Chapter 42
Aria’s POV
Delilah stormed out, fuming. She would probably try to figure out that budget sheet on her own, which meant that I didn’t have much time
“Can I go back to work now?” Lasked Gary.
He let out a long sigh, clearly frustrated. “Seriously, what’s the point of going up against the Harts? Crushing you would be as easy for them as stepping on an ant.”
“Call me stupid, but I’m just not okay with being treated like trash.”
I walked out of his office and returned to my desk.
First, I spent about ten minutes reorganizing the mess–papers everywhere, documents torn up, everything out of place. I even tried wiping off the huge, awful word they had spray–painted across the desk. But no luck. It wouldn’t come off. After a while, I gave up
People were still watching me. I could feel their stares, but I ignored every single one of them.
Then I sat down at that disgusting desk with my laptop and got to work.
The first thing I did was locate the budget sheet, the one Delilah would do anything to get her hands on.
I went through it again, fixed a few numbers, and backed it up on both my external hard drive and my cloud storage. Then I deleted it off my laptop.
Now, even if Delilah sent someone to steal or even rob my computer, she’d get nothing.
After that, I started preparing all the files needed to move the project forward. I knew this project inside and out. There was no one who could do this better than me.
A few hours later, I had everything done. I even drafted a speech for the first official meeting between both sides.
I sent Zane an email too, I wasn’t sure if he’d reply, but at least he’d know what happened.
Everything was ready.
I had all the documents proving that i was essential to this project. Now I just needed someone with the power to keep me here.
I sat there holding my laptop, hesitating
…Should I reach out to him? Or no?
He was so cold and cruel last night. He told me straight up that he was going to transfer me to another branch. Yeah, he protected me but it was obvious he had no interest in wasting energy defending me against his family.
Even if I could prove the project was mine, I doubted he’d care,
Damn it, we were obviously in a cold war. And I really didn’t want to be the one to break the silence first.
But I didn’t know who also to turn to.
I stared at the screen frozen for a long time. The clock was almost hitting lunchtime when I finally stood up with determination.
Chapter 42
Screw it. I needed his help
He promised me in the contract that he’d give me anything I wanted.
Well, this is what I want.
If he wanted to keep sniffing me ke some horny dog when his got an insomnia, then he should at least gheme what I was owed.
I grabbed my laptop and headed toward the CEO’s private elevator
The receptionist started watching me the moment i approached. I was used t elevator
that look by now, so I ignored her and stepped into the
I punched in the code.
It buzzed–incorrect password.
What?
I stared at the panel and typed it in again, slower this time. Still wrong.
“Um, Miss Collins?”
The receptionist walked up, her eyes full of awkward sympathy. “Sorry, but… the elevator code was changed. It was just updated this morning.
I froze like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on my head.
I couldn’t believe it.
He actually changed the elevator code just to avoid me
Why couldn’t he just tell me to get the hell out of his life? Or just throw me out of his house? That would’ve been easier.
“Could you at least tell Alpha Grayson I’d like to see him?” I asked, my voice slightly shaking.
“I’m really sorry… but I can’t”
“Please. I just need to say one thing.”
But she just shook her head apologetically and returned to her desk. She was probably under strict orders to keep me out.
Just like that, I lost my only way of contacting him.
I stumbled away from the elevator, completely numb, my brain scrambling for a plan. Without him, there’d be absolutely no one to help me, Delilah would have an easy win. He knew this and that’s why he was avoiding me.
That’s when I heard someone call my name.
“Hey, Arial”
It was Nora. She jogged over
“You wanna go upstairs? I can take you
Hope flickered in my chest–until she added, “But Alpha’s not in today.”
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Chapter 42
“Not in? Where is he?”
She looked uncomfortable. And I instantly realized I didn’t have the right to know anymore.
“Did you need to talk to him? Maybe I can pass the message?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I need him to know I want to stay on the Zane project. I was there from the beginning, no one knows it better than me. Definitely not Delilah or her stupid husband.”
“Aria, we all know you’re the best. But that’s not the issue. The problem is Lady Delilah already made up her mind to giftwrap this shiny project and hand it over to her husband. And Alpha clearly doesn’t want to argue with her about it. Even if Jace screws the whole thing up, the Harts won’t care–it’s not a big deal to them.”
I clenched my jaw.
Yeah, maybe this was just another game to them. But why did they have to steal my project?
I’d poured everything I had into it. It was the best thing that happened in my career, I thought it could help me become more independent help me take better care of my grandma.
“Nora, please. You know what it’s like to work your ass off only to have someone else take the credit. I know fighting back probably won’t change anything, but I just can’t let it go. You’re the only one who can help me.”
She hesitated.
Then she muttered under her breath, “What the hell, Yeah, I help you. Some of us are tired of watching rich assholes win all the time.”
I nearly jumped and hugged her. “Thank you. I seriously can’t thank you enough! So… where is he?”
She gave me a tight smile.
“I can tell you. But you’re not gonna like it.”
I followed the address Nora gave me to the most expensive street in the city. The top floor of the tallest building housed a private club. Members only.
I showed Nora’s membership card to the doorman downstairs. He gave me a long, suspicious once over before letting me through.
*This ain’t the kind of place for a decent girl, you know?” he said as I stepped into the elevator.
I didn’t understand what he meant.
Until I saw
the inside of that club.
It was dark despite the sunlight outside, clearly built for 24/7 partying. The moment the elevator doors opened, i and flashing lights. I had no idea where I was–br where to go.
with blaring music
I wandered through the chaos, completely overwhelmed. The place was gross. People were making out everywhere, grinding on each other in corners, even moaning on random couches.
The more I saw, the colder I felt.
I couldn’t believe he was here…No…This wasn’t like him…
IUZU
Chapter 42
Finally, I found a private room at the back and pushed the door open.
“Hey! Is this the girl we called?”
A stranger grabbed me the second I stepped inside. His body heat made my skin crawl.
“No–no, let go of mel I’m here to see Alpha Grayson!”
The man laughed and shouted into the room, “Alpha, one of your little pets came looking for you!”
I followed his gaze.
There, on the biggest couch, he was on top of a girl, kissing her and rubbing her breast in a rough way that’s definitely going to hurt, but she seemed she actually enjoyed it. Her long legs were wrapped around his waist, her fingers tangled in his hair, her body arching into his begging for more.
And behind him, there’s another girl dressed in nothing but a thong kissing his bare back.
