Page 54 of Cruel Fate

He tells me he’s thinking about me.

After what Quinn told me tonight, I wonder how true that really is.

I wear my sweater dress again. The one Zane stripped me out of to fuck me over his desk.

If Zarah doesn’t contact me soon, I’ll need to go shopping without her. What I wore in payroll isn’t good enough for the twenty-fifth floor. I tried to make the dress look different by wearing jewelry, new stockings, and a pair of knee-high boots. They aren’t as glamorous as they sound. They fit, but the style is a few years old and the leather is worn. I polish them the best I can, and they don’t look too bad.

The dress’s material isn’t bulky, and I add a blazer. It will work, but to represent Maddox Industries and my new position, I need better clothes sooner rather than later.

Zane’s already in a meeting when I sit behind my desk. Dating Zane Maddox may not be as terrific as people make it out to be. If I never see him, how can we have a relationship?

I fall into my tasks, collecting RSVPs, learning software, and Harper shows me more of what she and the other assistants do as part of their job descriptions. I catch on quickly, wanting to pull my weight, and before I know it, the morning is gone.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Zane

Imiss Stella like crazy. My only source of peace right now is knowing she’s in the office, on my floor. When I move from one conference room to another, or whenever I need five seconds to piss, I catch a glimpse of blonde hair and her presence eases my mind.

I’m stretched to my breaking point. Hours upon hours of meetings. I don’t approve of where Denton and Cramer have been subtly trying to steer the company. They haven’t been able to do much without my authority, and for the past forty-eight hours they’ve been pressuring me to sign papers for mergers, acquisitions, and selling off pieces of companies my father rescued a long time ago.

I refuse to sign, and they insist my immaturity and lack of wisdom and knowledge will ruin the company. They were happy to go along with whatever my dad wanted because Kagan Maddox made them rich, but they want more and they think because I’m young they can walk all over me to get it.

Iamyoung, and the pressure hurts with bone-crushing pain. I don’t have the experience to run this company without them, and I’m going to have to compromise until I know enough to cut them out.

I hide in my office and bury my face in my arms.

The sobs start coming, and I can’t stop them. I hope Stella can’t hear me. It’s stupid to give in to tears at the office when I won’t let myself break down in private. I miss my parents. My dad always knew what to do. He built this company following his heart, and money was just a byproduct of doing the right thing. Denton and Cramer have started to look more at the bottom line than how to help people.

We already have more money than we can spend in a million lifetimes. Why do we need more? Maybe Denton and Cramer haven’t amassed the same fortune my dad did for himself, but if they weren’t fools, they aren’t broke.

I don’t know what I can say to force them to take me seriously or understand that what they want for Maddox Industries isn’t what I want.

Stella peeks her head into my office, and I dry my eyes. When I don’t say anything, she walks to my desk and hugs me to her. I’ve missed her these past couple of days, and her scent and her touch soothes me.

God, do I need her.

“Let’s get out of here,” she says, gently running her fingers over my damp jaw.

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. I cleared your schedule for the rest of the day.”

A burst of anger shoots through me—how dare she assume she can interfere with my schedule like that?—but I deflate and my shoulders slump in relief. She was able to do something I couldn’t, wouldn’t, do for myself.

“I told Harper we’re leaving. I heard Denton and Cramer yelling at you. The whole office did. Everyone needs a break. Come on.”

I don’t care where we go. I’m indebted to her for seeing what I couldn’t see—that I need space. She holds my hand, leads me out of my office, and I wait while she grabs her coat and purse.

Harper shoots us a strange look, but Stella handles her, waving and saying cheerfully, “Have a good weekend!”

In the hallway, she wraps her arms around one of mine and rests her cheek against my shoulder. We’ve been out of the office only a few minutes and I’m already starting to calm down. Instead of leading me to the private lift to go up to the penthouse, we take the elevator down to the lobby. I frown. I was hoping she’d bring me upstairs and we’d spend a long, leisurely afternoon in bed. I’m disappointed, but I’m thankful, too. I want Stella to see me as more than a fuck buddy. Treat me as someone more than Zane Maddox, billionaire playboy.

The sidewalks are quiet, only dried out leaves scratching along the concrete as the wind blows them away. The sun shines, and it’s a warm, fall day. We ride the train, and it’s empty but for a few stragglers who look like they have nowhere to go. People are at work and don’t have long enough lunch hours to do anything besides eat at their desks. The buildings thin out and my stress fades. I can’t remember the last time I was out of the city. Maybe the last family vacation we had, and that was last year at Christmastime.

Soon, the windows are full of fields, and the trees are showing off their fall glory.

Stella snuggles into me, and I wrap my arm around her. In such a short amount of time, she’s become my whole world. If she told me to sell the company and live with her in a hut on the beach, I would, in an instant.

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