expected her to take. I find myself drawn in, waiting for the next words out of her mouth.
“I’m sure many of you have already made assumptions about me,” she continues. The ripple of murmurs that spreads around the table confirms it. “Most of them are not flattering, no doubt. I could stand here and defend myself. I could try to convince you with a big speech that I deserve to be where I am. But I’d rather put in the time and effort to build a reputation for myself that is beyond reproach. All I ask is that you all continue to do your job and stay open to the idea of working with me.
“I may not be the most experienced person in this room, but I know what hard work is. Hard work is trying to scourge a trailer of a rat infestation while trying to study for your SATs. Hard work is trying to convince Social Services that you’re doing alright, even though you haven’t seen your parents in weeks. Hard work is trying to cure pneumonia with a few stolen antibiotics and a whole lot of faith. I’ve done all that time and time again.
She paces away from the table, eyes somehow distant and focused at the same time.
“I may not be what you’re used to,” she says, “but I have the skill set to do this job. Most importantly, I am just as eager to see that slimy asshole who runs Ivanov Industries buried under the landmine we’re going to throw his way.”
Another murmur runs through the room. Men are nodding along.
She has their attention. She’s almost there. Now, she just needs to bring it home.
“We’re inches away from seizing total control over Ivanov’s holdings,” she says, picking up her file and inviting everyone to do the same. “What we need to do now is rebrand it. The company needs to seamlessly fit under the umbrella of Orlov Enterprises. And I’ve got a step-by-step plan detailed here. Petyr Ivanov won’t know what hit him.”
She stands tall at the head of the table, her shoulders arched high and square. She looks like a revelation. She looks like a queen.
She looks like a fucking miracle.
52
PAIGE
“You were amazing in there!” Rowan crows. “Seriously. That was epic. I’m girl-crushing so hard, you don’t even know.”
I smile shyly. “It did go pretty well, huh?”
She slaps her hands on my desk. “Are you kidding? They actually listened to you, Paige. They paid attention. That’s huge.”
