Page 25 of The Forever Rule

That was so unprofessional it wasn’t even funny. I had gone right back to work, spoken to the clients I needed to, and made a few business deals for my boss. I had done what I was supposed to do, and yet everything felt different.

I felt different.

I sighed and went to finish my breakfast as I turned on the morning news. I needed to leave soon so I wouldn’t be late, but everything felt off.

This just in, Dorian Cage the patriarch of the Cage family is dead at age sixty. He was the former president of Cage Enterprises and Businesses, a worldwide and billion-dollar firm of real estate development, small business backers, environmental research, including dozens of other subsidiaries. And while he wasn’t at the helm of the business at the time of his death, with his eldest son Aston Cage taking that position, he was still the man on the mountain for many. However it seems that his death, while of natural causes, did not come without a scandal of its own.

There’s more to come on this once we have all of the information, but according to inside sources, the Cage family has its secrets.

Everything froze within me as I stared at the TV and tried to understand what I was hearing.

Aston’s father was dead.

No wonder he couldn’t call or text. His father was dead.

And a scandal? I didn’t even want to know exactly what that was, but I couldn’t even imagine.

I picked up my phone again and knew that he was far too busy for me, but I needed to text. Needed to say something. Anything.

Me:

I’m so sorry, Aston. I can’t imagine your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family. And if there’s anything you need from me, ever, let me know. I’m sorry.

I sent the text, hoping it was enough, even though it would never be. Maybe he would see it and remember. But I was just the girl from the texts, a woman that he saw on the dance floor and kissed.

No wonder he hadn’t called.

Tears pricked my eyes, as emotions washed over me, but I knew that it was silly.

This wasn’t about me. He had the most obvious reason not to call.

I gathered my things and headed to work, and knew that I was going to have to find a way to either get over Aston Cage, or make sure he wasn’t alone. Because from what I could tell, as the eldest, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Or maybe I was thinking too hard, and I had nothingto do with it. It was all just a dream. Before I knew who he was.

I walked into work, and I realized that people were staring at me. It was odd, to feel the weight of a thousand stares, but I ignored them, and made my way to my desk.

“Blakely, come inside my office,” Mr. Howard ordered, his voice deep, commanding. Ice slid down my back, but I swallowed hard, sitting my bag on the table, and wondering why he was here so early, and why he could want me first thing.

I lifted my chin, and ignored the stares of others, as I made my way to his office.

“Hello, Mr. Howard, good morning. What can I do for you?”

“You’re fired.”

I blinked at him, caught off guard. “What?”

“You’re fired for working with the competition. We lost the Meridian account to the Cages, and that happened right after your little dance with him. We can connect the dots and have done so.”

I schooled my features, hoping my racing heart didn’t beat out of my chest. “What? I have nothing to do with that.”

“Oh? So it’s just a coincidence that we lost the biggest account that we have to the Cages right after you went on a little dance break and whatever else with the head of the company? What else did you say when you were sleeping with him?” he spat before his lawyer shut him up.

Rage filled me, as bile crept up my throat. “I didn’t do anything…”

“We have evidence to say different,” one of the lawyers said, and I glared at him, and realized that they were going to find any reason to get me out. They were going to lie and twist the narrative, and I wouldn’t be able to fight back. I could sue. I could plead my case. And yet no one would listen to me.

Because I had danced with Aston Cage, and I had apparently made a fool of my boss.

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