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“Fuck…” I hear someone whisper shout as I walk away. “Was that him?”
I smile inwardly, knowing they’ll be shitting in their pants for the rest of the week, waiting for whatever punishment may come.
Goddamn, my wife is good.
* * *
When I walk into Paige’s expansive office, she’s staring out the window. Her spine is rigid, her body tense. Those comments affected her more than she let on.
“Rowan, I need a few minutes to—” She turns and spots me. Her eyes widen for just a moment before she schools her expression. Her poker face is coming along nicely, as a matter of fact. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m glad I am. I got to see my wife in her element. You really held your own in there.”
She blinks, and I can sense her replaying the conversation in her head. “You heard what they were saying?”
“Yes.”
She sags and fixes her hair. “I told you that would happen.”
“And I told you to say, ‘Fuck them all.’”
“Improper employee relations are kind of how this whole mess started,” she teases weakly.
I ignore her and cross the room. “You don’t need to concern yourself with their opinions. They’re the rabble. You,malyshka, are the queen of the castle.”
She doesn’t look remotely comforted. “I’ve never gotten anything without earning it. Without fighting for it.”
“So then maybe you deserve an easy win for a change.”
“I feel like an imposter here,” she says, gesturing to the office. “Look at this place. Do I even look like I belong here?”
“Based on what I just overheard, you most definitely belong. And once I’m through with them, they will never utter a word against you again.”
“What? No!” She strides around her desk, reaching for me. “Misha, you can’t do anything. To any of them.”
“I’ll do whatever I see fit.”
“They’re disgruntled employees who are going to talk no matter what you do to them,” she argues. “I need to work with these people. They need to know that I can be tough but fair. They’re entitled to their opinions, no matter how unflattering or unkind they might be. Like you said, I need to earn their respect. That’s going to take time.”
“You know what doesn’t take time? Violence. It’s a lot harder to gossip when your tongue’s been cut out of your mouth.”
“I have to handle this myself,” she says firmly. “Like I just did. Please promise me that you won’t get involved.”
Her independence is as attractive as it is infuriating. My fists clench and unclench. “They were talking about you like you were… beneath them,” I growl. “No one talks about my wife that way.”
“It’s not something we can stop overnight. If I’m going to run this department, you’re going to have to let me fight my own battles.”
She has a point there. I nod tersely. “Fine. So be it.”
Paige sighs with relief. “Good. Now, is there a reason you’re here? Or are you just checking up on me?”
All at once, I remember why I came here, and I’m annoyed with her all over again. “Rumor in the halls is you bought a car.”
“Oh. Nikolai told you.”
“Which begs the question: why didn’t you tell me?”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” she snorts. “I just figured that is how we do things here: pass messages through our assistants.”
