Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
annalise
My eyes grow heavy as I sit at my desk, struggling to stay awake while organizing the stack of files before me.
I stayed up all night binge-watching The Heart Ripper, a true crime documentary about the murder of college students in a small town in Oregon called Misty Hollow.
I was so invested that I lost track of time.
The day just started and I’m already ready for it to end.
“This is the wrong material!” I hear my boss, Veronica, shout.
I spin my chair around, curious to see what could possibly be upsetting her now.
Veronica Zhang, founder of Dauntless, the athletic wear brand I work for, is quite literally the boss from hell.
She treats anyone that’s not in a position of power like the scum of the earth, and as her assistant, I’m not lucky enough to escape her wrath.
I can’t count the number of times she’s fired someone for challenging her.
I’ve learned that it’s best to just keep your head down and your mouth shut to keep the peace around here.
Her fist tightens around a pair of pants, and she shoots Clara a look that has the poor intern trembling with fear. “Were my instructions not clear enough?” Veronica seethes.
Clara’s fair skin flushes to a deep shade of crimson, sweat staining her satin blouse. She stares down at her feet and wrings her hands together. “I—uh—think it—it could still w-w-work.” She smiles weakly at Veronica.
Veronica hurls the pants at the window, making Clara jump. She scoffs and hangs her hands on her hips, leveling the redhead with a glare. “If I wanted your opinion, I’d ask for it. Now get the hell out of my face before I really lose it.”
Clara runs to the bathroom, tears streaming down her face.
“Sheesh. Let me make sure I don’t make any mistakes today,” I mutter to my coworker Ivy.
“She’s on edge,” Ivy whispers. “I overheard one of the fashion designers say that someone famous wants to collaborate with us. They’re supposed to be here soon.”
Ivy is the head of marketing, and the only reason this place is bearable. Everyone here is so serious—mainly because they are terrified of Veronica—but Ivy has a carefree personality and is easy to get along with.
Working for an athletic brand is not what I had in mind for the start of my career.
I thought graduating Devereaux Fashion Institute in New York—the top fashion school in the nation—would mean something, but it didn’t.
I originally applied for a fashion design position at Dauntless, but they said I didn’t have enough “experience.”
So I’m stuck working as Veronica’s personal assistant. I have to do anything and everything she asks of me, no matter how ridiculous the task. She once made me search nearly every grocery store in San Francisco for a specific brand of kale.
This is not how I pictured my life playing out.
Ever since I was a little girl, it’s been a dream of mine to become a fashion designer and have my own clothing line. I would spend hours sketching clothes and hoping one day I’d see celebrities wearing my creations.
That dream seems so out of reach now. I had a fantastic internship lined up when I was in New York, but instead I returned home when my abuelo was diagnosed with lung cancer.
My parents have been divorced for a while, but even when they were together, my father was absent from my life. Abuelo helped raise me, and I owed him so much for all that he’d done for me. I wanted to be by his side while he fights this battle.
“Amanda. I’m going to need you to stop daydreaming and make yourself useful,” Veronica barks from behind me, pulling me back to reality. There’s still an air of annoyance in her voice.
“It’s Annalise,” I politely correct her. I’ve been working here for over a month, and she still doesn’t know my name.
She waves a hand in the air, dismissing me.
“Whatever. I don’t have time to learn everyone’s name around here.
Anyways, I need you to go to Rise and Grind for a coffee run.
” She passes me a long list of orders, hers being the most complicated.
“Our special guest will be arriving shortly, so please hurry.”
“Right away, Ms. Zhang.” I plaster on a smile and rise from my seat.
Once outside, I pull my coat tighter around me, the cold biting at my cheeks as I stroll past Lombard Street. A cluster of tourists huddles nearby, trying to capture the perfect photo in front of San Francisco’s famous crooked street.
When I arrive, I push the door open and step inside the coffee shop. Sarah, the young barista, greets me.
“Hi, welcome to Rise and Grind—the best coffee in the Bay Area.” Her smile gleams, but her expression quickly shifts when I approach the counter.
“Oh, it’s you.” She lets out a long sigh, rolling her eyes. “Fucking fantastic.”
I hand her the list of orders and manage a weak smile. “I totally get why you’re frustrated. I would be too. I used to work as a barista during college, and these types of orders would piss me off.”
“Well, you’re not the one behind the counter making coffee now, are you?” she mumbles as she inputs the order on the screen.
Well, alright. Let me just keep my mouth shut next time.
“It’ll be $58.46,” she says flatly.
I leave her a large tip. It’s coming out of Veronica’s pocket anyway.
By the time my order is ready, the coffee shop is packed with customers. I squeeze past them and exit through the door. Although the office isn’t far, navigating the steep streets of San Francisco while carrying eight cups of coffee is a challenge.
Against all odds, I make it back to the office without a single coffee spilling along the way.
I knock lightly on Veronica’s door. “Ms. Zhang, I have your coffee.”
“Come on in,” she calls out.
As I open the door, the sharp scent of expensive cologne hits me instantly. Facing my boss is a tall man dressed head-to-toe in designer clothing.
I step quietly into the corner, keeping my eyes low, waiting for their conversation to wrap up.
“I can assure you that you made the right decision in choosing Dauntless,” Veronica says. “We have an amazing team of designers. I look forward to working with you and bringing your ideas to life.”
“I think we will work very well together, Ms. Zhang,” the man replies.
I freeze. That voice—deep, smooth, unmistakable. I know it far too well. I’d recognize it anywhere.
No… no… NO!
My heart hammers in my chest, and all the air escapes from my lungs.
He snaps his head toward me, shock flooding his face. “Annalise?” His eyes widen like he’s just seen a ghost.
Sitting across from my boss is the last person I ever expected to see again—the one who’s haunted me for years. The one I’ve tried to erase from every memory.
Maddox Kamado.
My fucking ex.