Page 21 of Even if It Hurts

A chill swept up my spine and forced a shuddering breath from my lungs at the harsh demand, and I hated to admit that my reaction was from hearing his voice again rather than out of fear of what his next words would be.

I glanced at the screen of my phone again before quickly looking around me as a soft “Mr. Briggs” left me, sounding more like a question than it should’ve, considering he owned the place I was standing in.

“Asher,” he corrected coldly. “Answer the question.”

“I, uh—” I wet my lips as I continued looking for the source of his information. “I was told to fill out the employment forms.”

“Not on my computer,” he grated. “Not in my office.”

“Then how?—”

“You are allowed in the main areas of the apartment and Kaia’s room, nowhere else. Do you understand, Miss Pearson?”

I locked onto the small camera in the top corner of the room, embarrassment flooding my veins and mixing with guilt I wasn’t sure I should be feeling. “Lainey,” I corrected the same way he had. “How many of these do you have around the apartment?”

“Enough.” His response was abrupt and told me that he was currently watching me through whatever feed that camera gave.

“It’s a little intrusive.”

“It’s for security,” he informed me. “Which, if you somehow weren’t aware by now, I’m involved in. I also don’t like having to repeat questions.”

I took a steadying breath before saying, “You didn’t answer mine, and I have another.”

“We’re not talking about last year.”

Wings took flight in my stomach at the confirmation he did, in fact, remember me, but I forced my outward appearance to remain neutral. “Understood,” I said as last year swirled through my mind as if the encounter had just happened. “Now that I know what you’re thinking about, I hate to inform you that wasn’t what my question was about.”

Silence filled the call before he rasped, “You could’ve asked it by now,” but I could’ve sworn there was a hint of amusement behind the irritated words.

“How did you get my number?”

“You just submitted it to me,” he said as if that should’ve been obvious.

My lips parted to let him know I hadn’t before realization set in, and I glanced over my shoulder at where the computer sat on the large, immaculate desk.

Right.

“Now, walk out of my office, close the doors, and don’t go in there again. Do you understand?”

“So, you don’t want me to finish the employment forms you demanded I fill out?” I asked as I looked back at the camera.

“I want you to respect what’s mine, Miss Pearson,” he softly seethed. “If not, feel free to stay home tomorrow, or at whatever other job you maybe, maybe don’t have.”

The call ended before I could respond.

I pressed my lips tightly together to keep from saying anything, since I wasn’t sure if the camera had sound too, and turned to leave the office, feeling lighter than I had in days.

As I shut the doors, a small smile tugged at the edge of my lips when I saw the little pieces of me left behind. The keyboard and mouse were out of place and the chair was rolled away from the desk, making the lonely office look slightly less forgotten.

I also had a feeling it would irritate my new boss. And after only a few short interactions with him, I perfectly understood why Ada enjoyed pushing him.

Lifting my phone again, I saved Asher’s contact asThe Jerk, then got to work since Kaia was still sleeping.

First things first: I needed to know everything about eight-month-olds.

Igripped my phone after ending the call, studying the live camera feeds of my apartment as Kaia’s new nanny stood outside the doors of my office for a minute longer before hurrying over to where she’d carelessly dropped her bag on the floor twice now.

Lainey.

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