Page 19 of Dauntless

CHAPTER SIX

I groaned when the alarm went off having only had three hours of sleep. It was going to be an early start at five in the morning, but I was the second one up. Elliott being an early bird took me by surprise. I vaguely recalled a sleepy kiss to Elliott before he left. We had fallen asleep holding each other. I savored it. And now as I turned off the alarm on my phone, I found another surprise. There was a house key on the nightstand—an open invitation to return to his place, and I wished I had time to think about the significance of it, but I didn’t. Therefore, focused on what to do next with my job and Perfetto.

I showered, then put on my black pants suit and swept my hair back in a tight twist chignon, carefully putting on Perfetto’s winter shades on my eyes and lips. Once I packed my work bag, I finished off my outfit with a pair of designer short boots that were only as good for the wintery weather from the car to the door. Although I hadn’t planned on doing much outside Perfetto. The previous night, I approved a press release for Stuart to release later in the morning. I’d sent a copy to Astrid too and hoped I’d get a chance to discuss it with her before I went in because parts of it involved her, and she wasn’t aware. That was what I told Tove when I met him downstairs.

He greeted me with a breakfast bagel and a Thermos with a ribbon around it, like a gift.

I smiled and asked, “What’s this?”

“Elliott wanted me to tell you it’s better than coffee,” he attempted but failed to keep a straight face.

I scrunched up my face. “Nothing is better than coffee.” He laughed with me. After a few more sips of Elliott’s special tea and bites of my bagel, I cleared it away and gave Tove Astrid’s address in Sammamish once we reached the car. Her front porch was always unlocked, and I had an open invitation to go in, though I rarely used it. I did today and smiled as I heard Astrid’s voice yelling at Tim to get Jacob, who was screaming. I called out her name and walked further in.

“Is that you, Sonya?” Tim called out. His voice strained. “Could you give me a hand with Jacob?”

“No, it’s Gia,” I called back.

Astrid came running down the staircase. She was still dressed in her nightgown and robe, though she had styled her hair. “What are you doing here so early? Did you want to commute today together or did something happen??”

I nodded. She waved me to follow her into the kitchen.

Tim gave me a curt nod, before whisking Jacob up the stairs leaving us to talk alone.

“I didn’t think you received the statement that’s coming out today,” I sputtered before I lost my nerve. “But let me cut to the chase. I need you to take over as CEO of Perfetto, and before you say no, you’re already doing the work. You can promote or hire a few others to fill the gap. Whatever you need to help you.”

She gave me an incredulous look. “What are you going to do if I agree to take your job away from you?”

“Step down,” I said resolutely. “I have to.”

No matter how much I wanted to return to my old routine, it wasn’t to be so. The clock had started for me the moment I opened that envelope last night or maybe even before then. Honestly, it was only a matter of time before they learned that I had reported their delivery to the police. My unwillingness to take their settlement and go away quietly was an act of defiance. They would respond soon. The only thing I could hope for now was to act first.

Her brows furrowed as I explained what happened. My hands fumbled as I took out a print-out of a preliminary contract for her. “Stuart can go over it with you later today.”

She sat down her eyes tearing up. “This is bullshit. They can’t do this to you. You can’t give up. I mean nothing has come out yet. Maybe nothing will. They might have been trying to scare you. Why not wait until something happens?” She was flustered, and I understood, but I had already gone through the scenarios. This was what I believe I needed to do and sought to explain.

“By then the damage would already be done. I’m not selling the company. I’m still a part of Perfetto, but the brand needs to be preserved, and jobs need to be saved,” I took a deep breath. “I’m not gone yet even with the announcement. I’ll still help with the transition. Just please tell me you’ll take the job because I already drafted a statement to release today that says you’re taking it.”

Astrid shook her head and laughed. “Oh, you did, did you? Of course, I will.” She got up and hugged me tight and rubbed my back as I shook against her. “This is so fucking unfair.”

I stepped back and put on a smile. “Who says life is fair?”

She tutted. “You don’t need to make me feel better. I hate them. The second this blows over you come back.” I didn’t answer, just hugged her.

When we let go, I straightened up. “Thank you. Now, I’m heading in to the office early. See you there in a few hours.”

The ride to downtown Seattle was slow due to the rain mixed with snow on the road. The radio announcer read the forecast and said the sun would come out later today, and also provided a few other generic stories that made good background noise to keep my negative thoughts away, though with every mile more nervous energy rose inside me at returning to my company and what I had to do today. However, before I knew it, we arrived and went up the back elevators from the garage. It was odd to have Tove as a shadow, but he was the quiet type, and once I turned on my laptop, I became lost in my work.

When the office opened, I’d taken time to go to each cubicle and office to thank all my employees. I’d been greeted enthusiastically, with hugs and well wishes on my recovery, which I returned. Some of their gazes lingered. Looking for physical evidence of bruising I supposed, but most were covered. Today everything was as it had been before I went to The Agency. Astrid arrived, and we went through a typical marathon of meetings on the summer cosmetic campaign. I made sure to defer to her in most of the discussion and listened to the planning, production, and marketing reports by our team heads. It wasn’t until after our catered lunch that Stuart appeared behind the conference room’s tempered glass. As soon as I saw his frozen expression, and my assistant’s aversion to eye contact, I knew something had happened, and I’d run out of time. The Agency had responded. They had released something.

I excused myself from the room, then Tove and I followed Stuart and my assistant over to my office. Once we arrived, I informed my assistant to send out all the staff meeting email I had drafted that morning.

After closing the door behind Stuart, he told me what I’d just guessed: “There is a video out of you,” he said candidly. “It has circulated on social media. Most prominent sites have been blocking and taking it down, but the story has grown and will probably go viral. I have also received a communication from The Agency concerning their settlement offer. The amount has been reduced to two million dollars, minus lawyer fees.”

I teetered on my feet and sat down. My stomach twisted in knots and it took me a few tries to collect my breath. I had expected it, but it didn’t erase the magnitude of the impact. The settlement money didn’t bother me. My seemingly active involvement would create the doubt they needed. What hurt most was knowing that millions of people were seeing my naked body, squirming on Dane’s lap as he stroked me between my legs.

Tears threatened my eyes, but I held them back. Compartmentalize. I warned myself. I couldn’t fall apart now. I repeated over and over in my head until the despair passed. Stuart waited patiently while I gathered myself, crossing the room to take a seat behind my desk. When he settled down across from me, I said, “Astrid signed the papers, and the statement of the turn over came out.”

“Yes, this morning, but the timing gives the impression you were forced out,” Stuart said not hiding the displeasure in his tone. “I listened to your plan and respect your decision, but I really think leaving the company plays against you.”

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