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“No.”
“A press release has just gone out and Robert Rhodes is all over CPM’s website.”
It’s not possible. It can’t be.
Picking up my phone from the coffee table, I find another message from Lacie and a string of them from Marsh.
BBF
This is not what I had in mind with kicking major ass. WTF???
Ava
I can explain. X
I ignore the trail of abuse from Marsh, blocking his number before deleting his contact. Then without hesitation I check CPM’s website. It’s all there. Publicity that takes weeks, if not months, to prepare.
An avalanche of hurt and guilt smothers me until I honestly think I’m about to wither into nothing. How must my father be feeling? How disappointed is he? How relieved must he be that he didn’t give me the job?
“You okay?” Owen’s question echoes in the distance, behind the chaos of my thoughts.
Without reply, I stand, grabbing my jacket and purse from the rack by the door before I walk out of my office. I don’t look back even as Owen calls me.
I can’t be here anymore. I don’t belong here. This isn’t me.
Staring at the floor buttons in the elevator, I press the one I know I shouldn’t after a while. The hum of the doors as they close slashes through me, turning the dirt inside me until I’m vibrating with so much anger, I can’t fist my hands or clench my teeth tight enough to get to grips with it.
I’m a trembling shell of fury as I walk through the top floor. My heels clack behind me as I ignore the first assistant and launch into the inner circle of what has become my own personal hell.
The other assistant isn’t present, and without pause, I walk into Damon’s office. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing, but I dump my shit on his coffee table before I pour myself a long drink of the whisky I know to be the most expensive.
I don’t even like the liquor, but hey, it’s at least a hundred dollars or so I’m taking from him. It’s nothing compared to what he took from me today—my integrity, my dignity. There’s no way back from this. If coming to work at CPM had alienated me from my family, taking Robert from Monroe is the nail in the coffin. I wanted to prove that I have what it takes to take the top seat at Monroe, but the only thing I’ve done is stolen from my family.
Kicking my shoes off, I drop to my ass in front of the window overlooking the city. My heart in my throat burns as I sip at my drink. One, two, three gulps that I can’t taste through the bitter storm inside me.
The more I drink, the clearer it becomes that I can’t dull the overwhelming loneliness blanketing me as the Manhattan sky darkens across the city. With it, it shrouds me with a dawning realization that I have no idea what I’m doing anymore. I’m tired. I’m alone. I’m lost.
Chapter 5
Damon
“I’m sorry, Mr. Coldwell, I tried to remove her, but…” William shrugs apologetically. He doesn’t have to finish for me to know what awaits me in my office.
“Go home, William.” I sigh with exhaustion.
Today can go fuck itself.
The office is almost dark when I walk in, early evening is setting across the city, but my headache has no end in sight as I head straight for the drink cart. My chest tightens as I try to momentarily ignore the sight of Ava sitting on the floor. Her hiccups echo around me like she’s been crying for hours.
Fuck, I don’t need this shit.
Before I deal with her, I need something to tame the shitstorm inside me. To sedate the relentless need to break something or someone.
I could fucking break her. Take all my frustration and anger out on all her supple flesh until her tears are all mine. My doing. My reward. My reprieve.
Taking a glass from the bottom shelf, I reach for the Glenfiddich, but it’s gone. And there’s only one person stupid enough to touch my shit in my space without my say-so. If she wasn’t so torn up over the Robert leak this afternoon, Ava would be my first suspect. But, even as I think it, I know that she’s not capable of something so reckless and calculated. Ava’s too honest; she’s also got a lot to lose from this PR shitshow.
Here goes… Grabbing my glass, I go sit beside her, hoping she doesn’t fucking bitch at me the moment she’s aware of my presence.
