Page 17 of Boss of Her

She left the room hurriedly. She seemed even more flustered than usual. Simone didn’t need that right now. She needed her assistant at the top of her game, especially with the roadblock that had been dropped in her path.

Simone leaned back in her chair and stretched out. She’d had her eye on The Ashton Star for years. The old hotel had been the jewel of the city once, but now the cracks were beginningto show. The building was in dire need of restoration, and it was becoming more and more costly to keep it running. But the owners, the Ashton family, had steadfastly refused to sell it.

Until now.

Simone had to get her hands on it, no matter what it took. Hotels in Los Angeles were a dime a dozen. Luxury hotels were rarer, but still plentiful. The Ashton Star? It was a step above them all. It was a Los Angeles landmark, known all over the world. A shining star in the heart of the city.

But it was more than that to Simone. It washerstar, representing everything that she’d spent her career striving for. Her career was everything to her. The success, the independence it brought her, were everything.

Make sure you can stand on your own two feet, no matter what. Make sure no one can take away what you’ve got. Then you’ll never have to rely on any man.That was what her mother had told her so many times before. And while there had never been a chance of Simone ending up with a man, she’d taken her mother’s words to heart. After her father left them, she’d watched her mother struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. And she’d vowed her life would be different.

Simone had kept that promise to her young self. She’d become successful enough that she’d never need to rely on anyone else. And she’d poured everything she had into her company to achieve that.

Which was why acquiring The Ashton Star was so important. She would restore it to its former glory, transform it into something grand. The crown jewel of her hotel empire, her most treasured prize.

Simone was so close to making it hers. She’d had countless meetings with the Ashtons’ lawyers, their executives, all building up to meeting with the one person who mattered—MarissaAshton herself. She was the head of the family, the company. She was who Simone needed to persuade to sell her the hotel.

And sooner rather than later. Simone had entertained the endless back and forth, biding her time, because that was how the game was played. But now that there was another player on the board, she needed to act fast.

She refreshed her emails. Jade hadn’t sent her the file yet. It shouldn’t have taken more than a minute.

Simone got up from her chair and opened her office door. Her assistant’s desk was only a few feet from it. Jade sat there, her phone to her ear, murmuring into it. And when she hung up, she didn’t notice Simone’s presence. She just put the phone down on her desk, staring blankly ahead.

Simone cleared her throat. “The Orion file, Jade?”

Jade jumped in her seat. “Right. One second.”

Simone crossed her arms, watching as Jade fiddled with her laptop, her brows drawn together in concentration. Seconds passed in silence. And as the silence stretched out, Jade’s expression shifted from focused to concerned.

“Is something the matter?” Simone asked.

“It’s…” Jade blinked. “It’s gone. The file is gone.”

“What do you mean?Wherehas it gone?”

“I don’t know. I tried to open it and…” Jade shook her head. “I don’t know what happened. I must have deleted it by accident. It’s just not here anymore.”

Simone let out a heavy sigh. “Look, it’s been a long day. Just go home. It’s too late to call IT about fixing this mess you’ve made, so do it first thing in the morning.”

But instead of nodding dutifully like usual, Jade’s lip began to quiver.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice shook, as if she were on the verge of tears. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s just a file,” Simone said. “IT can restore it.”

But Jade barely seemed to hear her. “I don’t know how this happened. I don’t know what I did. Everything is going wrong.”

She hugged her arms to her chest as if to hold herself together. But her whole body trembled, her eyes glistening with tears. She was moments from falling apart.

And for the second time since Jade started working for her, Simone slipped into a dynamic that was entirely unprofessional.

“Stand up,” she said firmly.

Jade glanced up at her, hesitation in her eyes.

“I already told you, I don’t like to repeat myself.” Simone crossed her arms. “Stand. Up.”

Jade got to her feet, her eyes downcast.

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