CHAPTER 14 #3
The hallway was dimly lit, illuminated only by recessed floor lighting that cast dramatic shadows up the walls. The air here felt cooler, charged with a heavy, dangerous electricity.
The moment we were completely out of sight of the kitchen, Helisa spun around. Before I could even utter a syllable, she stepped into my personal space, her hand reaching up to cup the side of my neck, her thumb brushing against my jawline with a fierce, possessive pressure.
"Helisa, wait—" I murmured, the protest dying in my throat.
She didn't wait. Helisa leaned in, tilting her head, and pressed her lips firmly against mine.
Oh my god.
A gasp escaped my lips, and Helisa seized the opportunity, her mouth opening over mine as she pulled my body flush against hers.
I knew this was absolute madness. I knew this could blow up my entire career at E-Tech before it even started, but the sheer sensation of her lips wiped out every single shred of my logic.
She tasted intensely of the rich, dark Pinot Noir we had been drinking—a deep, lovely wine taste that seemed to coat my tongue as the kiss deepened.
Helisa let out a soft, breathless moan right into my mouth, her fingers tangling into the box braids at the back of my head, pulling me closer until there was zero space between us.
Her other hand slid down the curve of my waist, gripping the rib-knit material of my dress with a desperate, heavy passion.
I gave in completely, my hands rising to grip her shoulders, my tongue sliding deeper into her mouth as the heat in the hallway reached a fever pitch.
We were entirely consumed by each other, lost in the shadows of the penthouse.
WHACK!
A sudden, violent sound shattered the silence of the hallway.
A heavy object flew through the darkness, slamming violently against the drywall right next to Helisa’s shoulder, leaving a sharp dent in the plaster before clattering loudly onto the wooden floorboards.
We broke apart instantly, both of us gasping for air, our eyes wide with shock.
I looked down at the floor. Resting by our feet was a single, towering, emerald-green patent leather stiletto heel.
My head snapped up toward the end of the hallway.
Standing in the threshold of the dining room light was Ciara.
Her chest was heaving up and down with violent, ragged breaths.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she was standing on one foot, her left leg completely bare from the ankle down.
Her face was completely twisted into an expression of raw, unhinged fury and deep, agonizing betrayal.
"Sluts," Ciara spat out, the word cutting through the air like a razor blade.
Her voice shook with a mixture of tears and pure hatred. She didn't wait for an explanation. She turned around on her single remaining heel, limping aggressively across the hardwood floor as she stormed toward the penthouse front door.
"Ciara! Wait!" Helisa shouted, her corporate composure completely disintegrating into panic.
Helisa didn't even look back at me. She scooped the stray green heel up from the floor, clutching it in her hand like a weapon, and took off sprinting down the hallway after Ciara, her voice echoing through the apartment: "Ciara, stop! Let me explain! It’s not what it looks like!"
The heavy slam of the penthouse front door echoed through the space a second later, followed by the muffled sound of shouting in the elevator vestibule.
I stood there entirely alone in the dark hallway, the taste of red wine still burning on my lips, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. All hell had officially broken loose.
My knees went entirely weak, the adrenaline draining from my body so fast it left me dizzy.
I stumbled back against the wall of the hallway, my hands sliding down the smooth drywall as I let my body collapse.
I slid all the way down onto the hard oak floorboards, my chocolate-brown dress bunching around my thighs, and buried my face in my hands.
"My god... what the fuck did I just do?" I whispered to myself, a cold wave of regret washing over me.
I started questioning every single life decision that had brought me to this exact floor.
I had spent weeks praying for an opportunity at E-Tech, and in the span of one month, I had managed to entangle myself in a terrifying, multi-layered web of corporate romance and psychotic jealousy.
I already had Terra hunting me down back at my apartment, her toxic energy looming over my life like a dark cloud, and now I had officially made a mortal enemy out of a senior executive at the firm. I felt like a magnet for chaos.
A soft, rhythmic rustle of fabric caught my attention. I lifted my head from my hands.
Naomi was walking slowly down the hallway, holding a dish towel in her hands.
She didn't look angry, and she didn't look shocked.
Instead, she had a calm, deeply empathetic expression on her face.
She walked right up to where I was sitting, looked down at me for a second, and then, without a single care for her knees or her colorful apron, she slid right down onto the floor next to me.
She leaned her back against the wall, stretching her legs out, and gave my shoulder a gentle, reassuring nudge with her elbow.
"Well," Naomi said, a small, humorous smile breaking across her face. "That certainly brought down the house, didn't it? I’ve seen some drama in my day, child, but I have never seen a designer shoe used as a missile."
I let out a weak, pathetic laugh, burying my face back in my hands. "Naomi... I am so incredibly sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your dinner. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Oh, child, hush up. You didn't throw the shoe," Naomi said gently, reaching over to pull my hands away from my face so I had to look at her. "Listen to me, Miley. I’m an old woman, and I’ve been around Helisa since she was a teenager. She’s like a niece to me. Anyhow, what I’m trying to say is I knew Helisa had a serious, dangerous crush on you from the moment she started mentioning your name in every single conversation we had.
And I knew Ciara had a thing for Helisa, too—anybody with working eyes could see that girl was desperate for her attention. "
Naomi let out a slow sigh, shaking her head. "However... I sure as hell didn't know it was that serious until tonight. When that heel went flying past my kitchen door, I said, 'Oh, okay, we are dealing with a whole different level of crazy today.' Helisa looked terrified when she ran out of here."
"I feel like I’m a curse, Naomi," I confessed, the words spilling out of my mouth before I could censor them, the raw weight of my past tearing through my throat.
A tear gathered in the corner of my eye, but I blinked it away fiercely.
"Seriously. Every single time someone gets close to me, every time I let my guard down and try to vibe with someone, I end up causing complete wreckage. It’s like I carry this heavy, toxic energy around with me and it just infects everything. "
"Why do you say that, sweetie?" Naomi asked, her voice dropping into a deep, comforting maternal tone as she turned her body toward me, giving me her full attention.
I leaned my head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. I kept Alicia’s name completely out of my mouth—that was a boundary I couldn't cross—but the dam holding back the truth about my current life had completely broken.
"Before I got this internship... I was in this situation back home," I revealed, my voice shaking slightly as my fingers gripped the dish towel.
"With this girl named Terra. She’s been my roommate for the longest time, deadass my best friend through everything before and after I got into E-Tech.
But recently... we crossed a line, Naomi.
We slept together. It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but she ended up catching serious feelings.
And because I didn't feel the same way—because I couldn't give her what she wanted—everything flipped. She went from being my rock to a literal hater in my own home. She’s become so incredibly toxic, turning our apartment into this suffocating, possessive nightmare where she can't stand to see me succeed, but she still acts like she owns me. And I hate myself for it, Naomi. I hate that I ruined the best friendship I ever had. Now tonight... I step into this house, I let Helisa kiss me, and instantly another toxic war starts. I’m just so tired of the drama. I just wanted a career."
Naomi listened silently, her wise eyes absorbing every single drop of my pain. When I finished speaking, she reached out, wrapping her warm, strong hand around mine, squeezing it tight.
"Miley, look at me," Naomi commanded gently.
I turned my head to look at her. "You are not a curse, child.
Do you hear me? You are a beautiful, brilliant young woman who possesses a very rare, powerful light.
And let me tell you something about light—it attracts everything.
It attracts the people who want to bask in it, and it attracts the people who are so terrified of their own darkness that they want to smother yours out. "