Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Mace answered on the first ring as if he was expecting my call. “Yes, I sent them, and no, you can’t fire them or send them away because they work for me, not you.”
“What? What’re you talking about? Why do I need security guards staking out my business?”
“They’re there for my peace of mind. If you’re not comfortable with them there, you can always go back to my place and work from home for a while.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“You seriously don’t know? Do you really want me to believe that old woman is going to leave you alone?”
“You did this because of her?”
Yes, and her son. Shit’s about to hit the fan, and I don’t want you getting splattered. You’ve dealt with it enough; I’ve got it from here.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“That’s none of your business. Go to work, Stephanie.”
“That’s the answer he gave me every time I asked him what exactly it was that he’d done on the phone and who it was that he’d called. I hadn’t heard anything, so it can’t be that bad; if it was, she would’ve called me by now, I’m sure. But he was acting kind of suspect, so I don’t know what the heck to think.
I hung up the phone no wiser and got to work, ignoring the men at my door, and the questioning looks from my staff. My no-nonsense VP, Xavier, waltzed into the office not long after. “What did you do last night that you need the two avengers to protect you this morning, and was my sister involved?”
Xavier is Nat’s little brother in age only. At six-three, he’s almost as built as the two at the door, but he’s as cuddly as a teddy bear with those he loves. I happened to be lucky enough to be numbered in that bunch and had been lucky enough to snag him to come work for me instead of heading off to New York or L.A., where he would’ve soared in his professional field.
I’d asked Nat for help, and she’d shanghaied poor Xavier into interning for me, but it was soon obvious that he was worth more than even me at the company. He must be the first person in history to climb the ladder as fast as he did. I don’t think it had taken six months for me to see his worth and make the best decision in my professional life by making him my VP.
“It’s not us this time, I promise.” He didn’t look like he believed me, so I explained what was going on. His eyes lit up when I told him about Mace and my ex-mother-in-law. “Finally, I gotta meet this Mace guy. I heard Nat talk about him, but I didn’t think he was worth my time, but now, he sounds like good people.”
“What did he sound like before?”
“I don’t know, you know I can’t trust Nat’s taste in men, and you’ve proven to be just as bad as she is. But anyone who can put that hag from hell in her place has got my vote. I wonder what he did to her and her spawn?”
He was too damn gleeful if you ask me. I’m surrounded by bloodthirsty heathens. He'd threatened to pound the living hell out of my ex more than once but thank heavens he and his wife had just had a newborn baby girl, and we were able to talk him out of his murderous rage that time.
Now he seems to think he has a partner in his hate for my ex-family as he all but glided out of the room, chuckling. Those siblings are the best things the world has given me, except for Mace; of course, he’s fast becoming my best gift.
I put them all out of my mind and got to work. The holidays were just around the corner, and the interior design portion of my business was in high demand. I’d been in a bad place when I decided to expand my business from just real estate and added a few extras, but it has turned out to be one of my best decisions so far.
The idea to decorate the homes and commercial buildings we built hadn’t sat well with some, but it had since proved to be a very lucrative endeavor. For some reason, when the real estate boom had taken a hit, people still wanted to make their surroundings palatable, and we’d picked up a lot of business, even from people we hadn’t built for, most of that thanks to Xavier’s business savvy and the way he has with people.
At around lunchtime, my cellphone rang for the first time, which was surprising since I’d been braced for the call from the ex or his mother all morning. It was Nat calling, and she was already screaming when I answered.