Chapter 1
Everything will work out in its own time.” Stassi blew out a sharp breath as she cleaned out her desk. She couldn’t even feel bad about being fired because she should have never accepted the job in the first place. Lauren Sky’s firm was never home. It was supposed to be a step up to notoriety, but things had backfired horribly. The affirmations she kept telling herself were all that was keeping her from having a nervous breakdown.
“I am resilient,” she said, sighing. She picked up the lonely brown box and took one more look at her office before walking out.
She hated she had to walk past the boss’ office. This walk of shame was already humiliating enough. Facing Lauren Sky was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Anastassia, step into my office for a moment,” Lauren said. Her tone was disarming enough. Cordial. Professional. Stassi glanced at the young intern sitting at the desk in front of the glass door, and her hesitation was felt.
“Your sister fucked my husband. I think you can spare a minute or two. Don’t you?” Lauren said it so sweetly that Stassi didn’t know how to process it.
Stassi’s skin burned with humiliation as she walked into the office.
Lauren was flawless in a vintage pantsuit. Chanel, if Stassi had to guess. Fresh haircut that Lauren feathered with her fingertipsbefore she sat. They say a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life. For Lauren life had changed first and the haircut was the reaction. She went from short to long often thanks to her expensive weave installs. Everything about Lauren Sky screamed luxury. “Please sit.”
“I won’t be here long. I don’t see how there is much to say, honestly. I actually don’t know what to say,” Stassi admitted.
“You’re talented, Stassi,” Lauren said. “Your eye for detail and your style preferences are fresh and unique. I really wish this could have gone a different direction.”
“Yeah,” Stassi sighed. “Me too.”
“Did you know that your sister was having an affair with my husband before you came to work for me?”
“I did,” Stassi answered. “I thought it was a fling. I didn’t think I should sacrifice a life-changing opportunity because of it. I was wrong. I should have never occupied your space knowing what I knew. But for the record, Charlie didn’t know Demi was married when she met him.”
Lauren’s poker face was intense. She didn’t flinch or show one ounce of compassion, and Stassi understood. Lauren wasn’t obligated to show anyone understanding. She was the victim. She couldn’t feel anything other than disdain in this situation.
“I’m really sorry,” Stassi said.
“You aren’t, yet,” Lauren answered. “But you will be. You’ll never plan an A-list event in this industry again. See yourself out, please.”
Stassi walked out, just her and her box.
“Good luck,” the intern said sympathetically.
Stassi knew she would need it. She didn’t know if she should be mad at herself or mad at her sister, Charlie, for sleeping with her boss’ husband. All she knew was that she was out of a job while Charlie was living it up with a new man. It didn’t seem fair.She wasn’t the one who had indulged in a forbidden affair, yet here she was, the only one being punished for it.
Stassi walked out into the cold winter air. She was grateful for the frigid temperatures because they froze her glossy tears before they could fall down her cheeks.
“This is bullshit,” she mumbled.
Stassi had upgraded her entire lifestyle based on the salary of her new job. The commission she would have made on the jobs she partnered on with Lauren Sky would have been enough to make all her dreams come true. Now all she could think of was the debt she had piled up.
Stassi slid into her car. It was an upgrade to the Chevy she had turned in. The new car scent of the Audi hadn’t even faded yet. It made her want to throw up. The thousand dollars each month it took to finance it would put her in the poor house. She didn’t even want to think about the four hundred dollar insurance bill.
The drive across town was unusually long from the winter storm, and her wipers fought the falling snow the entire way. By the time she made it to her place, her anxiety was practically suffocating her.
Her coat and purse hit the floor before she reached under her shirt and unsnapped her bra. It felt like hands were around her neck, choking her. She hurried to the kitchen and yanked the refrigerator open, retrieving last night’s half-finished bottle of red wine. She poured a glass, and the cool liquid felt like therapy sliding down her throat.
The sulking she would do this weekend would be the kind you didn’t tell anyone about. It was the kind of self-loathing that would cause her to get lost in the bottom of a bottle of wine. She was jobless, dickless, and in seventeen days, her ass would be homeless because in no way would she be able to afford her new luxury apartment.
Her phone rang, and just the sound spiked her blood pressure. Someone wanted something from her. On the other end of that ringing phone was someone who expected something. Everyone always expected her to fulfill some role, to fill them up, to make them feel better, or listen to their problems. She had enough problems of her own today. She didn’t have anything to give to anyone else. Still, when she saw Charlie’s name on her screen, she answered the call.
“So, what are you doing in like an hour?” Charlie asked.
She was both too chipper and too eager for Stassi. Her mood wouldn’t allow her to join in on whatever festivities Charlie was about to insist she participate in.
“Not a motherfucking thing, girl, so don’t invite me nowhere,” she replied as she carried her glass to her living room and took a seat. “Actually, you can invite me. Always invite me because how dare you, if you don’t invite me, but just don’t expect me to come.”
