“Heavily recycled. Besides, we can’t have some shithead harassing one of us, thinking they can get away with it,” Roarke says.
“Watch your back, though. Czarina’s been a little too quiet. I feel like she’s getting ready to pounce, just like how she got ready before a big jump.” Gideon’s voice holds a mixture of warning and awe. She used to be a principal ballerina at the Mariinsky until an ankle injury on her thirtieth birthday abruptly ended her career. We’ve seen her old clips, and she could leap so effortlessly on the stage.
“She rarely did anything to signal a jump,” Liam says.
“Oh, she did. It’s just that it was subtle.”
“You’re making ballet sound like some kind of covert op.”Ugh. I don’t want to think about Grandma right now. I love her, but she also drives me absolutely insane with her need to mold our lives to fit her desires.
And if you don’t cooperate, she finds a way. Once, we ignored her summons, and she actually sued us to force us all into a room with her. When we protested, she said, “Be grateful I didn’t hire people to drag you over.”
Since then, we try not to ignore or push her too much. Getting served isn’t fun—and it disrupts all our schedules.
Roarke wags his finger. “Ballet’s fine. It’s Czarina who’s the problem. Wouldn’t want you to fall victim to her machinations.”
“She failed with Dad.” Liam gives me a don’t-worry nod.
“Past performance isn’t indicative of future outcomes,” Finn says.
“I got this,” I say. “There’s absolutely nothing she can do to shake my status quo.”
Chapter Twenty
Max
Should’ve texted Rhys back.
I smack myself mentally on my way to work. Once I finally managed to convince the immigration officer that I was really Maxine Norman—after a near-strip search—I was able to enter the country. Only then did I realize how suspicious I must’ve looked to the officers. I’d been out of the country for almost a month, but returned without anything but my purse. I looked like shit and probably smelled like it. No wonder they treated me like I was some kind of drug trafficker.
The lack of luggage created a pressing problem of not having anything to wear. I cleaned up as much as possible in the airport bathroom and headed to the office to pick up the two sets of clothes I’d left in my employee locker for the times I have to pull all-nighters.
I stopped by Kaitlyn’s desk and requested two weeks off, since I wasn’t ready to face Rhys yet. Assuming I would ever feel ready. “For what? This is very short notice,” she said, frowning.
“My apartment building burned down while I was out of the country helping Rhys with Beissen and Ohimesama.” I gave her a moment to process that. The part about my supporting Rhys overseas needed to sink in. “I need to rebuy everything, plus find a new apartment. I’m basically homeless right now.”
“Oh, that’s right. That was pretty shitty. Yeah, I guess that’s fine. Just be on call if you can, in case Rhys needs you. Gotan update that he’s off to London again. Probably be at least a week.”
Something that felt like relief tinged with a bit of dismay filled my chest. Time away from him to regroup was great, but everything that we left unresolved would still be unresolved. Things just got pushed back. We still needed to decide what to do about the…horizontal action that occurred between us.
Could Tokyo be like Vegas? What happens in Japan stays in Japan?No need to bring our interpersonal baggage back to the States and muddy the waters. I need this job more than ever with all the expenses I have due to the fire.
Despite so many failures, one company did me right: Silicone Dream. Its Year of Finishing First subscription box was waiting on my desk, so I grabbed it along with my clothes and left. Using the corporate travel portal, I found a reasonably priced motel in a decent area to stay at while I searched for a new apartment.
At least I got one thing accomplished—giving the box to Ailee. But I didn’t wrap my arms around her, wail and cry. She glowed—I’ve never seen her looking so happy. I didn’t want to be a downer, so I just groused about my life a little, then gave her the toys.
Still, even shopping became a chore after losing everything. Because it wasn’t about finding items that I really like, just buying whatever I had to have to function.
At least my Honda Civic survived the fire, thank God. I just made the final payment on it two months ago. All the photos and videos of Mom that I wanted to keep survived because I sent them to a studio to be digitized, and they’re still being processed. A few pieces of Mom’s jewelry went to my aunt, so they’re safe there. All in all, the fire sucked…but it could’ve been so much worse.
Inhaling and exhaling slowly, I smooth my green dress in the elevator. Although I didn’t text Rhys back when he asked mewhere I was and all that, he probably figured it out when the HR system sent a notification that I was on PTO.
Still, I should’ve sent him a quickHey,I won’t be available for two weeks.Thanks!That way, that part of our interaction would’ve been resolved.
He didn’t ping me even once during the time he was back in London, not even to yell at me for taking his passport. I should’ve warned him that I’d taken it by mistake, but now it’s too late.
My level of apprehension is at Olympian heights. When Rhys is this quiet, it means he’s either ready-to-murder-you furious or doesn’t care. And I’d bet both my ovaries the latter isn’t the case.
I place a hand over my churning belly just as my phone pings with an email notification. URGENT AND IMPORTANT: BENEFICIARY NOTICE FOR A $2B TRUST. All caps. It’s that scammy asshole again. Some sketchy jerks got my work email last Thursday and started to send me the same ridiculous notice every day.
