Page 81 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

For as long as I could remember, I’d loved learning new things. I’d devoured books throughout middle school and high school, and I’d taken every possible extra credit course during college. There were very few lessons I hadn’t enjoyed learning, likely only a handful in total, but two of them were learned when Ace had caught me in his office.

First, I’d learned that love wasn’t always enough to stop someone from hating you, and second, I’d learned that there were some things that you should never do for your family.

The sound of Ace yelling at me was still ringing in my ears and playing and replaying on a loop in my mind as I stood at the curb in front of Windsor Architects’ office building, flapping my arms, trying to hail a cab. Tears were streaming down my face and staining my sunflower dress with mascara-tainted droplets. I looked back over my shoulder at the building’s entrance and wondered whether I’d ever walk through it again, which only sent a new surge of sobs through my body.

A yellow cab pulled up next to me just before I could completely dissolve. “Good evening,” the cab driver greeted. He wasn’t Jay, but he appeared friendly enough. “Are you okay, Miss?”

“I’m fine,” I lied. I used the back of my hand to wipe the tears from my eyes and tried to compose myself. “I’m just headed home.” I gave him the address to my apartment building and sighed, leaning against the back seat’s headrest. New York sped by outside the window as we drove past. The sight of it normally had me in awe, but it seemed bleaker than ever before.

Once we arrived, I handed him his fare, plus a sizable tip, and slid out of the cab. I inhaled a deep breath of spring air, but it didn’t smell as pleasant as it normally did. Everything felt blander. The larks in my landlord’s tree were not singing. (They were sleeping.)

When I got to my apartment, I headed straight to my bathroom. There was no better place to cry than the shower. It had always been a place of respite for me, a place of reflection. I hoped that standing under a stream of water would wash away the trauma of the day’s events.

He hadn’t said I was fired. He’d just said to go home. Was that what he’d done to his former assistant, only to officially fire her the next day? I had never seen him that angry. The expression on his face. His eyes. The disappointment in them was so hard to bear, and thinking about it gave me chills. His utterly crestfallen face—I would never forget it. I’d lost him.

“You blew it,” I mumbled as more tears rolled down my face. My heart ached so badly. How I wished I could go back in time. I should have known. I should never have listened to Damon.

I undressed and realized I was still without my panties. Ace had never gotten an opportunity to give them back to me.

The water that came out of the showerhead was cold as ice. I whipped my arm out from under it and shivered, a wave of goosebumps skating across my skin. Stepping backward, I decided to wait a few moments for the water to warm up before getting in.

There was a towel on the countertop next to my bathroom sink where my cell was lying, and I wrapped it around me. My phone’s glowing screen caught my eye. I needed to call Damon and tell him what had happened. Right? I dialed his number and pressed my phone tightly against my left ear.

It rang, but there was no answer.

Darn. I’ll try again later, I thought. I just hoped he wouldn’t be mad that I’d let myself get caught.

Maybe the best thing to do was wait it out.

It’d give me more time to think up a strategy on how best to tell him. Damon had mentioned something about a long business trip, so I had time. I remembered him saying something about flying to Sacramento and Toronto and other cities upstate for some kind of business deal, so that was probably where he was. A thought came to mind. Maybe I wouldn’t tell him at all. Wouldn’t it be best to just tell him that I hadn’t found anything to avoid opening that can of worms?

No, that wasn’t right either. It would only work if Ace didn’t tell him either. Damn. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Setting both my cell and towel on the countertop, I stepped into the steamy shower. The water spraying from the showerhead was now pleasantly warm, kissing my skin like tropical rain. Tilting my head upward, I let it wash over my face, erasing any trace of the tears I’d cried. When the boiler finally ran empty and the water came out cold again, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself.

After I wiped my foggy mirror, my reflection stared back at me. I smiled at myself weakly, but no matter how much I contorted my face, I still looked sad. It was hard to put your big-girl panties on when someone had stolen them.

Ding-dong.

My doorbell’s shrill sound reverberated through my apartment. It had to be Damon. Maybe his business trip had been canceled? He must have noticed that I’d tried to call. He was the only person who showed up unannounced whenever he was in the area on his motorcycle. Quickly, I exchanged my towel for a robe.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Jesus Christ. “Coming!”

34

ACE

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I rapped my knuckles against the light-brown surface of the apartment door and scanned my surroundings. There were two flowering potted plants placed neatly at the top corners of the welcome mat. The mat itself read, “Visitors welcome. Pet lovers extra welcome.” A small cactus on the windowsill sat next to the front door beside a tiny white porcelain bird. I knocked again.

The door swung open.

“Jesus, Damo—” Stella started, then froze as her eyes met mine. “You’re not my brother.” She gulped.

“Thank God for that,” I growled. “Otherwise this would be more of a sin than it already is.”

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