Page 41 of The Powerful Boss She Craves

‘Have you seen the papers this morning?’ Jago demanded, stepping into the office and shutting his office door behind him.

Micah sent him an irritated look. ‘No. As I said, can this wait—?’

‘Look online, twin,’ Jago told him, nodding to his massive screen.

Right, Jago wasn’t backing down. Micah sighed, sat down in his leather chair and booted up his computer. Jago loomed over his desk. Micah wished he could have one day without drama.

He pulled up his Internet browser and raised one eyebrow at his brother, silently asking where to go.

Jago walked to stand beside him, pulled Micah’s wireless keyboard to him and rapidly typed. Micah caught the search results—something to do with Thadie—before Jago clicked on one of the more reputable entertainment sites, where the headline flashed...

Trouble in Paradise?

Yesterday we learned that Thadie Le Roux, South Africa’s favourite heiress, asked her future in-law to step down as one of her bridesmaids. It’s often been noted that Thadie and her fiancé’s stepsister aren’t close, but it seems like their relationship is a lot more fraught than any of us suspected.

We’ve also noticed that it’s been a while since we’ve seen Thadie and Clyde out socialising together, as they used to do. Thadie attended two charity events solo recently, and did not accompany Clyde to the prestigious Protea & Passion Sports Awards, a glittering event to honour our country’s best sportsmen and women.

Have they drifted apart?

Micah leaned back in his chair and rubbed his thumb and fingers along his forehead before looking at his twin. He gestured to the screen. ‘Do they know about the wedding venue snafu?’

Jago leaned against his desk, his eyes steel-hard. ‘No. And I don’t understand why not. I mean, I would’ve thought that news would’ve made it to the press before Thadie firing Alta as a bridesmaid. Far more people knew about the wedding venue being cancelled than Thadie’s unhappiness with Alta.’ He pushed his hand through his hair. ‘As a result of this, there’s been a spike in people trolling Thadie on social media.’

Micah cursed. He loved his sister, but he couldn’t deny that he’d be happy when this wedding was behind them. But then that would mean Ella would be gone, living ten thousand miles away. The thought was incomprehensible.

‘I’ll call Thadie when I have a moment,’ Micah told Jago, frowning when he heard the discreet buzz of his intercom system: his PA needed to talk to him. On arriving at his office, he’d told her he didn’t want to be disturbed. Jago was the one person exempt from that directive.

‘Am I ever going to get to work today?’ he grumbled, before issuing a voice instruction to turn the intercom system on.

‘There’s a Mrs Pearson to see you, sir. She doesn’t have an appointment.’

Micah closed his eyes, irritated. He’d specifically told her that he wasn’t to be disturbed, that he needed a solid block of four hours to concentrate. She could only interrupt him if the building was on fire or if there was an arterial blood spray...

Hold on—had she said Mrs Pearson? As in, Brianna’s mother? Micah looked at Jago and frowned. ‘Sorry,who?’

‘Mrs Pearson. She says she knew you as a boy.’

Micah looked at Jago and, when he saw the astonishment on his twin’s face, he knew he wasn’t hallucinating.Okay, well...Micah ran his suddenly damp hands down his thighs and rubbed his face, the side of his jaw. What did she want? Why was she here? Was Brianna dead? No, if that had happened she wouldn’t have come to his offices or he would’ve heard the news via Liyana.

The only way to know what she wanted was to let her in but Micah didn’t want to. He’d only seen Kate Pearson twice since the accident, and both of those meetings had happened shortly before Bri had been moved from the local hospital into a long-term care facility. Kate and Phil had refused to see him after that, wouldn’t take his calls or respond to his emails. They had severed their relationship with his father and stepmother as well.

‘Micah?’

‘Yes, I’m coming,’ he replied.

‘Do you want me to stay?’ Jago asked him, looking concerned.

Micah sent his brother a grateful look. ‘No, I’ll be fine.’

Jago left the room and closed the door behind him. Micah cleared his throat, took a sip from the water bottle on his desk and hauled in a deep breath. Heart thumping, he walked to the door, wishing he didn’t feel as if he was eighteen again, wretched, remorseful and so damn guilty.

He wrenched his door open and there she stood, an aged version of Brianna, the young girl he’d once laughed with and loved in his way, as much as a wild, rebellious teenage boy could.

Micah didn’t bother trying to shake her hand or even offer a smile. He knew that neither would be welcome. He simply inclined his head and waited until she had stepped into the office before hauling in more air—why was it suddenly so thin?—and following her inside.

He closed the door and gestured her to the couch where the seating was more comfortable. Kate sat down and linked her hands together. ‘I suppose you want to know why I’m here...’

Well, yes. Obviously.

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