Chapter 7
I'd seen plenty of Julian's messes before. But this woman? She took it to a whole new level.
She stormed toward Julian's office, heels clicking like gunfire. "Julian! Get your ass out here!"
I stood up. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but Mr. Garrison isn't in the office right now."
She whipped around, eyes narrowing. "Bullshit. His car's in the parking garage."
Shit.
I kept my voice calm. "He had an early meeting off-site. If you'd like to leave a message—"
"I don't want to leave a fucking message!" She lunged toward Julian's door.
I stepped in front of her. "Ma'am, you can't go in there."
"Move!" She shoved me. Hard.
I stumbled back but caught myself on the edge of my desk. My hip hit the corner. Pain shot through my side.
Oh hell no.
I straightened up and blocked her path again. "Ma'am—"
"Get out of my way!" She tried to shove past me, but I planted my feet. I run three miles most mornings and do yoga twice a week. I could hold my ground.
She kept pushing. I braced myself against the doorframe.
"Julian!" she screamed toward his office. "Where the hell do you think you're hiding? You think you can just come back to Boston and act like you own the place? Like you deserve to be here?"
What the hell is she talking about?
"You're nothing but a bastard!" she shouted. "A goddamn bastard who got lucky because my brother fucked up! But you don't belong here! You never will!"
My stomach dropped.
Oh. Oh no.
This wasn't one of Julian's hookups.
This was family.
Garrison family.
I'd heard the rumors. Julian was the second wife's son. A "bastard" in the eyes of the first wife's children. They'd exiled him to Cleveland for years, keeping him far from the main office, far from the inheritance.
But when Julian's older half-brother had an incident, Thomas Garrison had no choice. He called Julian back.
And the first wife's kids? They weren't happy about it.
This woman had to be Victoria Garrison. The youngest daughter. Known for being loud, mean, and impossible to deal with.
The rumors didn't do her justice.
Victoria's face was red with fury. "You hear me, Julian? You don't deserve this office! You don't deserve Dad's trust! You should crawl back to Cleveland where you belong!"
Julian's office door opened.
He stepped out, his expression ice-cold. His eyes flicked to me first—just for a second—then landed on Victoria.
"What do you want, Victoria?"
She crossed her arms, smirking. "I want you gone."
"Dad called me back. Take it up with him."
"Oh, I will." She tilted her head, smirking. "But you know what? You're pathetic. Running back the second Daddy whistles. What are you, his dog?"
Julian's jaw tightened. "Victoria—"
"Woof, woof." She laughed, cruel and sharp. "That's all you are. A trained little bastard who comes when he's called."
"Victoria!" Julian's voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You need to leave. Now."
"Or what?" She crossed her arms. "What are you going to do about it?"
Julian pulled out his phone and dialed.
Then Victoria's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and sneered. "Seriously?"
She answered. "Hi, Dad."
I couldn't hear what Thomas Garrison said, but Victoria's smirk vanished. Her face went pale.
"But—"
More talking on the other end.
"Fine." She hung up and glared at Julian. "This isn't over."
"Yes, it is."
She turned on her heel and stormed out, heels clicking furiously down the hall.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
Julian looked at me. His mouth opened, then closed. He turned to one of the other assistants. "Pack up the revised proposal. We're going to Sterling Global."
Sterling Global.
My chest tightened.
Was he going to ask me to go?
Why'd he change his mind?
Whatever. No point trying to figure out what bosses were thinking.
Besides, I didn't want to go to Sterling Global anyway. Running into Adam again? Hard pass.
---
Later that afternoon, the assistant who'd gone with Julian came back looking exhausted.
"How'd it go?" I asked.
She dropped into her chair with a groan. "Awful. We waited in the conference room for fifteen minutes. Julian presented the proposal—spent at least ten minutes walking through every detail. And you know what Adam Sterling did?"
I kept my face neutral. "What?"
"He didn't even look at it. Just stood up and walked out. Didn't say a word."
My stomach twisted.
That sounds like him.
"Julian looked like he wanted to throw something," she continued. "But he just packed up and left."
I nodded slowly. "That sucks."
"Yeah. I don't know what Sterling's problem is, but he's an asshole."
---
The next morning, Julian called me into his office.
He handed me a folder. "Take this to Sterling Global. Adam Sterling's office."
I stared at the folder. "Didn't you just send the proposal yesterday?"
Julian's jaw tightened. "They said there were a few things that needed revisions. This is the updated version."
"Can't someone else take it?"
His eyes narrowed. "Are you refusing?"
"No, I just—"
"Then go."
I swallowed. "Yes, sir."