Page 84 of No Longer Safe

“If this book goes off without a hitch, you have a great paying job waiting for you on the other side.” She smacked a folder against my chest. “Get to work, co-worker!”

I walkedthrough Ace and Carina’s front door as if I was on a cloud. It still wasn’t real.

Carina was sitting on the couch, scrolling on her phone when she looked up and saw my face. “How is Lu?”

“I got a job.” The words sounded far away. I didn’t know how else to ease her into this. Everything that the job entailed was sitting inside the folder tucked under my arm. After I saw the six-figure number, at the top of the first page, I almost blacked-out on the sidewalk. Only the best and highest number for one of the top-selling authors in the world.

Lu had given me a fake title and a fake author’s name with the manuscript. I didn’t know I was practically reading something that would create riches. No wonder her dad was so pissed. Her dad wanted to meet me in the morning and I was a mess.

“A job?” She tilted her head. “You were looking for a job?”

“No,” I blinked. “Apparently, Lu was feeling me out. She sent me home with a book last week and I just thought it was for her eyes only.”

Carina nodded for me to continue when I realized her mom wasn’t anywhere to be found. “Wait, where’s your mom?”

She rolled her eyes. “Who cares! Tell me what happened!”

My best friend was practically on the edge of her seat waiting for me to fill in the lines. “So I sent back the papers to her and they were for one of the world’s biggest authors right now!”

She flew off of the couch and wrapped her arms around my waist. “You did it!!”

I shrugged in her grasp thinking about what Ace did for me back at home. This was too good to be true, right? “But did I?”

I was thrilled, ecstatic even, but there was something not sitting right in my gut. I was surrounded by people who did things dirty, with money and with violence. How could I trust that I actually did this on my own? That by sheer luck I accomplished my dreams?

It just didn’t seem believable. Not entirely impossible but just not realistic at this moment in my life.

Her brows pulled together in the middle of her forehead. “What do you mean?”

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched her. “Like Ace with my superintendent. How do I know there wasn’t some rich Cristof brother pulling the strings?”

“Ask them.” I wished it were that simple. I wasn’t going to ask Alexei. I was going to tell him my news and watch his reaction. I was going to wait until we were face-to-face.

A text message from Lu came through a few minutes later.

Lu

Do you want to go out to celebrate?

On a Tuesday?

Lu

Duh. None of the weirdos will be out tonight.

I didn’t know where the logic came from for that one, but I would let her have it. Even though I was skeptical about the job situation, it didn’t mean I wasn’t excited. All I could do was hope that I’d done this on my own.

I gazed down at the folder I’d thrown onto the bed in my room. It was practically screaming at me but I couldn’t bring myself to open it again, not yet at least. The number on the front page was scary enough. It was a number that could—that would— change my life. A fat percentage of it was going to Lu, but I didn’t really mind it, considering this was what I could be making if I stayed on with this author for years to come. Lu was the insurance policy. She would help me and train me in everything editing and hopefully, my next projects I could do on my own. But it still begged the question, if Ace or Alexei got me this job, could I still accept it?

After I buckled my strappy heels, I opened the folder again. I’d done most of the work already, just half-assing it, thinking that it was just for fun.

I’d need to report to the office next Monday and meet the team, especially my employer. There were so many things to do, to think about. Of course I was thrilled, but also terrified. I didn’tthink my life would start this soon. I thought I had at least until after the wedding.

Speaking of the wedding…

I yanked my bedroom door open and rushed up the stairs two at a time, almost breaking my neck in the process with how high my heels were. I knocked on Carina’s bedroom door. She swung it open, a mascara tube in one hand and only one of her eyes finished. “You okay?”

“Did you push back the wedding for your dress?”

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