Page 105 of Until We Burn
My phone suddenly pings and vibrates in my pocket. I suck in a deep breath.
“Just get through the day, Diana,” I whisper. “Put out one fire at a time.”
I flip over my phone. My eyes widen at the first notification I see.
It’s from CatchCo.
I spring to my feet, quickly wiping my tears away to read the emailclearly. Rather than a long-winded report of the software’s findings, the email is only two sentences long because it’s not from CatchCo’s authenticators.
It’s an email from the CEO herself.
[email protected], I can help you. My availability and the address to my office building are all attached.
Come see me.
CHAPTER 43
DIANA
I knowhow desperate I look by agreeing to see Stella right away, but I don’t care anymore.
After what happened last night, I have to do everything I can to get back to the CEO race.
At the end of the day, you’re his little lap dog, chained up to do everything he says, and soak up everything he thinks about you.
Sophia’s words haunt every crevice in my head. I don’t forgive her, and I don’t ever want to emulate her, but I can’t deny that there’s some truth to what she said about the privilege I have. I’ve never stepped out of line until now and what I’ve been enduring for weeks, Sophia has been enduring her whole life.
If this truly is a test bàba is putting me through, I can’t fail it.
The announcement last night proves that every moment is numbered, which means that the time I have with Kai is also numbered.
I shake my head. It’s better this way. I can’t keep entertaining the hopes that Kai and I can ever be together. The faster I accept that, the less heartbroken I will be. Still, I can’t ignore the dull ache piercing my heart at the thought of never seeing him again.
What keeps my nerves under control is the chunky pumpkin spiced candle burning on Stella’s desk.
Her office sits on the top floor of the building, and it’s paneled with floor to ceiling windows that overlook downtown Vancouver.
Stella’s assistant told me I could wait for her in her office while she took a personal call. Even though she hasn’t shown up, her presence takes up every inch of this room.
Her chaotically organized desk is a giant, faux marble thing with gilded legs. Taped to her pink computer is a business card for Obachan’s Kitchen. Beneath it is a list of affirmations:
You are unstoppable.
You will get richer.
You will not text your ex, Derek.
I can’t help but smile at all the framed photos of a disgruntled tuxedo cat posing by famous landmarks. The photos are crammed beside a gathering of crystals illuminating Stella’s degrees from Harvard and MIT.
I had stalked her before coming in and I’ve never felt more pathetic. Stella Dejvongsa is only a few months older than me, yet she’s already achieved so much. She grew up in Laos, a small Southeast Asian country, where she dabbled in technology and the sciences. She was only fourteen when her research paper about the futuristic benefits of quantum computing caught the attention of a visiting professor from Harvard. On her eighteenth birthday, she launched the private messaging app, DXMessenger, and now she co-owns that company with her cousin in order to focus entirely on leading CatchCo.
I’m prepared to feel small and insignificant in front of her.
Then the office door sweeps open.
“Hi! Hello! Sorry, I’m late!”
With her Jimmy Choos clicking across the hardwood, Stella rushes into the office carrying a plate of fresh cinnamon buns.
