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“Not any estate, Ms… Sera,” he corrects, “you’d be working at Ironwood Estate.”

Now it’s my turn to go rigid, and I sit straighter.

I’m not a local by any means, but even I’ve heard of Ironwood Estate, the supposedly haunted and dilapidated home that’s a holding of Valdrich Industries.

“I’m sorry, sir, what work would I need to do there? I’m a secretary…”

“Yes, and you’ll have an office. Things are falling through the cracks elsewhere in the company. My brother, Lucien Valdrich, CEO, needs help. And you’re just the girl for the job.”

“And what makes me qualified?” I laugh, looking at Aria, as she glares at me in bewilderment.

“Well, you come highly recommended.”

“I’ve worked here two weeks, sir.”

Again, he straightens, wiggling his tie as if it’s choking him.

He slides a small slip across the desk and eyes me. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

I reach over tentatively, careful not to brush my hand with his, before I flip the paper over.

Holy shit.

This could pay off my debt and then some. I could buy a house.

I could… live.

“This is too much.”

“It’s not enough, as you’ll come to see if you take the position. And if you do, we can negotiate a raise.”

“A raise? Have you lost your mind? Respectfully, of course, sir.”

Again, another shift in his chair.

It’s like the term ‘sir’ offends him.

“I don’t think I have. Not yet, anyhow. I know this is a big ask, since you’ll be living on the property, but⁠—”

“Excuse me?”

Kyrin’s face falls, and he rubs his temples. “Did I forget to mention that?”

“Yes, sir. You did,” Aria says awkwardly, and I note that he doesn’t have a visceral reaction to her calling him sir. That seems to be reserved only for me.

“Yes. This position is live-in, and you’ll have your own wing of the house, access to the pool, and all the amenities. You will also have a chef and butler at your beck and call.”

I bite my lip, imagining living like that, even temporarily, which is a stark contrast to where I am now at the Mockingbird Inn. Starker still than where I came from.

“Do you have a job description page for this position that I could read over?”

“Of course.” He sits taller as if he’s won, but he hasn’t, not by a long shot. He slides a manila folder over toward me. “Everything you need to know is in here.”

And what about what I don’t need to know?

I keep the thought to myself as I grasp the folder. “And I’m, of course, afforded time to consider?”

“Yes, Sera. You are.”