Page 74 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

We hung up and I took a steadying breath.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of M.F. Corp and stared up at the glowing red sign. Mikhailov Family Corporation. A massive F-U to our father.

Nathaniel had chosen the company name deliberately. It was subtle. Anyone who wasn’t privy to the constant drama and the rifts behind the scenes wouldn’t think anything of it.

But Father had blown his stack when he saw the sign for the first time.

I parked in my spot and went inside. The security guards sat behind the desk, watching me. I waved as I scanned my badge.

“Ms. Mikhailov, is everything okay,” Patrick asked.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “I rushed out earlier and forgot my laptop in my office.”

“Do you want someone to go with you?”

“No, I’ll only be a few minutes. But thank you.”

I liked both guards. They were always professional and had never treated me like I was less than any of the other Mikhailov’s who worked here.

In the elevator, I swiped my card again and rode up to my floor. It was late enough that the building was quiet, but not so late that it was empty. My team was still working. We had a new project with a painfully particular customer, and I had them refining my concepts so we could present the options to Nathaniel the moment he was back.

The doors slid open onto the hallway. During the morning, it felt cheery and welcoming. But now with most people gone for the day, the silence had turned ominous.

I grabbed my laptop from my office and was relocking the door when I heard laughter from the project room. At first, I thought it was my team working. But the more I focused, the more I noticed something in their tones was off, and I moved closer.

My shoes made no sound on the narrow runner stretched over the marble floor. I slowed, listening closely before stopping altogether. The door was open a crack, and I recognized my project manager’s voice.

“She’s a stuck-up bitch,” Crissy said.

I hadn’t heard what started the conversation. But I was pretty positive she was talking about me.

Ken spoke next. Never quite brave enough to choose a side, but creative when it came to his graphic designs.

“Does anyone know where Queen Kaylani went?”

Crissy snorted. “Who the hell knows. Probably off galavanting again. Must be nice to disappear whenever you want. Shrug off all the responsibility on the team.”

Rob chuckled. “Yeah. Wish I could take a spontaneous week off and still keep my job.”

“I think it’s great that she’s trying for the Pan American team,” Deb said quietly. “Wouldn’t it be cool to see her on TV?”

I had never pictured Deb, who barely said two words, to be the one to defend me, but I appreciated it.

Vanessa sighed dramatically. “Yeah, okay, fine. I get that she’s been working toward that since before she started working here. But it’s frustrating. We’re here busting our asses, and she’s never around when things get hard.”

“I mean,” Ken said, hesitating, “she is Nathaniel’s sister.”

Crissy laughed outright.

“Exactly. Let’s stop pretending she earned the director title. She got inserted into the position solely because of her last name. What is she, like twenty? What experience does she even have for this role?”

“At least it’s not because of who she’s fucking,” Rob said.

I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to march in and punch him.

“No, this is worse. Flings come and go. But she’s Nathaniel and Titus’s baby sister. You really think that they’d ever take our side if there was a disagreement? No, of course not,” Crissy spat, the disdain in her tone over the perceived nepotism was loud and clear.

Anger and humiliation coiled low in my stomach.