Page 415 of Savage Bosses

As she washed her hands and went back to work, getting the restaurant ready for the morning, Tatianna began to plot her course of action. She had to quit her job. She had to let her landlord know she was returning to the States.

As for her furniture, she could let her co-workers pick over it and let the landlord sell the rest and keep the funds. Tati had some nice and expensive stuff in her place. If she had time, she'd have it shipped to the States.

But knowing her mother, by the time she landed in Biloxi, her apartment would be fully furnished with a refrigerator full of food. Tati sighed. Years of guilt and self-blame were now transformed into a fiery determination to make those who'd ruined her life suffer worse than she had.

And she didn't care that Melinda was protected by Bryce now. That bitch was still going to feel Tati's wrath. Nothing would stand in her way – not even her own heart. Not even the man who still owned her heart.

She was back in Biloxi, Mississippi. Standing at the large glass window of her condo, she stared out at the bustling city below. Her gaze drifted out to the Gulf of Mexico. Her mom had gotten her a condo near the beach. She knew how much Tati loved walking in the sand.

Now, she could go jogging on the beach each morning before work. Tatianna's gaze drifted to where a large building stood, its lights visible even from her condo. It wasCattaneos Casino and Resorts, owned by Bryce's family. She jerked her gaze away from the building and closed the curtain.

Tatianna strode over to her bed and stared down at the fabric draped across it. Tatianna leaned forward and touched the fabric, her fingers tracing the pink embroidered letters on the aqua-blue apron that bore the name "Cattaneo Cafe and Sweets." She couldn't believe it. She was about to work at Bryce's mom's bakery.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, recalling her meeting two days ago with Bryce's mom, Lora Cattaneo, and her own mother.

She'd been shocked at how excited Mrs. Cattaneo was to see her. The woman had hugged her for a good ten minutes. Like Bryceson, well, the Bryceson she used to know, Mrs. Cattaneo was a hugger. The woman had cried as she told Tatianna how much she missed her. The reunion had even brought tears to Tati and her mother's eyes.

Mrs. Cattaneo had told her that there was so much she wanted to tell her, but that could wait. She wanted to hear about what Julia had told Tati. Apparently, her mother had filled Mrs. Cattaneo in on a little of what Julia had revealed.

They sat down in Tati's condo as she'd informed Mrs. Cattaneo of what Julia had told her, leaving Bryce's mom shocked and furious. Lora had told them how she'd never felt comfortable with Melinda and how Lora's mother didn't think Melinda was right for Bryce.

Lora said that Bryce was only seeing Melinda to keep his father from bothering him and that he rarely spent time with her. Tatianna told herself she didn't care what their situation was. But the truth was, she'd been a little happy to hear that.

Together, the three of them had hatched a plan to expose Melinda's schemes. But part of that plan included Tatianna working at the bakery. Apparently, the bakery was Melinda's favorite spot for her morning coffee and a light breakfast. Melinda would be shocked to see Tatianna there.

Tati's mother insisted that her working there would be the perfect opportunity to make Melinda squirm. If Tatianna could show that she and Lora were close, maybe they could catch Melinda in another scheme.

Maybe their closeness would make Melinda nervous and make her think she was losing Bryce. Then Melinda would do something stupid, or at least try to, in order to get Tati out of the picture. And when she did, they'd catch her in the act.

Tatianna didn't really like this part of the plan. But her mother and Mrs. Cattaneo insisted it was needed. She'd follow along with it while working on the second part of the plan. For now, the first part required her attention. Tatianna hung the apron up in her closet, closed the door, then leaned against it.

"Working at the bakery means not only seeing Melinda, it meant facing Bryce too," she reminded herself. "Am I ready for that?"

Was she? Was she ready to come face to face with the man she'd left behind like a coward? Tears filled her eyes. She quickly blinked them back. No more crying. This was no time for weakness or emotions. She had to make Melinda pay for what she'd done. And she couldn't do that with tears blurring her vision.

"No matter what happens, I won't let any of them see me cry. Not Bryce. Not his father. Not Melinda or any of the Farrinas."

In front of them, she would look confident and composed. They would never know of all the nights she'd cried herself to sleep. Or about the sleep meds she'd become addicted to in order to go to sleep.

They didn't have to know about the nightmares she had over the years of her killing Marco instead of Bryce. Of her becoming a monster instead of Bryce. They didn't need to know of her night terrors and how she often awoke to find blood on her hands. Blood, that disappeared as soon as she turned on her night light.

They didn't have to know that she'd begun sleeping with a night light on to keep that from happening. They didn't need to know how broken she was. She would make sure they only saw the strong and confident facade she'd perfected. She wouldn't let them see the cracks.

She wouldn’t let them know that, like Bryce, she too had changed.

Chapter Three

Tatianna

T

he bell above the door chimed as Tatianna entered Cattaneo Cafe and Sweets, anxiety coursing through her veins like a drug. The scent of freshly baked bread, warm coffee, and sweet pastries filled the air. She hesitated for a moment, taking it all in before stepping further inside.

"Hey, you must be Tatianna!" a cheerful voice called out. A young woman with a pixie haircut and a kind smile approached her, extending a hand. "I'm Sybil. Lora told us you'd be joining us today."

"Nice to meet you, Sybil," Tatianna replied, shaking her hand firmly. Her eyes scanned the bakery, looking for any sign of Bryce. Thankfully, he was nowhere to be seen. She could relax a little, but she couldn't let her guard down.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team," Sybil said, leading her toward the kitchen.

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