Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Damien
“Good morning, Connie.” I strolled into the kitchen and over to the coffee maker.
“Good morning, Damien. I was surprised when I walked in and saw the mess.”
“I apologize for that. Rebecca and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”
“No shock there.” She chuckled, and I shot her a look. “Don’t you look at me like that, Damien. You know it’s the truth. I’ve worked for you since you moved into this place five years ago. I know how you operate.”
“I don’t need a lecture—not today.”
“Then I’ll wait until tomorrow.” She smiled.
“Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I have to get to the office.”
“And I have a house to clean.”
I hired Connie because she was in her early 50s, smart, and someone who didn’t put up with my bullshit. When she told me she was no longer interested in working for me after I interviewed her, I knew she’d be perfect for the job. So, I sweetened the deal, and she couldn’t refuse. It was better to hire someone older to keep my temptations at bay. The last thing I needed was to be attracted to my housekeeper and fuck things up. I didn’t plan on her becoming one of my best friends and confidants. She was a wise woman with a lot of life experience and offered some good advice over the years. She didn’t judge me, or at least, I thought she didn’t.
I was heading to my office when Charlie emerged from his.
“Morning.” He hooked his arm around me.
“Morning.” I glanced at him.
“How was your night with Rebecca last night?” He followed me into my office.
“I broke it off with her.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the date. “Yep. It’s about that time,” he said. “Did she slap you across the face?” He pointed to the cheek that caught the brunt of it.
“Yep. She sure did.”
“Well, I can’t say that I’m sad because you know I really didn’t care for Rebecca anyway. She was too snotty and thought she was better than everyone else. You need to find more of a—how do I put this? More of a lower-class woman.”
“What are you talking about?” I furrowed my brows.
“The women you date are higher class. They’re full of plastic, Botox, and everything that makes them unnatural. That’s why you get bored so fast. These women kiss and have their heads shoved so far up your ass. They live to make you happy.”
“Knock it off.” I sighed.
“It’s the truth, and you know it.”
“And lower-class women would use me just for my status and money,” I said. “No thanks.”
“Just some food for thought, my friend.” A smirk crossed his lips. “I’ll see you later.”
Turning my chair around, I stared out at the city. I grew tired of people telling me what I should and shouldn’t do. Ever since my father’s passing, I’d felt this rage inside me. He wasn’t even sick. I had just left his home a few hours before the heart attack killed him: no signs, no warnings, nothing. One day, he was perfectly fine, and the next, he was dead. He died alone, and I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive myself for that. We looked out for each other like a father and son should. He was always there for me, and I for him.
“Excuse me, Damien?” Christine’s voice echoed throughout my office.
Turning my chair around, I looked at her.
“What is it, Christine?”
“Here are the reports you asked for.”
“Thanks. Just set them on my desk.”
“Are you okay, boss?” she asked.
“Honestly, Christine. I don’t know.”
* * *
Willa
It had been two weeks since Liam and I broke up. I packed my stuff and stayed with Matt and James until I figured things out. I was in a dark place, but I found a few things that helped get me out of it. I glanced over at the half-empty bottle of wine on my nightstand and then at my phone, where I had Pinterest open, and a board I put together titled It Gets Better , filled with break-up quotes.
When I finally climbed out of bed, it was two p.m. I threw on some clothes, brushed my hair, and headed to the store. Last night, a friend of mine called me sobbing that her boyfriend had broken up with her. I knew all too well the hell she was going through, so I thought I’d buy a few things, box them up, and send them to her with the hopes it would ease her pain.
Walking through Target, I searched for the things that helped me. Soon, my cart contained snacks, chocolate, a candle, a bath bomb, fuzzy socks, and a journal with self-love quotes. As I put the box together, I hand-wrote a note to stick inside: He wasn’t that great anyway .
“How was your day?” Matt walked through the door and kissed my cheek. “Any luck on the job front?”
“No. I think I have to move to a new city,” I said.
“What?” He chuckled. “Why?”
“Because word has already gotten around about my error, and now I’m un-hirable.”
“That is not true, Willa.”
I picked up my glass of wine from the island and tipped it to my lips, savoring the taste of a newly opened bottle.
