“Maybe you just have to let her go, my friend.”
“Fuck that. It’sEmma.”
“You don’t want to take my advice. But I’m telling you that, as rich and powerful as you are, she isn’t someone who can be controlled. She knows her own mind.”
“But…”
“She’sEmma, yeah. I know.” Chase sighs. “Trying to bribe her into staying won’t work. Let her train her replacement and move on.”
And that’s when an idea hits me.
“Chase!Dude! You’re fucking brilliant. Hiring another assistant will drive her crazy because she’ll think he’s her replacement, and you know how competitive she is. Shethinksshe wants to leave, but she’ll hate seeing someone else doing her job.”
“That wasn’t actually my point, you dumbass. I was trying to tell you that maybe you have to accept that Emma isn’t going to work for you forever.”
“Accept that she’s leaving?” I scoff. “Fuck that.”
CHAPTER 14
Emma
When I showup to work on Monday morning, there’s a twentysomething dark-haired guy sitting in what’s usually my spot at the kitchen table.
“Hi!” he says, all bright-eyed enthusiasm. “You must be Emma. I’m Matt Chen.”
I feel like I’m a thousand years old, especially since I was up late working on Dream Space.
When I look confused, he adds, “I’m Sebastian’s new assistant?”
“Oh.” I keep my expression neutral and try not to betray my dismay. I wanted this. I just didn’t expect Sebastian to find someone to replace me so quickly, especially since he’d been refusing to accept my resignation.
I take a seat opposite Matt, feeling weird watching him in the chair that has been mine for the past seven years.
I turn to Marie. She shrugs and smiles, then hands me my iced Americano a few minutes later. I take a large sip. Just how I like it, with four spoonfuls of sugar. Liquid energy in a mug.
Matt smiles and takes a sip of his own drink, which also looks like an iced Americano. In fact, with his crisp suit, open laptop, neat stack of papers, orderly row of pens and highlighters, he could be the male version of me, only younger.
I stand up in one motion, startling him into spilling his coffee, which he immediately wipes up with the corner of a napkin.
“Right, well, I’ll talk to Sebastian about…” I wave my hand.
“Didn’t he tell you? He had to go to New York to meet with a director.”
A tangle of emotions hits at once.
Disappointment at him being gone again. Because there’s a lot to coordinate. Not because I miss him. Then there’s relief. I’m still embarrassed about puking in his beloved car, him seeing me almost naked. The almost-kiss that perhaps I just made up in my mind.
And then there’s confusion. My eyebrows furrow. “Wait—that wasn’t until next week.”
He straightens the glasses on his nose. “Apparently, they’ve moved the schedule up.”
Why does he know this and not me?“And when were you told he’d be back?”
This feels surreal. I’m asking someone else about my boss’s schedule. I was the one who knew everything—way more than I wanted sometimes. And now someone else, someone barely able to shave, is in my place.
Of course I knew someone would replace me. Sebastian needs an assistant. I just didn’t think it would happen so fast. Or that I wouldn’t be involved in the hiring.
But this is what I wanted, so I need to get used to not being indispensable, I tell myself. To not being needed.
