“Fucking Monday,” I groaned, pressing my face into my pillow.

She gasped, “Woah. Father works fast.”

“Yup, and he expects results immediately.”

“You’ll get it done. You’ve never failed at a project,” She said with a small smile.

*****

“Good morning. I’m here for Mr. Vanderbilt,” I said to the receptionist while she tapped furiously at her keyboard.

“Is he expecting you?” She asked, not taking her eyes off her monitor.

“Yes.”

I stood there for a solid minute before her fingers slowed to a stop on the keyboard, and she turned her attention to me, her false lashes fluttering as she looked me up and down. I was sure beneath all that makeup and enhancement, she was my age,maybe even younger, but the way she looked at me, you’d think she was my aunt.

“What did you say the purpose of your meeting was?”

“I didn’t say,” I replied, holding her gaze. I knew her type, and I knew just how to deal with them. “Please tell Mr. Vanderbilt Arielle is here. He’ll be very upset if he finds out you kept me waiting.”

She held my gaze for a beat before reluctantly tearing her eyes from me and reaching for the telephone on her desk.

My chest hammered as I waited for her to alert Mr. Vanderbilt, my new boss, of my arrival.

I halfway thought Father was bluffing when he said he’d get me a job in Mikhail’s building on Monday, but he wasn’t.

My phone rang at five a.m., and he gave me the details of my new work and asked me to report to the office by nine a.m. I threw on a pair of white dress pants, a navy shirt, and my favorite pair of Kate’s and made my way to Ivanov Corp., a towering glass structure at the heart of Midtown.

“The elevator to your right, fifteenth floor,” She hissed.

“Thank you,” I chimed, adding extra sway to my hips as I made my way to the elevator. The elevator door opened to a wide, long corridor with multiple doors on each side. Stupid bitch didn’t tell me which one was his.

“Arielle?” A sweet-looking redhead approached me, giving me a warm smile. Definitely an improvement from sour-faced Sylvia downstairs.

“Yes, I am. I’m here for—”

“Mr. Vanderbilt. He’s expecting you. This way.” She ordered softly, leading me to the door at the end of the hallway.

We walked into what looked like a conference room with a long table in the middle and multiple chairs flanking each side. At the head of the table, two men appeared to be engaged in a heated conversation.

“Arielle!” The older-looking member of the duo called out, waving me over to him.

“Good morning, Sir,” I greeted as I approached him.

“Do away with the formalities, will you? Your father is a very good friend of mine.” He smiled, taking my outstretched hand.

“Chloe here will show you to your office. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me,” He said, and I blinked at him in surprise.

That was it? No interview, no questions, he didn’t even tell me what my job was.

“Is there something you’d like to add?”

“Not at all.” I smiled, bidding my farewell and following Chloe to a spacious white room with a desk, refrigerator, and TV.

“This is yours. Any job the boss has for you will pop up on your computer,” she said, moving aside for me to get a better look at the room.

“It’s a great space,” I said, looking through the wide window overlooking the busy streets of New York. “Thank you.”