Chapter 14 Chapter 14
Violet
“The restaurant’s in trouble,” I said. “Declining sales. You were there to figure out why. Not as the owner, but as a customer.”
A slow silence followed and I could swear I heard my heart going frantic.
Then, to my immense irritation, his lips curved. “You’re partly right.”
“Partly?”
“I’m in talks with the owner,” he said casually. “To buy it.”
My mouth fell open. “You what?”
His eyes gleamed with that maddening calm. “I must say you can think when pressured to do it.”
That was as close to a compliment he would give me right now.
Relief flooded me to think I had not disappointed my parents, that my pack wasn’t going to be in danger.
A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it and I let out a shriek that was half triumph, half disbelief. “Ha! I knew it!”
I threw my hands up, jumping up and down and circling myself.
I was so lost in my momentary celebration that I didn’t realize I was in Elijah’s office or that he was watching me prance like a lunatic.
Nor had I realized that I accidentally tugged my shirt high leaving my waist exposed.
Heat rushed to my face when I saw where his gaze had drifted and I immediately tidied my clothes and hair, clearing his throat.
I smoothed down the creases on my shirt longer than necessary before I found the courage to look at him again.
“So what do you think?” I asked, “About letting me work on the Emerald Project? I can handle the acquisition and you take over the deliverables if you think I can't turn it into a successful project. Deal?”
I would be mortified to go back home and tell mom I lost their home again.
“I will think about it”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I had just saved my pack and my home.
Technically he hadn’t given me a ‘yes’ but I knew if I brainstormed some more and provided him with good ideas, he would agree.
And I was going to work harder than ever!
But I wasn’t going to jump around again in front of him.
So I gave him a polite nod, walked out of his cabin, and headed straight to the nearest washroom.
Only when I was sure that I was completely alone did I let out a whoop. I spun around in circles like a madwoman, and rejoiced as if I had successfully climbed Everest.
I didn’t recall when was the last time I had celebrated like this. Or felt such sheer joy.
Such hope.
My body had been functioning on autopilot for a long time, trying to breathe in some emotion in my dead life, pretending to feel something.
Back then I used to feel so blessed to have Nate but now I was wondering if it was all in my head.
I let myself breathe for a few moments and splashed some water on my face.
It had been an exhausting ordeal and I wanted to do nothing more than catch some sleep and inform my parents that I had somehow salvaged the situation.
The cool water trickled down my face and I stared at my reflection, at the grin on my face. There were faint circles under my eyes but at the same time, I felt like I had suddenly gotten the energy to move mountains.
Weird.
I chuckled to myself, dried my face and got back my composure before stepping out of the washroom.
And slammed into someone.
“Ouch, sorry” I heard a voice and realized I had bumped into Cassie.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t Elijah ask you to go home?” I asked, rubbing my forehead.
She popped a bubble yet again and continued chewing her bubble gum.
“Why are you filling in for him as if you are already his wife?”
She was never going to stop with that I guessed.
“I was just…”
“Kidding. Mostly”
Cassie grinned and before I could respond, she looped her arm through mine.
“I didn’t wanna go home and stare at the expensive walls. I want to go out and do something but I don't know who to go with.”
She said with a frown and then looked at me as if she suddenly realized something.
“You. I can go with you.”
I blinked.
“You don't know me either. Besides, where do you even want to go?”
She reached for my hand and was already pulling me ahead. “We will figure it out. My brother has a lot of money to burn. Don't worry.”
“But Cassie, wait”
I had been thinking of going home and relaxing first by watching some movie and getting some much needed sleep.
I tried protesting, listing all the reasons I needed to sleep or prepare for Elijah’s next interrogation but she wasn’t listening.
She then held two fingers in front of me and said. “Choose one”
I chose one randomly and she smiled. “Sweet. Driver, please take us to the shopping mall.”
“You want to spend your day shopping? That is your idea of an exciting activity?”
“Not exactly,” Cass shook her head. “But the place we are going needs a change of clothes.”
Her eyes went up and down my body before she added. “And I doubt you own that kind of attire.”
“That kind? What kind?” I asked in confusion.
“You will see”
Ten minutes later, I was standing in the middle of a store full of mannequins wearing dresses that could double as napkins. And even then I was being generous.
My best guess was she wanted to drink and party in some club that her brother wouldn’t let her go to.
“Yeah, I am not wearing any of that,” I said, eyeing the short, revealing dresses.
“Come on, do you always prefer to look like a grandma?” She taunted and I huffed.
“I thought you said I was the only decent looking girl your brother ever found.”
“There’s decent and then there is boring”
She pulled down a few dresses I would never dare try and pushed me in the changing room while she grabbed a few for herself.
Half the options looked like they’d unravel if I breathed too hard.
No way was I going to walk out of the store with that much skin on display.
So I chose a knee-length dress with long sleeves and delicate silver sequins that shimmered like tiny stars when they caught light. The dress had a low back but at least it was not as revealing as the other dresses that looked more like strings barely holding the fabric together.
“Can you tell me why I am going with you again?” I asked aloud from the adjacent stall while pulling the zipper up.
“Because we both are bored and need to spice things up a little.” She shouted back.
That caught my attention and I stepped out of the stall, banging on her door.
“What do you mean by spice things up? Are you planning to go on a blind date or what?”