Page 79 of Bestie's Bossy Billionaire Brother
I take a deep breath and try to focus on the task at hand. Catherine and Jason won’t get away with this. I’ll make sure of it.
Chapter 29
Catherine
“Catherine,iseverythingokay?”Alice’s voice breaks me of my wandering thoughts.
“What?” I say, then peer back up at the clock on the wall.
“You keep looking at the time,” Alice points out. “Are you going somewhere when Daddy gets home?”
I shake my head and give her a smile. “I’m just excited to see your daddy, that’s all,” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t betray the turmoil inside me.
Alice nods, satisfied with my response.
As she and I sit in the living room, I try to put on a brave face and distract her with her favorite cartoons. But my mind is elsewhere, wondering where if breaking up with Oliver and accepting the job in Manhattan is the right move.
Suddenly, the doorbell rings.
“Wait here,” I tell Alice, then rise and cross over to the foyer.
When I open the door, Jamie is standing by the doorway. But she isn’t alone. As she walks in, she’s followed by a woman I’ve never seen before.
“Catherine, this is Kimberly,” Jamie tells me. “Alice’s new nanny.”
Kimberly holds her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I furrow my brows. “What do you mean by ‘Alice’s new nanny?’”
“You’re fired,” Jamie informs me, a smirk appearing on her face. “You need to pack your things and leave.”
“What do you mean I’m fired?” I scoff in disbelief. “This has to be some kind of misunderstanding.”
Jamie shakes her head. “Mr. Burke’s orders,” she replies coldly.
I’m so overwhelmed with anger and confusion that I can’t bring myself to say anything else. I take my phone out, still in shock, and call Oliver. But the call goes straight to voicemail.
I bite my lip as I listen to the message, trying not to cry in front of Jamie and Kimberly.
“He won’t answer,” Jamie quips. “Mr. Burke wants nothing to do with you.”
I scoff. “And how would you know?”
Jamie smirks. “I’m his assistant, remember? I know him better than anybody. So if you could start packing your things, that would be great.”
I can feel the tears gathering in my eyes, but I blink them away and nod, turning to head back into the living room where Alice is still watching her show. I can barely focus on packing my things, feeling numb and hurt. How could Oliver just fire me like this without even talking to me first?
I turn back to Jamie. “How dare you go through with this? Are you that desperate for Oliver’s attention that you’d go this far? How do you think Alice is going to feel about the sudden switch in nannies?”
Jamie rolls her eyes. “I doubt Alice will notice as much as you think she will.”
I shake my head, not believing what I’m hearing. “You’re heartless,” I say, my voice shaking with anger and hurt. “I hope you can live with yourself knowing your actions are affecting Oliver’s daughter. If you really cared about him, you wouldn’t do this.”
“Mr. Burke has arranged for you to stay elsewhere,” she responds, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. “I have to get back to the office, so if you could please hurry.”
My heart aches as I realize what he did—he fired me without hearing an explanation or giving me a chance to explain myself. He just threw me away like yesterday’s news. But why? Does he truly blame me for Jason’s winning the hotel deal?
Disbelief and confusion swirl within me, making it hard to process Jamie’s words. “No, that can’t be right,” I protest weakly, the words tasting like denial even as they spill from my lips. “Oliver wouldn’t… He knows me. He knows I wouldn’t do whatever he’s thinking I did. There has to be a misunderstanding.” My plea is desperate, seeking the rational thread in a situation that’s unraveling too fast. But Jamie’s expression doesn’t waver, her eyes cold and unyielding.
