Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
I blinked lazily. “Yesterday was the first time I ever met the man. We don’t have an arrangement. Not that knowing that will stop you from believing whatever deluded fantasies you cooked up in your head.
“I have a job to do, Lyla. Go waste someone else’s time.”
She didn’t move an inch. “You think you’re so clever. Bagged yourself a rich boyfriend, hauled your ass out of the gutter, and now you’re here ’cause you think you’re strong enough to face me this time.”
“I didn’t want to face you the first time,” I cried. “Or the second. Or the third. Or the hundredth! You have had some creepy, twisted obsession with me since you first laid eyes on me, and I’m over it. I’m warning you, Dawson. I’m not taking your shit anymore. You come after me again, and you’ll get it back three times as hard. That’s a promise.”
She snorted. “That threat would scare me if I didn’t see you for exactly what you are and will always be: trash. You might think what I did to you was harsh, but all that happened was I put you in your rightful place. You’ll end up back there again. Trust me.” Standing up, she glided to the door, the lovely serene mask in place once again. “It’s where you belong.”
“Close my office door on the way out, boo.” I blew her a kiss. “Oh, and send my staff in. We’ve got a lot of work to do for Caddell House’s top clients. You know how it is— Oh wait, you don’t.”
Lyla rattled the building slamming the door shut behind her. With her gone, I pried the windows open, praying the smell of her Chanel perfume wafted out quickly. That was the smell of evil.
Sighing, I surveyed my new domain. I had both a desk and a workstation loaded down with everything I needed to get started—all brand new. In the corner, naked mannequins waited for me to cover them in beauty. And beneath my feet, more of that red carpet complemented the pink-and-gray wallpaper.
I dreamed of having my name on the door outside one of these offices for as long as I can remember. Lyla could threaten whatever she wanted, she would not take this from me.
“I’m a Merchant. No one takes what’s mine.”
Thirty minutes later, my team was assembled in my office. I studied them through my lashes while they tossed ideas at me.
First was Jace Carter. A junior designer with the taste to match. His jacket looked like a cross between a bomber and tweed, but for some reason, it worked. It probably helped that his strong, dimpled chin, long nose, and thick wavy hair fit everyone’s idea of handsome. Jace couldn’t look bad in anything he wore.
But are you the sneaking pig violating my family’s safety?
Yes, at this point I considered Genny, Fuller, Lizzie, and everyone in the Fairfield family. Everyone except the Savage Princes who evoked heat in me that wasn’t brotherly at all.
I slid to Zoe Middleton. Or is it you?
Zoe was so fabulous, I’d have believed it if she said she designed the clothes and modeled them. Not a strand of her blonde hair was out of place. Her makeup impeccable. Her outfit this season and expensive from the heels to the faux fur wrap. It was hard to imagine this gorgeous creature could work with a band of killers, but then, I’ve been fooled by a pretty face before.
As pretty as my intern, Rylee Brennan. Said intern sat up straight, beaming away as she wrote down everything we said. I knew from my time as an intern, we weren’t invited to join meetings like this. She was twenty-four years old and eager for her shot.
Would she be this eager if she was sitting on a pile of blood money from the Brotherhood?
I shook the questions away for now. I’d only find out who it was when I caught the bastard in the act. Speculating was just that.
“—designing an entire wardrobe for Caddell’s top client,” Rylee gushed. “I’ve only fixed hems and snipped loose threads so far. Will you really look at my sketches, Miss Blaine?”
“It’s Kenzie, Rylee, please. We’re the same age.” I smiled. “And I’ll do more than look at them. If they’re good, we’ll make them.”
I thought she’d faint.
“If they’re good,” Jace repeated for no good reason. Whether that pointed to a vindictive streak or a competitive one, it put him slightly higher on the list. “Only the best for the Johnsons, who have been perfectly happy with the styles we’ve come up with under Anastasia. I still don’t understand why she was replaced.”
That remark was definitely for me. “There’s nothing scandalous about it. I’ve been making random clothes for the Johnsons as gifts for a while. I didn’t know it was my audition for the job. When they decided to update their look, they put my name forth. It’s not like she’s been fired,” I said. “She’s just been given another account.”