Cora
They’re at their office. Merger taking place at 2 p.m. I also sent Portia the photo, she confirmed it’s Piper. She mentioned her sister works for Dameon?? What the hell is going on? I’m freaking out!
Fucking Maddy!
That’s why she looked familiar. They both have that whole “high-class hooker” look going on, even though hookers don’t actually dress like that.
A notification from Kev pops up on the screen, but I flick it away so I can respond to Cora.
Me
Can’t talk right now, I’ll explain later.
Now, what’s Kev got for me.
Kevin
Yes, ma’am. Your mother came over, and Maddy confirmed you approved her access.
What a bunch of bitches.The voice of Lonny, the Uber driver fromOffice Christmas Party, sounds in my mind. I don’t know why my brain conjures up movie quotes at the weirdest times—it’s gotta be a stress response.
I have to hand it to her: my mother is a force to be reckoned with. She’s certainly resourceful. Slipping my phone back into my purse, I consider my options.
The temptation to confront them is strong, and the scene inMean Girlswhere Cady goes primal and attacks Regina in the cafeteria flits through my mind. I’m tempted… but it’s not my style. Just moments ago, I was speaking with my idol about how much therapy has helped me become a better version of myself. Attacking a group of women in a five-star restaurant would hardly prove my point.
Taking a few deep breaths, I toss some cash on the table and stand, pushing my shoulders back and tilting my chin. I refuse to give them the satisfaction of seeing me defeated. With each step I summon a confidence and swagger I didn’t know I possessed. Exaggerating the sway of my hips and wearing a bright, beaming smile, I approach the women with an air of nonchalance, as if I don’t have a care in the world—as if they didn’t conspire to ruin Dameon and me.
“Hello, ladies, fancy seeing you all here!” I greet them with my sweetest smile, relishing the shock that crosses their faces. “Enjoy your meal, because you never know… There might not be too many more fancy lunches in your future,” I add casually, with a flirty wink directed at my mother, Maddy, Piper, and Rachael. With my head held high and their stares burning into my back, I walk out of the restaurant.
God, that felt good!
I wish I had the time to gloat but I need to reach Dameon as fast as possible. Outside, I hail a taxi and breathe a sigh of relief when one pulls over immediately. Sliding into the back seat, I instruct the driver to take me to the Hayes & Hayward Media building. It’s only a few blocks away, so it should take no time at all, but just in case I don’t make it, I pull out my phone and dial Dameon’s number. The call goes to voicemail. I hang up and silently will the taxi to move faster. They can’t walk into that merger unprepared—they’re about to be blindsided again.
We’re one block away when the traffic slows to a standstill. I quickly pay the driver and jump out of the car, immediately regretting my choice of heels for the day. The skirt of my power suit restricts my stride, but I push forward, determined to reach Dameon before it’s too late.
I realize this won’t change anything between us, but he needs to know what happened, and he needs to knownow. With each step, urgency builds within me. He needs to postpone the merger and come up with a different strategy. I refuse to be the reason for him losing another company and potentially billions of dollars. The building looms ahead of me and I search for the nearest crossing. It’s about a quarter of a mile behind me, which means I’ll have to double back.
Fuck that.
I look left, I look right. And I dash across the road, looking up at the skyscraper that the man I loved and lost owns. I’m nearly on the other side when my left heel snags in the gutter grate. Panic shoots through me as I try to yank it free, but the heel remains stubbornly stuck. I look up just in time to see a car hurtling around the corner toward me.
Fear paralyzes me; somehow, the car seems to speed up. I tug harder but my heel remains firmly stuck. Realizing there’s no sense in dying over a shoe, even if it is a Louboutin, I pull my foot free from the stiletto and fling myself onto the safety of the sidewalk.
The passage of time once again distorts. My senses sharpen and every detail plays out in high definition. I see the car rushing toward me, its driver wide-eyed in panic. I see the shimmer of sweat on his brow. I see his pupils dilate, swallowing up the color that surrounds them. I see the car inexplicably mount the curb before me.
In that split second, my body tenses, bracing for impact, and my mind races with succinct thoughts—it’s not my life flashing before my eyes, but rather the stark realization that this is it. I’m going to be hit.
A sharp pain shoots through my leg, and I swear I hear Dameon call out my name. My eyes flutter shut and my mind conjures up his smile and his beautiful dimples. With that vision lingering in my mind, one last thought filters through a haze of unconsciousness.
I always knew my laziness would get me killed one day… I just didn’t think it would be today.
Chapter forty
Dameon
Sharpnailsrakethroughmy hair, scratching my skull in a strangely comforting rhythm. It feels amazing, almost hypnotic, and when it abruptly stops, I groan in protest. Then it hits me like a bolt of lightning, and I jolt upright. Blinking away the fog of sleep, I wipe the drool from my lips with the back of my hand and find myself staring into a pair of bright emerald eyes—the eyes that belong to other half of my soul.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Her cheeky smile strikes me right in the chest.
