Page 221 of Bride By Coronation

I release more anxiety and smile. "Thank you. I appreciate your kindness and support."

She leans closer. "But if you ever decide you want to come back, I'll kick out whoever is in your office."

I laugh. "Who's in it now?"

"No one, but Blue said if you didn't come back, she's stealing it."

"Aww. How's she doing? I miss her," I admit.

"She's good. She misses you too. And that's another thing Adrian and I messed up."

"What's that?" I question.

"Our actions pushed away the best mentor we ever had for Blue," she declares.

I wave my hand in front of my face. "No way, you're the best mentor for her."

She scoffs. "I don't think so. Think about you and your mom. You didn't want to listen to her when you were Blue's age, did you?"

It doesn't take me long to answer that question. "No, I did not."

Skylar laughs. "She'll figure it out, though." Her face falls. "But we do all miss you, Fiona."

"I miss you all too."

For the rest of the lunch, we talk about other things in our lives, like old times. We set another date to have lunch in a few weeks.

When I get home, Kirill's waiting.

I announce, "The elevator just moved really fast!"

He looks angry. He steps forward, kisses me, then relays, "It was all part of Ulrich's plan. They slowed it down to give time for whoever they sent into the house to get out before we got up here. But don't worry. It's taken care of now."

Relief and rage fill me. The memory of being restrained to the guillotine pops into my head.

He asks, "How did it go?"

I beam. "It was good. Skylar offered me my job back."

He freezes, arching his eyebrows. After a brief hesitation, he asks, "And what did you tell her?"

I wait a moment, gathering my thoughts. He doesn't know what I've decided to do, so I stare at him, wanting to see his reaction, and declare, "I told her thank you, but no thank you. Then I told her I'm going to be her competitor."

Kirill's eyes light up, but he's cautious. "You did?"

I grin. "I did."

"What'd she say?"

"She was the Skylar that I've always known. She told me she wants front-row seats at my first fashion show."

"Oh, that's great, Fiona," he says, hugging me. Then he leans back. There's excitement in his voice when he blurts, "Wait. So you're going to do it? You're starting your own fashion line?"

Butterflies fill my stomach. I reply, "I guess so. You still think I should, right?"

He scoffs. "Of course you should. Remember, you're the talented one in this relationship, not me."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever." I glance at his outfit, teasing, "But you did dress yourself really well today."

---