Chapter Nine
LOLA
Yesterday was an utter whirlwind,what with the change in CEO and the fact that my new boss has not only seen my naked ass but is someone I know.
And loathe.
I used to worship him. I remember vividly the euphoria that swept through me when I was a kid and Enzo walked into a room.
He wasn't like the adults or other older kids who would sometimes turn up with their parents when Dad or someone had a meeting, a party, a get-together...it wouldn't matter what. He would be there. He always had a genuine smile for me. And he always lit up the room as he made time for me, made me feel so special and seen.
And then... then he stopped.
Not just him, to be fair, but his family.
He was older then, when our parents fell out. So, he would have been working with his father. That was the thing I heard, how Enzo made his dad proud, how Enzo was learning the ropes and would take over.
Then the two of them set out to ruin Dad's life. And that light he made burn in me went out.
And now...
I hate him.
Every bone in me vibrates with that hate. More than hate, I don't trust him. Is he pretending to be CEO to finish me off the way they did Dad?
Okay, that part makes no sense. Louie Bradley wouldn't just stand back and let someone destroy his business to get to me.
It's not like people couldn't find me if they looked.
I'm not really a social media person, so tracking me that way might be hard. But Dad never found it hard to find people he needed to find, so why would anyone else?
Enzo wouldn't need to pretend to be a CEO.
And he wouldn't need to do that just to get to me.
He could buy out the street I'm living on in Brooklyn, an edge of Bushwick that isn't yet trendy for hipsters. And though the apartment is mine, the building it sits on top of, the bodega could probably be bought and rezoned. Anything is possible.
His family was loaded. In Chicago, we went to their mansion in Oak Brook, so maybe he doesn't need to pretend. Maybe Enzo does this on the side—buy companies.
I scoff. "And it's not something you will solve by pondering, Lola. Just get to work and don't give him a reason to focus on you."
I have a small corner cubicle where I work with a view of buildings and busy New York traffic, so since I can't leave—not until the PI, Silas, gets back to me—I get down to work.
The day passes as it usually does, with me working hard and diligently. But I start to notice more of an excited note in the air, people hurrying with smiles on their faces and some of the females with flushed cheeks.
Then I hear the low, sexy tones of Enzo's voice and laughter from one of the women in advertising, which isn't located far from me.
It is a big place for a startup, but Louie never struck me as poor. Besides, I'm sure some of the other floors where people work belong to other enterprises.
But Louie didn't flirt with his staff. He dated a lot of women. I know that because he would often have them meet him here and then lead them out in a cloying cloud of mega-expensive perfume.
But just as it wasn't my business what Louie did with whom, it is also not my business what Enzo does, so I lower my head and work.
The problem is, I can't tune him down as he is making the rounds, asking questions that don't sound like flirting at all. And when I go on my break, there are a few more people in there than usual, like everyone wants to gush over the new CEO.
He is sexy, apparently.
Open and friendly.
