Page 4 of Fox
Her roast is a good one, and when I see Atlas sitting in the back of an Uber, waving at me, I’m still left speechless. I choose to ignore the brat, knowing that will piss her off even more, and walk toward the oddly small vehicle.
“You fucking made it.” I muse as I slide in the back of the sedan, having to scrunch to fit my larger frame into the seat. I look to see Atlas is in a similar position. Given that he and I are about the same height, I wonder why Atlas didn’t get an SUV to pick us up over the Prius, but that would’ve meant that I think Atlas was capable of planning and forward-thinking. As much love as I have for the guy, those are not his strong points.
“Actually,” I watch Atlas stick his pointer finger up. “We’ve been here for five minutes. You’re late. So I should theoretically fireyourass.” Giving him an unamused look, I flip him off before tossing him my phone, which is still open on the text thread with Janie.
“I’m dealing with a Pop.”Pissed-off Pierceor ‘POP’ was our code word for when Tony was on a rampage, and we all needed to act straight so that the usually kind man didn’t have a reason to break something or someone. Apparently, his petite daughter inherited all his anger, and she’s focusing it on me during the most stressful day of my life.
“God damn Fox, no wonder she hates you. She said to stop calling her Torch, so you make it her contact’s name?”
“Not like she can see it.” Shrugging, I take my phone back.
Atlas snorts and shakes his head. “You two have been like cats and dogs since… fuck, as long as I’ve been there.”
“Yeah, try longer. She has something up her little ass about me.” I mutter before my phone alerts me again.
Torch: Oh, did that one hit a little below the belt? Well, when you’re done crying, get your giant ass here. I have a product meeting at 2 that I cannot miss.
Me: So feisty… don’t worry Torch, you’ll be in front of your camera telling the world that they too can have glowy skin if they buy some bullshit product you’ve never used.
Torch: …you think I have glowy skin?!?! *excited emoji*
We pull into the parking lot of the office, and I try to ignore either the nerves or a full-on heart attack that is currently plaguing me. At and I walk into the main lobby to find Frank pacing outside a set of double doors while talking on his phone.
“Aurora, I promise,” He sighs and runs a hand over his long face. “I promise, I’m out on the next flight. Just ensure he keeps his mouth shut if he wakes up.” After hanging up his phone, Frank gives Atlas and me an overly confident smile.
“Women.” He scoffs. “My niece is all up in arms about some guy she traveled across the country for, but that’s a story for another day.” He rubs his hands together and gives us a slight smirk. “Now, we’re waiting for them to finish a couple of things up, and then Janie and you will have to fill out some papers, and the process will begin. It will probably take about a year to pay her completely and for everything else to run through probate. Janie is fine with the deadline, of course. Though there was a bit of a surprise.”
I look toward Atlas with a raised brow before looking back at Frank again.
“Surprise?” I ask. Frank nods and lets out a small chuckle as he moves closer to us and lowers his voice.
“Yeah, apparently, Tony wrote in the will that Janie could co-run the shop with you if she wanted during the transition year before accepting your check. And then, she could have the option of staying on permanently, owning half the company.But, of course, when it was mentioned, the girl instantly said no.”
I let out a sigh of relief and a small laugh. “That would probably kill me.”
“Kill you?” Atlas snorts. “It would kill the shop! Could you imagine? Little Miss Insta-star in charge of Hel’s?”
“Yeah, it would end in her blowing the profits on some bullshit purse so she can get some extra likes. Hel’s Ink deserves better than that.” The two men nod in agreement as Frank walks us into the boardroom. I sit as the lawyer at the end gives me a tired smile. Glancing around, I realize Janie isn’t in the room.
“Where’s Janie?” The tiny redhead walks through the doors we just entered as if on cue. Her long curls bounce as she walks, her expensive heels clicking loudly against the tile. As she sits across from me, I glance from her black pencil skirt to her olive-green top with almost no sleeves, and fuck, when did she get those tits?
My mouth feels as dry as the fucking desert as I reach for a water bottle and uncap it. Chancing another glance at Janie, I notice the red rims around her bloodshot eyes and the streaks in her makeup, causing her freckles to start peeking out from under god knows how much makeup.What happened? Why is she upset? Why do I give a fuck?
“Alright, Ms. Pierce.” The lawyer says as he slides the papers in front of her. “Would you like to start signing these forms while I—”
“Actually, no.” Her cold, defiant tone surprises me, and I choke on my water. This fucking brat hands the papers back to the lawyer as I watch in horror. Her chin juts out as she leans back in her chair and stares at me with such a heated, challenging gaze I’m bound to burn up with her.
“No?” Atlas scoffs. “But you said—”
“No one is talking to you, Compass.” Janie retorts, her body trembling slightly.Is this ‘tough woman’ thing an act? She is shaking in front of me again.
“It’s Atlas.” His deadpan tone and her use of that name would have me rolling in any other situation, but not now.
“No, what, Janie?” I say softly. A sickening wave crashes in my stomach as her deep blue eyes fix on me.
“No. I will not sign, Fox.” A perfect eyebrow arches as she crosses her arms over her ample chest and stares down her nose at me.
Your move,she silently taunts.
