Page 448 of Savage Bosses

“What are you wearing?” Bryce asked her.

“Clothes,” she replied, causing his mother to chuckle.

“Go change into the correct uniform,” Bryce ordered. “You’re here to work. You’re not a guest.”

“I was told that you’re here to work also,” she told him, staring him up and down.

Tati's words hung in the air, challenging Bryce's authority. He glanced down at his own attire – a tailored suit.

"I don't have to adhere to the dress code. I'm a manager," he retorted, daring her to challenge him further.

Tati merely smiled, turning her attention to Mrs. Cattaneo, who had been observing the exchange with a smile on her face.

"Mrs. Cattaneo," Tati began, her voice dripping with honey. "I was under the impression that my position allowed me some leeway in dress code."

Mrs. Cattaneo clapped her hands together and said, "That's right, I didn't tell you, son. See, you've done great as a manager. But the cafe needs someone who's familiar with cooking and managing a cafe to hold that position. And Tati was the assistant manager at her last cafe. And she's hit the ground running at Cattaneos Cafe and Sweets. The staff loves her. So, I promoted her to manager. And moved you down to assistant manager," his mom said.

Tati looked like she wanted to burst out laughing.

"Mom! Did you give her my job without telling me? You even demoted me."

His mom nodded. "It was a unanimous decision, son."

"Between who?"

"Your grandmother and I."

Traitors. “Blood is supposed to be thicker than water, ma.”

“It is,” she assured him. “But Tati is like family.”

“Was,” he corrected her.

Bryce took a deep breath and released it slowly. It wasn't that he wanted the manager job. He'd only taken it to fill the spot until he found a good and trustworthy manager for the shop. But he didn't like that his mother was making Tatianna the manager. It wasn't like she was going to stick around for long.

"This proves you and grandmother aren't good at choosing managers," Bryce said, gaze still on Tati. "You chose someone with a record for up and running without a moment's notice."

Her smile faltered. He smirked, happy that his barb had struck its mark.

"I would never turn my back on Mrs. Cattaneo when she needed me," Tati replied.

Bryce saw red.But you thought it was okay to turn your back on me.

"What's done is done," his mother chimed in, patting his arm in an attempt to calm him down. It wasn't working.

Sybil approached Tati and said, "Hey, Tati, the chocolate waterfall isn't working. Can you help me with it? And you said you wanted to change the strawberry display and add cherries to it. The guests haven't arrived, so we still can do that."

"Yes, I do," Tati said, staring down at the clipboard she was holding. He hadn't even noticed the clipboard before. He'd been too busy glaring at the dress she was wearing.

"By the way, you look gorgeous today, manager," Sybil praised her, already knowing Tati was the new manager before Bryce had. "Your date is handsome too."

Date? Who? Where? An Asian guy in an all-black suit stepped forward and shook Sybil's hand.

"Nice to meet you," he greeted her, accent almost undetectable. "My name is Taro. I'm Little Bird's plus one," he said.

Who the fuck was Little Bird? Tati was more like a damn vulture.

"You even have a cute name for her," Sybil gushed. "So sweet. Take your time, Tati. I'll go try to get the chocolate waterfall to work." Sybil rushed off, smiling from ear to ear like she was a fucking clown.

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