Chapter 38

Chapter 38

VICKY’S POV

Alaric stepped out of the elevator with that composed stride of his, his eyes flickin’ between me and the HR woman.

He looked every bit the executive in his suit, but I could see the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, like he was tryin’ not to smile at the chaos I’d already stirred up on my first day.

The HR woman, whose badge read Vivian Vance, Director of Floor Operations, immediately straightened her jacket, plastering on a fake smile.

“Mr. Verilli! Thank goodness you’re here. We have a security breach. This… woman claimed to be the new manager for your sister’s entire sector. She doesn’t have corporate credentials, and she’s been incredibly combative.”

Alaric didn’t even look at Vivian. He walked straight past her, stopping right in front of me.

The space between us felt loaded with the history of the last few months, but there was no malice in his eyes anymore.

I crossed my arms tight over my chest and cocked my head at him.

“Well, look who decided to show up right on time to save the day.”

“Vicky,” Alaric said, doing a quick once-over of my shirt and jeans. “You’re early. I thought your orientation wasn’t until ten.”

“Yeah, well, I like gettin’ a head start, Al,” I said, tiltin’ my chin toward Vivian, whose jaw was now on the floor.

“But Karen over here decided my jeans were a threat to national security. You gonna set her straight, or am I gonna have to handle this mess myself like I always do?”

Vivian’s face turned an embarrassing shade of white. She looked between me and Alaric, her voice stutterin’ as she tried to salvage her dignity.

“M-Mr. Verilli? You know her? But the CEO didn’t log any managerial adjustments in the registry, and as the Director of Operations—”

“The registry hasn’t been updated because my sister transferred her proxy and operational management directly over to Vicky last night from London,” Alaric cut her off, his tone sounding exactly like Leo.

He turned his head slowly, fixing Vivian with a lethal stare.

“Vicky answers directly to Cindy, which means on this floor, her authority is technically higher than mine, and significantly higher than yours, Ms. Vance. If she wants to wear jeans to this office, she can wear whatever she damn well pleases.”

Beside me, Freya let out a tiny gasp of relief, finally liftin’ her head from starin’ at her shoes.

I cut her a quick look, still a bit disappointed that my assistant had the backbone of a chocolate éclair, but I’d deal with her later.

Right now, I was busy enjoyin’ watchin’ Vivian dissolve into panic.

“I… I am so incredibly sorry, Mr. Verilli. I was simply enforcing the standard corporate protocol,” she squeaked.

“I had no idea she was affiliated with the family.”

“That’s your problem,” I shot back, a smug smirk spreadin’ across my face as I stepped right up into her personal space.

“Next time, check the name before you open your mouth. Now, show me to my damn office.”

Vivian nodded frantically, her heels clickin’ double-time as she scrambled toward the turnstiles, swipin’ her master key card to let us through.

“Right away, Ms. Vicky. Please, follow me. Your suite is on the forty-fifth floor.”

She bolted ahead of us to press the elevator button, lookin’ like she was tryin’ to outrun her own shadow.

When the metal doors slid open, she held them with one hand, bowin’ her head like a terrified servant as Alaric, Freya, and I stepped inside.

She squeezed herself into the far corner of the cramped space, pretendin’ to be fascinated by her own clipboard so she wouldn’t have to look me in the eye.

Alaric fell into step right beside me.

“This place is highly competitive. You’re going to have to get used to it.”

“Trust me, Al, I can handle a few corporate Karens,” I chuckled, watchin’ the digital floor numbers count up at lightning speed.

“But thanks for backin’ me up down there. I appreciate it. For real.”

Alaric gave me a genuine smile as the elevator chimed, symbolizin’ the distance between his past heartbreak and our new reality.

“We’re family now, Vicky. Or at least, we’re about to be. I protect my own. Just… be careful up there today. Dad’s international board meeting is taking place on the forty-sixth floor, and his global shipping partners just landed from Milan. They aren’t exactly known for being progressive.”

The elevator shot upward, my stomach droppin’ with the crazy speed of it.

The doors finally dinged and slid open on the forty-fifth floor. The executive level was absolutely quiet, smellin’ like expensive cologne, fresh flowers, and serious money.

Vivian jumped out of the elevator first, walkin’ ahead of us.

Alaric stopped right outside the elevator bay, checkin’ his Franck Muller.

“Alright, I gotta head up to the forty-sixth floor for that meeting. I actually just came down because I realized I left an important document in the car downstairs. I’m gonna grab that and then head straight up to the meeting. I’ll check on you at lunch.”

“Get that bread, Al,” I said, givin’ him a mischievous grin.

He gave me a wave and stepped back into the elevator.

Vivian stopped a few feet ahead, pullin’ a set of keys from her blazer. She gestured to the frosted-glass doors before her.

“Here is the office, ma’am.”

She unlocked the doors, and we stepped straight into the space.

I stopped in my tracks.

Luxury was an understatement.

The office had these tall floor-to-ceiling windows, a desk that looked like it cost more than my entire life savings, and these fancy leather couches that looked like they belonged in a museum.

Right opposite the main desk was a smaller glass table.

“Holy shit,” I muttered in awe.

“This place is so boujee it’s practically insulting. I feel like I need a tuxedo just to sit in this chair.”

Freya actually let out a soft laugh at that, her shoulders finally droppin’ from her ears as she set her stuff down on the smaller table.

Vivian cleared her throat loudly.

“This office was occupied by Mr. Damian Thorne for some weeks while he was stepping in for the sector. I didn’t know someone else would take over so quickly. I am going to have HR arrange your official employee badge, your digital security parking pass, and your master key card. You will get them by the end of today. Do enjoy your day, Ms. Vicky.”

“Yeah, whatever. Thanks, Viv,” I said, dismissin’ her with a wave of my hand as I sat down in the executive chair, spinnin’ around once just for the hell of it.

Vivian turned on her heel to leave.

But right before shuttin’ the door completely, I caught a glimpse of her face through the little opening.

The fake smile was completely gone now.

She had this dangerous, bitter glare etched into her face.

I leaned back in the chair, a wicked smirk spreadin’ across my lips as I glared back at her.

I knew this woman would be an absolute menace, but jokes on her and every other Karen in this buildin’. I wasn’t about to back down because of some little office drama.

If they thought I was gonna tone down who I was just to fit into some stuffy, miserable office box, they had another thing comin’.

I’m the new queen of this sector, and they are just gonna have to deal with it.