Chapter 15
Aria’s POV
No surprise–I barely slept that night.
Sure, my body felt relaxed after the release. But my mind was tense.
Because I knew I did something I shouldn’t have.
So the next morning I got up early, hoping to sneak out before Grayson woke up.
But to my shock, when I tiptoed downstairs, he was already there, sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee.
Does this man ever sleep?!
“Where are you going?” he asked, frowning at me
“Um work? I mumbled.
It’s the weekend.”
1 froze. Crap. After everything that happened last night, I totally forgot what day it was.
Just as I was debating whether to awkwardly crawl back to bed, the front door slammed open and the sharp clack of heels echoed through the house.
Delilah stormed in, crying and yelling
“Grayson, you assholet” she shouted.
Grayson set his cup down and looked at her, all seriousness now “Aria, go back to your room,” he said coldly.
“No! Stay right there!” Delilah screamed at us both. “What, afraid people will find out what you’ve done? Isn’t your little assistant benefiting from all it too!”
I stood there blinking, completely lost.
What were they talking about?
“If you keep throwing a tantrum here, I’ll have you thrown out,” Grayson said, completely unfazed.
Then I’ll tell Mom and Dad!” she sobbed. “Seriously, Grayson, why do you hate Jace so much? You actually fired him from his position as department manager! Do you know how humiliating that is for him–FOR US
I sucked in a breath.
Jace got demoted?
I still remembered when he first became manager. We were still together then–he was over the moon, threw a huge party at his place for all his coworkers, popped fancy champagne like he was king of the world.
After he married Delilah, everyone thought it was just a matter of time before he made it to VP.
But now? He was knocked all the way back down to a regular employee, That’s the same position he had when he first joined Apex, 4
“He never deserved that position, Grayson said flatly. “Not one major project under his name the whole time he held it.”
“But he was trying!” Delilah cried, tears streaming down her pretty face. “He’s been prepping for that summit in two weeks–he planned to visit all the clients and finally close a major deal! But now you’ve ruined everything!”
“His life got ruined and he sent you to do the begging?” Grayson sucered. “My decision is final. You don’t work at the family company, Delilah. You have no say in this.”
9:47 AM
Chapter 15
Delilah sobbed harder.
I felt a little bad for her, honestly,
She used to be the “it girl” of our world–every night after work, we would crowd around the TV to watch her personal reality show. Showing off new designer bags, custom sports cars she was our dream
Now she was crying over that trashbag Jace. She didn’t deserve this.
“Her!” she suddenly snapped, whipping around to glare at me. “You say Jace isn’t qualified, but you’re letting her replace him? How many years of experience does she even have?
1 froze
Me? Replace Jace! As manager?
That was- insane!
Apex managers were expected to have at least ten years of experience. And once promoted, the salary hit nearly seven figures.
That was way out of my league.
-I didn’t know anything about that…” I stammered
“It’s just a draft list. Nothing’s been decided, Grayson said icily. “And you, Delilah, you had no business looking at that internal company list. Jace gave it to you, didn’t he?”
“So what if he did-
“He’s manipulating you. Using you to try and control the entire Hart family. I won’t let that happen,” Grayson said, rising to his feet and staring her down. “Cool him down. Get him to sign that damn prenup. Or I’ll kick him out of my company
And with that, he walked out of the living room without sparing her another glance.
I tried to follow his lead, quietly turning to leave too.
“You! Stop right there!” Delilah’s voice rang out like a whip.
I sighed and froze halfway up the stairs, turning slowly to face her.
claw n
She glared at me like she wanted to claw my face off. “It’s barely GAM. What the hell are you doing here! Don’t tell me you’re living here now!”
“Uh.. there was an urgent work issue last night,” I lied smoothly. “The boss called me in, and we worked through the night”
She narrowed her eyes. “My brother really thinks highly of you. But let’s be real–you’re just a young assistant. What makes you qualified to take Jace’s place?”
“What makes me not?” I shot back. “Yeah, I’m young. But go ahead and check my record at Apex. I’m just as capable as Jace was. Why is it that when a man gets a promotion, it’s talent, but when a woman does, it’s favoritism?”
She stared at me, eyebrows tightly knit.
Then, without warning, she grabbed my arm. “Come with me.”
“What? Where are we going?”
“To go shopping. I’m–in a terrible mood and you’re going to stay with me until I feel better!”
Let me just say this: shopping with Delilah is madness.
She drove us downtown in her neon–pink Ferrari, weaving through trafic like she owned the road. When we reached the most expensive mall in the city, her security detail charged into the luxury stores, throwing out all the customers just so we could shop alone.
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Chapter 15
I stood there watching her march through racks, yanking down five–figure dresses and tossing them on the floor.
“These are garbage. Bag the rest,” she ordered the staff.
They did exactly that. Champagne was brought out. We sat on plush couches while they boxed up half the store.
“Do you even think about how much you spend in a day?” I couldn’t help asking. She probably blew more in a morning than I made in a
decade.
“Why would I think about it? It’s not like I lack money.”
She said lazily, sipping champagne, and then suddenly wheeled around to me
“Oh wait–1 just thought of something! I haven’t bought you anything yet. Time to give you a full makeover!”
“What? No, no way!” I panicked. “I can’t afford any of this stuff.”
“Who said you’re paying?” She snapped her fingers at salesgirl. “Hey, you! Get my friend some real clothes. The limited edition.”
Before I could protest, two staff members practically kidnapped me into the fitting room.
Then I became their personal mannequin, trying on outfit after outfit I’d only ever seen in display windows, then stepping out for Delilah to sec.
By the tenth one, I had enough. “Okay, seriously. I’m done”
Delilah giggled. “Yeah I agree. Because we just found the prefect dress! Look at you! So pretty.
I glanced in the mirror.
She wasn’t wrong
I was wearing a silver–blue gown, strapless, with a dramatic fishtail that hugged every curve. Tiny pearls and gems shimmered on the fabric as I moved.
It looked like it was made for me.
But
No. I shook my head hard. I couldn’t get sucked into this. I didn’t belong in this world.
“It’s beautiful, but I can’t afford it. I’m taking it off.”
But before I could even touch the zipper, Delilah rushed over and stopped the.
“No! You’re wearing that tonight, We’re going out for dinner, and there’s no way you’re walking into a fancy place dressed in jeans.”
“Bur-”
“No buts,” she said firmly, sounding way too much like her bossy brother. “Now go buy me a coffee. Consider it payment.”
And just like that, she shoved me out the boutique door, ordering me to walk a block away to get her coffee.
I sighed and headed for the cafe. Everyone on the street was staring at me. My face had gone tomato red. The attention was killing me
So I ran up to the coffee shop as quickly as possible and headed back, When I got to the boutique, I saw a group of security guards standing outside, whispering into their earpieces.
As soon as they spotted me, they approached fast,
“I saw her. Stand by.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, frowning.
“Ma’am, that dress you’re wearing hasn’t been paid for.”
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Chapter 15
“Oh my friend is right inside. I’m sure she’ll pay for everything later.”
“There’s no one inside who matches your description of a friend, one said sternly.
That’s ridiculous. I leaned to peek inside, ready to point out Delilah.
But she was gone, along with her guards.
The pink Ferrari she drove was also gone.
Suddenly, I felt ice in my veins.
This is theft,” the guard snapped.
“No–listen. I can just take it off right now.” I tried to explain.
They didn’t listen.
Two guards grabbed my arms and slammed me against the wall
You just stole a thirty–thousand–dollar dress. We’re calling the cops.”