“Yes, it is. Alexis called me today while I was at Target and told me she had overheard my ex-boss telling one of the firms I interviewed with this week that they would be better off giving the job to someone else.”
“What an asshole. I’m sorry, Willa. What’s all this?”
“A breakup box.”
“A what?” His face twisted.
“Ramona called me last night. Ben broke up with her, and she’s a mess. I’m hoping this will make her feel better.”
“What a great idea.” He grinned. “And you’re not moving to a new city.” He kissed the side of my head. “You’ll figure things out. Maybe it’s time for a career change.”
“And what would I do? I’m a legal secretary. That’s what I went to school for.”
“But you started as a marketing major. Do you remember when we were little, and my mom and I stayed with you and your parents after my dad took all of our money and ran?”
“Yeah. I remember.”
“And what did you do?” he asked.
“I don’t know, Matt.” I sighed.
“You set up a lemonade stand every day that entire summer. And when summer ended, you gave my mom all the money you earned because you felt bad for us. Even as a child, you were helping people. You hug random strangers when you feel they need one. You give money to the homeless when you see them. You help people, Willa. Start a business. Go to the bank, get a business loan, make these boxes, and sell them online.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Nobody wants these boxes. It’s for a friend. She’ll probably hate it.”
“You always doubt yourself, Willa. I was just throwing the idea out there. I have to go take a shower.”
I taped the box, attached the label with her name and address, and set it aside to take to the post office tomorrow.
* * *
Damien
I was sitting at my desk, reviewing reports, when my uncle entered my office.
“I just got off the phone with Theodore Vale.”
“And?” I looked up at him.
“It’s between our firm and Anderson Holdings.”
“Anderson Holdings is shit, and he knows it.”
“True. But Anderson Holdings also holds family values to the highest extent, which appeals to Vale.”
“I can talk to him, Uncle Kroy.”
“No. I already tried to talk to him and told him those photos of you were taken out of context, and he still doesn’t believe me. But, the one thing I could tell while talking to him was his hesitancy about Anderson Holdings. I do believe we can still do damage control. Maybe I’ll set up a dinner for us, and you bring Rebecca. We can play it off somehow. Introduce her as your long-time girlfriend and tell him you plan to propose to her.”
“I broke up with her, Uncle Kroy.”
“Goddamnit, Damien.” He slammed his hand on my desk. “She was a nice woman.”
“I was bored.” My brow arched.
He glared at me with such evil that I thought I would burst into flames.
“Bored? You were bored? Are you fucking kidding me, Damien?”
I’d had enough. “You listen to me.” I leaned across my desk and pointed at him. “Who I see is nobody’s business. My father wasn’t in a relationship when Vale first approached us.”
“You’re right. But your father was a very respected man in this city. He was the face of Blackwood Holdings, and you were the son he adored and was close with. That was all the family values Vale needed at that time. Now, all he sees is a spoiled brat who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, partying like it’s the last days of his life. Fuck my brother for leaving this company to you.” He stormed out of my office.
“Whoa. What the hell was that about?” Charlie walked in.
“Just him being his usual asshole self.”
“Well, I’ve got great news.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“We’re going to Vegas this weekend with John. He called me earlier and is heading to Vegas for a little R&R and asked if we would like to join him. I told him yes after I cleared it with Donna.”
“She’s actually letting you go to Vegas?” My brow arched.
“Yes.” His brows furrowed. “She doesn’t control my life, man.”
“Uh-huh,” I said.
“Shut the fuck up. Anyway, I told her John invited us to discuss a possible business deal.”
“So, you lied to your wife?”
“It’s just a little white lie. You need this trip, Damien. You haven’t really had a chance to get away from it all since your dad died. It’ll do you some good. We’ll leave on Thursday and come back on Sunday. It’ll be just us guys shooting the shit, drinking, eating all the great food Vegas has to offer, and we’ll do some serious gambling.”
I loved Vegas and everything it had to offer, especially the women. I could unleash all of my stress without anyone watching me.
“Fine. I’ll go.” I smiled.
“That’s my man.” He pointed at me with a grin.