Page 67 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

When I sat back down, he leant over the desk and started showing me the new security system he was thinking of having installed.

“Chuck asked me to look into the latest technology, which I’ve done. It’s an expensive bit of kit, but it will make my job easier and give you and the company peace of mind.”

I looked down at what he was showing me. I wasn’t quite sure what exactly I was looking at, but I was sure he’d explain it to me. I scrolled down at the financials. Expensive, but if Aiden thought this would help, then I was all for it.

He went through the whole proposal with me. Neither of us mentioned the elephant in the room. There were cameras in here so we couldn’t exactly talk about anything other than company business.

“You’re very meticulous,” I said, sitting back.

He raised an eyebrow at me, a small smile playing on his lips as if to say, ‘did you really expect anything else from me?’, to which I shrugged. Of course I didn’t. Aiden could be very regimented in the way he dealt with things like work. I knew he’d have gone over every detail and left nothing out.

“There are other less expensive options, but Chuck usually insists on the best and leaves the details to me.”

“Do I need to sign off on anything to get this approved?”

He took the tablet and scrolled through it before handing it to me. There was a box for my signature. I swiped over the screen, signing the necessary documentation digitally.

“Is that everything?” I asked.

He nodded, taking the tablet and standing.

“Thank you for your time, Miss Daniels.”

I really fucking wished I could do more than just smile at him. Aiden and I had too much to discuss. I was itching for the day to be over. We’d decided to split our time between our respective places. During the week, it’d be my flat and his at the weekends. I hated being at mine, but until we got my uncle off our backs, it was necessary.

“I’m sure I will see you around,” I replied.

He nodded at me once before turning and leaving. Barely thirty seconds after he was out the door, my phone buzzed.

AIDEN: I love you princess.

My heart flipped in my chest. Even though we’d been through a whole bunch of crap today, he still managed to make everything okay. And I loved him all the more for it. Aiden might be a little unhinged and did questionable things at times, but he gave me something no one else had. Freedom to be myself.

ME: Today sucks.

AIDEN: Tristan is a dead man walking.

ME: And here I thought you were old friends.

AIDEN: Ha fucking ha. I’ll talk to you later.

I smiled, leaning back in my chair and remembering there was someone else I needed to speak to. I scrolled through my contacts and hit dial.

“Hi Ed, you got time to talk?”

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