Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Here we go.
Round two of: none of my fucking business.
“I couldn’t possibly say, sir. Your father called two days to schedule a meeting between the two of you, and I followed his orders,” I replied.
“Did you ask him what it was regarding?”
“Rest assured that I covered your list of unacceptable dinner reasons and received his assurance it didn’t concern any of those things.”
“Mm.” He sat back in his chair, still pressing his fingertips together. “How long until our first meeting?”
“Twenty minutes, sir.”
“Very well. Is there anything I need to look over before then?”
“Yes, this is an important document that was on my desk this morning.” I handed over the brown envelope that included one of three letters of resignation I’d prepared for today. “It’ll only take a moment of your time.”
“Who is it from?”
“It doesn’t say.”
“Then I’m not interested. Look into it for me, Miss St. James.”
I clenched my jaw and slipped the envelope back under my arm. “Of course, sir.”
The Bastard sipped his coffee, not even bothering to spare me a glance. “Is that all?”
“There was a voicemail from the young lady of the Grandstein household,” I replied calmly. “Emily requested that you call her back.”
“Does that have anything to do with my father’s request to have dinner with me tonight?”
“The President didn’t share his reason for your meeting with me, as I’ve already said.”
“Miss St. James—”
“Sir, it’s about time we made our way to conference room one for the early meeting. You know the directors complain if you show up less than fifteen minutes before it starts.” I walked decisively over to his office door and opened it. “You should prioritise the meeting.”
With a sigh, he got up and walked over to me, then held out a navy-blue tie. “I didn’t have time to put it on before I left this morning.”
Wasn’t him getting here on the time the entire reason he’d made me call him a car last night?
I reached up to secure his top button, then murmured an “Excuse me,” as I slipped the tie beneath his crisp shirt collar. I kept my attention firmly on the knot I was tying and secured it before stepping back and averting my gaze.
I could swear he did that on purpose sometimes.
“Thank you.” He adjusted the tie when I opened the door again, then stepped through it. “Let’s go, Miss St. James.”
CHAPTER THREE – CHLOE
A Bad Feeling
“Wait here for me,” The Bastard said, unclipping his belt. “I doubt I’ll be long.”
I glanced at the dashboard for the time. “Sir, I’m already outside of my working hours. You should return home with your father.”
He paused with his hand on the door and swung his cool gaze back towards me. “Would you like to accompany me instead?”
“It’s a private dinner between father and son. It would be inappropriate for me to intrude.”
“Then you’ll have to wait for me, Miss St. James.”
“Then you should be aware that I will be requesting this as unscheduled overtime and will be claiming two and a half times my pay for every minute I’m sitting in my car waiting for you, sir.” I smiled coolly at him. “What would you prefer I do?”
He held my gaze for a moment, then chuckled. “Very well. I doubt I’ll be long. Make sure you can park nearby.”
I sighed and followed him out of the car. He was instantly greeted by one of the restaurant’s higher ups, and I approached the valet with my card extended.
“Good evening,” I said, giving him my best business smile. “My name is Chloe St. James, executive assistant to Mr Black. He’d like me to wait for him. Is there somewhere I can safely park and wait in my car?”
The young gentleman hesitated. “I can park your car for you while you wait inside, madam.”
“Miss St. James is fine,” I assured him. “I’d prefer to wait in my car.”
“Uh… um… I’m afraid that’s against company policy.”
My jaw ticked.
Company policy my arse. More like the posh bastards wanted to extort a drink out of me.
“Very well.” I reached into the car for the keys and my bag, then held out the keys for him. “Make sure no harm comes to her. She’s a company car.”
He bowed his head. “Of course. Here’s your ticket.”
“Thank you.” I tucked it into the inner zipper part of my bag and turned towards the restaurant.
Ugh.
I would never forgive my bloody boss for this. Did he really think I had nothing better to do than pander to his whims twenty-four hours a day?
Never mind handing in my resignation—I was going to create a PowerPoint and hijack a meeting if that was what it took to make him see it. Maybe I’d film it as a TikTok video in the hope it would go viral.
Goddamn that old man for making written resignations necessary.
I took a seat at the bar and scanned the tables. It was busier than I’d expect for a weeknight, and The Bastard and his much nicer father were sitting in the corner, away from prying eyes.