Chapter 22
Arba’s POV
That night, we stayed at the castle–like hotel. For the first time in my life, I spent the night in a presidential suite. My room was right next to Grayson’s.
And yet… even in that huge, soft, luxurious bed, I still couldn’t sleep. My mind just wouldn’t shut off.
Jace’s threats were still echoing in my ears. And knowing him, he was definitely the kind of guy who’d do anything to get standing in his way, Leould only pray I’d never have to cross paths with him again–and stay as far away as possible.
I didn’t fall asleep until deep into the night. And when my phone rang the next morning. I was still half–asleep.
Yawning, I grabbed my phone. It was an email From Apex Headquarters.
I stared at the screen for 3 seconds… and then let out a scream.
rid of someone
The next second, I jumped out of bed, bolted out of my room, and ran straight down the hall to Grayson’s door. I jammed the doorbell with my thumb like a maniac
The door opened almost immediately. He was already dressed, looking calm and put–together. “What’s wrong-?”
“I GOT PROMOTED TO MARKETING MANAGER!” I screamed, waving my phone in his face.
He blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Oh my god. My god! Do you know what this means? Most people work their whole careers at Apex and never even come close to this. title. I can’t believe I got it in just four years!”
“You’ve worked harder than most people. You deserve this, Aria”
1 sucked in a breath, trying to calm my racing heart. My checks were burning as I looked up at him.
“And… thank you. I know you had a big part in this
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I know without you, someone with my experience would never be considered. This promotion is your way of making it up to me
-for what I lost because of Delilah and Jace.”
“No. You’ve got it all wrong” His voice was steady. “All I did was submit your name to HR as a candidate. The final decision Wis entirely by them and the marketing VP. They chose you because they were impressed–by you.”
1 froze, staring at him with wide eyes.
Wait really!
made
I thought the rumors Jace’spread about me had completely ruined my career. But it turns out, not only did I not lose anything because of Jace–his sabotage backfired and ended up pushing me even higher. Now I was his superior. Talk about karma.
“Wow. I can’t believe this,” I murmured.
“I always believed you could do it,” Grayson said softly, his grey eyes sparkling. “But don’t get too comfortable. Your first six months as a manager are a probationary period. You’ll need to prove your worth with real numbers if you want to keep the title.”
I nodded hard. “I will I promise.”
He checked his watch. “I’ve got to head to the summit now. The car’s waiting downstairs.”
I stepped aside quickly. “Right, sorry! Don’t let me keep you
“No I mean we should find time to properly celebrate later.” He gave me a smile that made my heart skip a beat. “How about dinner at 82 I’ll have my assistant send you the location.”
1/4
9:48 AM ₫
Chapter 22
I almost melted under that smile. “Y–yeah.. I’d love that.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight, Aria.”
As soon as he shut the door, I ran back to my room, jumped onto the bed, and screamed into my pillow like a lunatic.
Work, the contract, my relationship with him–everything was moving so great! He hadn’t said a word about “keeping our distance” again. Maybe that meant he changed his mind… maybe it meant I could still stay by his side.
It was only morning, but the day already felt magical.
After rolling around in bed and grinning like an idiot for a while, I finally pulled myself together and got dressed.
I decided to keep this good energy going. Use the luck while it lasted.
I decided to visit a client,
And I moved fast. Half an hour later, I was already in a cab heading toward a private estate in the northern area of Silver Creek Pack.
On the way, I skimmed through the client profile again.
The client’s last name was Elrod. Incredibly wealthy family. Landing them would be a massive win. But they were known for being arrogant and picky–Apex had sent dozens of people to negotiate, and none had succeeded.
Creek
But since I was already in Silver Creek, it felt wrong not to give it a shot. Even if my chances were also slim.
The cab dropped me off at the giant iron gate. I walked the long road to the estate under the blazing sun, sweating like crazy, and it took nearly 30 minutes just to reach the house.
The butler with an iron face received me. After explaining why I was here, he made me wait another hour before finally saying the master would meet me by the pool.
Weird place for a business meeting. But I wasn’t going to complain. At least I got to meet this mysterious master.
A man was swimming laps when I got there. A line of omega staff stood nearby holding towels and drinks.
I stood there politely, waiting. I figured he’d get out soon. But when he got close, he suddenly did a turn and kept swimming like I didn’t even exist. I mean, seriously?
Another 20 minutes passed. I started to lose my patience.
Suddenly
SLPASH!
Soineone dumped a huge chunk of water right on me.
“Ahhh!” I screamed, soaked and stunned.
What The Actual. Hell!
I wiped water off my face and heard loud laughter. The swimmer had floated over to the edge and was now laughing so hard he was practically choking.
My face turned red with embarrassment and anger. “Mr. Elrod, what was that supposed to mean-
Suddenly I stopped.
I recognized that face!
It was him. The red–haired, blue–eyed guy from the ball last night–the one who asked me to dance and got refused.
“Recognize me now?” he grinned, flashing perfect teeth. “You looked hot and miserable. Thought I’d help you cool off.”
“Wait… it’s you? Mr. Elrod?” I was so stunned that I forgot all about my anger. “Oh my god, if I’d known who you were last night-
Chapter 22
“You’d have danced with me?” he snorted, climbing out of the pool.
Water rolled down his perfect chest and abs. He looked like a swimsuit model. Then I noticed that his swim trunks were way too tight. I quickly averted my gaze, face burning
“So, I heard you’re here to pitch me something?” he asked.
“Ummm, yes. I’m Aria Collins from Apex’s marketing department. If you have a moment, I’d love to talk about a natural gas development
“psodood
He casually toweled off, took an iced tea from an omega, and flopped into a lounge chair.
“Sure, I’m all cars.” He raised an eyebrow at me.
I stared at him. He wanted me to pitch here? By the pool? While he was pratically half–naked?
“Ares
you gonna talk or what? I don’t have all day,” he clicked his tongue.
“K–right. Of course I forced a smile.
No laptop. No projector. I handed him printed slides and he didn’t even reach for them. So I could only talk. Thankfully I had the whole thing memorized.
But after 20 minutes of presenting, I noticed he had shut his eyes.
“Mr. Elrod, are you even listening?”
He yawned. “God, you’re still going? You really like to hear yourself talk, huh?”
1 bit back my growing irritation. “Do you have any questions about what I’ve said so far?”
He suddenly turned to face me. “Actually, I do”
“Please go ahead”
“I heard you’d let апуопе fuck you to close a deal. That true?”
I jumped up, the papers in my lap scattering everywhere.
“Excuse me?!” I snapped.
He smirked. “Also heard you lost a multi–million–dollar contract and had to sleep around to make up for it. That also true?”
“That’s complete bullshit. Where the hell did you-”
“I told him.“A new
ew voice answered.
Ispun
Jare
around as a man walked in.
He stepped out from, smirking and strode over to hug the master here.
“Zane Elrod, look at you! Haven’t changed a bit.”
“Hey man! I missed you.”
I stood there, eyes wide.
You’ve GOT to be kidding me.
