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CHAPTER 9
“Stella. Please makesure these documents make it to the Prosecutor’s office before lunch.” I handed my secretary a manila envelope with documents that needed to get signed by the prosecutor who was handling my client’s civil case before the end of the day.
“Me, sir?” My secretary blinked at me with confusion. She had only been working for me for a week and, so far, I wasn’t impressed.
“No, the other Stella that works as my secretary.” I knew that I sounded like an asshole, but I’d had a bitch of a Monday morning putting out fires with one of our bigger clients who was currently embroiled in a lawsuit over the wrongful termination of an employee, so I kind of needed an assistant who was on the ball.
Of course, I was quickly learning that Stella was not going to be that assistant. In fact, I was pretty sure she didn’t even know where the ball was.
“You have another assistant named Stella?” She asked, her blue eyes filling with confusion.
Frustration soured in my gut, and it took everything in my body not to shout at the woman.
“You know what? Nevermind. Why don’t you continue...whatever it was that you were doing.” I hurried away from my secretary and across the office to where Cameron, Aria’s secretary, sat.
“Can you get this over to the prosecutor’s office without asking any stupid questions?” Cameron Welsh had been Aria’s secretary for almost four years and had, at times, stepped in when whatever secretary I had couldn’t do their job.
Cameron took the file and shot a look at where Stella was hunt-and-peck typing on her computer. “I take it Stella isn’t going to work out?”
“Definitely not. Can you let HR know? Maybe they can put her on the front desk or something.” Stella wasn’t abademployee—okay that was a complete lie—but I think that she could do well in a spot where all she needed to do was smile and say hello.
Cameron nodded, and I breezed past him, opening the door to Aria’s office without bothering to knock and stepping inside.
Aria was buried amongst a sea of files and, as usual, was sitting on the floor with her heels kicked off. I could probably count on one hand the number of times that I’d actually seen her sit behind her desk. Usually, I could find her cross-legged on the floor or lying on the comfortable couch she kept in the office.
“You know,” Aria said without looking up. “You can’t keep firing your secretaries like this.”
Throwing myself down on the couch, I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I know that, but even you have to admit that Stella isnota good secretary.”
Aria finally looked up from whatever she was reading and her amber eyes held laughter in them, “I did find her licking the self-adhesive envelopes yesterday.”
“See? Besides, I told Cameron to find her another place to work within the office. Just not as my secretary.”
“That still doesn’t change the fact that you’ve gone through some pretty good secretaries in the last couple of years,” Aria said and pointed her highlighter at me. “You are too picky for your own good.”
The last secretary that I had for longer than a year had been Michelle Reynolds, an old beta woman. When she’d retired I hadn’t been able to find another secretary who could do the job as well,anddidn’t annoy me.
“I promise that I will keep the next one,” I said, miming crossing my heart. “Ifthey can do their job.” I couldn’t help but add, and was promptly rewarded with an eye-roll.
“Speaking of your reticence to accept a beta unless they jump through your ridiculous hoops, I went to dinner at Pack Russo’s house yesterday.” Aria leaned against the front of her desk, and crossed her arms over her chest.
Aria and Link were connected with Pack Russo in more ways than one. Link, literally, as a part of the pack and Aria through her omega, Tibby. It probably should have come as no surprise that they already knew that Rio was pursuing Ric Zhao’s little sister. I’d made my opinion that I thought it was a bad idea very clear to Rio, and by extension Adair, on Saturday night after they told me that Rio would be taking her out on a date.
“I see that Ric Zhao’s little sister already told you all about her date with Rio?” Typical beta. My fingers itched to pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at the screen like I was working so that I didn’t have to look Aria in the eyes. It was my go-to move when I felt uncomfortable, and I was definitely feeling uncomfortable right now. I knew, however, that as soon as I pulled my phone out that Aria would reach out and snatch it from me. She knew me too well to let me get away with that.
“Madeline,” Aria put emphasis on the girl’s name, “didn’t bring it up. Eloise, the Russo’s omega, did. Madeline, as far as I can tell, isn’t like that.”
I scoffed, Aria knew Madeline Zhao about as well as I did, especially considering the situation we’d pulled her out of on Friday night. Not that Aria seemed to know anything about that at all, which told me that Madeline hadn’t told her or the rest anything about being drugged and nearly assaulted.
“Marcus, you’re going to have to work through some of your beta issues. Not everyone is the same as your mom.” Aria, as always, poked right where it hurt. It was a specialty of hers.
“Madeline will be going on dates with Rio,” and Adair, I didn’t add on. “Not me. What Rio does is his business.” I’d told Rio as much on Saturday, and I was sticking by it. Mummy-issues aside, I didn’t trust anyone getting close to my pack, not when the election was just a year out. Rio and Adair were too trusting, so it was up to me to protect them.
Aria sighed and threw her hands up in the air. “Fine you stubborn Brit, justtryto be kind to her. You're not the only one who has gone through things. Madeline’s had a rough life too.”
I snorted inwardly, how bad of a life could she have had? She was the youngest daughter of Zhao Industries, one of the richest shipping conglomerates in the world. As far as I could tell, she’d been raised with a silver spoon in one hand, and a princess crown on her shiny black head.
“Do you have to head to court today?” I asked, changing the subject. I was done spending any more mental energy on Madeline Zhao and my pack’s obsession with her.
