Chapter 9. A BIRTHDAY INVITATION
(Sienna)
My phone pinged with an incoming text from Noah.
Noah
I don’t usually apologize for other people’s behavior, but Ander was an asshole last night, and I’m sorry.
If you’re in the mood for me to do some groveling on his behalf, I have a few ideas in mind ;)
Do you have any plans for today?
“Is that Noah?” Maggie asked, widening her big blue eyes and taking a sip of her pumpkin spice latte. The Starbucks on campus was just a mere five-minute stroll from Aster Hall, and I prayed that my love for coffee, especially lattes, wouldn’t transform into a crippling addiction before I got my degree.
“Yes. He’s asking me if I have any plans today, but I’m not sure I should see him again, considering he’s friends with Ander. I don’t want things to get complicated.”
I didn’t know why Ander was such a dick to me last night.
He was clearly not happy to see me, and the more I tried to think about why, the less it made any sense. When I arrived at Rubin, I wrote to him a couple of times, excitedly sharing stories about my classes and telling him about Sarah. However, disappointingly, he never responded to any of my letters. If anyone had the right to feel angry, it was me. I’d believed him to be one of my closest friends, my best friend, yet the moment I left Port Chester, he chose to ignore me completely.
“Look, based on the little you’ve told me today, I can see you have a history with Ander, but Noah clearly likes you, and you like him, right? He’s the one who should worry about Ander, not you. You don’t owe Ander anything, and if Noah texts you, it’s because he doesn’t care or has his friend’s blessing. So please, text him back, and when you fuck him, call me, and tell me all the sordid details.”
I couldn’t hide my smile. Maggie had a point. I didn’t owe Ander a thing, and my undeniable chemistry with Noah was apparent. Last night when he whispered in my ear about wanting to rip my dress off, my pussy throbbed between my legs.
“Okay, I’ll text him, I promise. Just not today. Our classes start tomorrow, and I would rather have a drama-free Sunday.”
By the time I reached my dorm, it was already almost two o’clock. However, I wasn’t hungry, so I changed into something cozy and switched on my laptop. When I opened my email account, I saw an email from Peter. He’d sent me the first draft of the press release about becoming the major shareholder of Cos Pharmaceuticals.
RE: Press release – Miss Moore
Peter Lawrence [email protected]
Dear Sienna,
Please find below the text the PR department drafted for the press release. I have attached a picture of you to accompany the statement. The press release will be published on the website on Friday, September 20th, so I would appreciate it if you could send back your suggested changes before the end of business on Tuesday.
Best wishes,
Peter
PS I hope you’re all settled and enjoying your time in college. I will call you once the announcement has been published.
Friday, September 20th – 10:00 a.m.
Effective September 12th, Sienna Moore becomes the major shareholder at Cos Pharmaceuticals Inc.
NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)— Cos Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: COS) would like to announce that Sienna Moore, daughter and sole heiress of the late Edward Moore, Founder he never wrote to me like he promised. Maybe I scared him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have kissed him. He returned my kiss, but what if he regretted it the moment I left? Maybe I went too far and broke what we had. I wasn’t a kid anymore, but I had some pride. I liked Noah, and my past would not influence my future.
“Good. Tomorrow after classes we’ll go shopping. I need a dress that makes Noah want to rip it off, so your advice is required,” I said with determination.
“That’s my girl,” Maggie replied, but then her face shifted to a sympathetic expression. “How are you feeling? And I mean aside from all the boys’ drama. Since you told me about your parents the other day, I’ve been meaning to ask you because, in a way, I understand how you feel.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, intrigued.
“I haven’t told you much about my past, but my mom died from cancer when I was thirteen. My dad couldn’t face living without her and took his own life.”
Her confession left me speechless.
“I didn’t have other relatives, so I entered the foster care system. The first year, I felt really lonely. Especially since I was consistently moving from one house to another.” She paused and swallowed. “So what I’m trying to say is that I know you may feel you have no one, but I’m here for you if you allow me to.”
A lump formed in my throat, and tears welled up in my eyes. It had only been a week since our paths crossed, yet our shared connection felt incredibly profound, almost as if it were destined. Perhaps, I mused, this was the very reason for our instant bond. We were two young women who intimately understood the pain of losing both parents and the ache of navigating life’s challenges without the guiding presence of a beloved figure. I threw my arms around Maggie’s neck and gave her a hug that I felt within my bones. She hugged me back, and we started sobbing while holding each other tight. We stayed like that for about five minutes until Maggie broke the magic.
“I’m not gay, but this is kind of turning me on.”
I smacked her arm, and we both started laughing. I wiped tears from beneath my eyes. I felt lighter, a weight easing from my chest. I had not only made a friend but a friend who understood what I was going through. In that sense, I felt lucky.
“I’m feeling better, but some days are hard. There are so many things in my day-to-day life that I’d love to share with my parents. They studied here too, so they were very excited when I received my admissions letter. I could feel they were proud although my dad’s ambition was for me to attend an Ivy League college.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. What did your parents do for a living? I’ve seen the shoes and the clothes you wear to class, so I’m assuming that you’re either a European princess studying incognito in America or the heiress to an oil empire…” she said with amusement.
“My dad owns…well, owned a pharmaceutical company, and my mom was the founder and director of a non-profit charity,” I explained.
“Is that why you want to do bioengineering? So you can work at your father’s company?” Maggie asked.
“Well, that’s the funny thing. I have just inherited fifty-one percent of the shares, making me the major shareholder, so I technically own the company.”
“WHAT?” Her voice was so high-pitched that I was sure she woke up the entire building, maybe even the dead.
“In fact, the PR team will publish an announcement tomorrow.”
As soon as I told Maggie, I realized that I felt excited and scared in equal measure. Just a few months ago, the thought of working at my father’s company and following in his footsteps filled me with dread, but now things were different. I wanted my parents to be proud of me. I didn’t know what the future held, but something told me I was on the right path.
“Now, let’s finish the assignment so we can watch La La Land .”
“It sounds like a plan.”