17. TROUBLE
TROUBLE
DIARY ENTRY
Things have been bad with Karson’s out-of-control father.
He threatened Katarina into accusing me of cheating in the contest, now I’ve lost my modeling contract. He destroyed the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. Honestly, who the hell is this guy?
With my name ruined in the industry, and no prize money, I had to get a job in a bar, Sizzling Hot. It’s not the dream job, but I’m grateful to have it.
Sass helped me get it. She knows a girl who works there, Miki, who’s become a good friend. I told her about all the crazy stuff that’s been happening.
I wasn’t sure what to think for a while after one of the other girls at work told me to watch out for Miki. She said she wasn’t always what she seemed.
I asked Miki about it, but she said the two of them had a spat a few months ago and the girl just had it in for her. But Miki’s been good to me, so I’m not going to judge her based on gossip.
Like me, Miki was scraping for cash and needed a cheaper place to live. When she suggested we look for something together, I jumped at the chance. We’ve just moved into a studio together.
The place is so tiny it’s not ideal—there’s basically zero privacy. But it’s way less rent than either of us were paying before, so it’s a win!
I miss Karson. Talking on the phone isn’t the same. I’ve got no clue when I’ll see him again. His father watches everything. Karson’s like a prisoner.
I hope he figures out a way for us to be together soon, and we can finally be safe from his toxic father.
Time for work.
Ivy x
KARSON
Day one of the two-week semester break arrived. With a scowl, I pulled on the suit that Karlos had instructed me to wear for my first day working at SolStar. I was playing along, obediently.
After he’d so ruthlessly sabotaged Ivy’s modeling contract, I knew I had to be extra careful not to anger him further. He had zero respect for me or for what I wanted. I was nothing more to him than a puppet he controlled.
Like a pawn, I was there for him to use to his own advantage. He was clearly comfortable doing whatever it took to keep me in my place. But I couldn’t live like this forever. I needed to be free to make my own decisions and escape his grip before he caused any more carnage.
I aimed the lens at the mirror on the back of my door and took a selfie.
KARSON: In costume for my first day. Miss you Firefly xx
I stared at myself glumly in the mirror until my phone pinged, snapping me out of my rut. A selfie of Ivy in her new uniform flashed up on the screen, my gloom shifted into delight.
IVY: Hot! At least you won’t have customers staring at your boobs all day. Miss u too, gotta get back to work or I won’t have a job! Good luck today xxx
I replied with some laughing emojis and hearts, then slid my secret phone into the inner pocket of the new designer briefcase that Karlos’s driver had delivered to the house. It was full of documents for me to read to prepare for my holiday stint in the office.
But I didn’t bother.
I made my way downstairs, where Gus stood waiting near the Range Rover. He was on a call and laughed lightly as we got into the car, then ended the call.
“Morning, Gus. Good to see you so cheerful this morning.”
“That was my daughter on the phone. She always makes me laugh. How are you feeling, mate? Ready for today?” he asked tentatively, starting up the engine.
I almost laughed. Being asked how I felt wasn’t something I could ever recall my parents asking me. Stifling a stab of sadness, I pulled myself back into the moment.
“I’m about as ready as I can be, thanks, Gus. Did you watch your game last night?”
“I ended up falling asleep and bloody missed it. Can you believe it? I guess I’m getting old, Karson.” He gazed at me fondly for a moment, then turned up the volume on the radio when talk of the game came on, and we merged into the traffic.
He dropped me off outside my father’s office building. Determined to get this over with, I strode through the gleaming lobby and stepped into the elevator.
Lexi showed me to my office. On the door was a shiny plaque…
–KARSON WELLS–
‘Karson’s Cage’ would be more accurate, I thought bitterly.
My office was the same style as my father’s, except smaller and without any obscenely expensive artwork, but the spectacular view of the harbor made up for it. I walked to the window, taking in the stretch of bright blue water.
“Your father left me with instructions for your duties,” Lexi said robotically. “Mr. Wells said that while he is away, and now that you’re an official board member, you’re to sign these documents today.” She pointed to the tower of documents on my desk.
“Thanks, Lexi. I’ll do my best.” I took in the tall pile teetering on the desk. “He wants them all signed today? That’s impossible. I need time to go over them.”
“Those are his instructions. As you know, Mr. Wells is in the Caribbean. If you have questions, let me know. If I can’t answer them, he advised me to contact him directly.”
I grimaced at the pile as she stalked away. There was no way I was getting through the stack today. I’d flicked through the paperwork in the briefcase on the way to the office, so I knew he’d handed me his land acquisition nightmare to deal with.
My head hung low and my fists clenched as I fumed over his last call to me before he left for the Caribbean…
“I’m going away on business. I’m leaving you in charge. Show me you can handle this company. The media are baying for my blood, we don’t want this to tarnish our share prices…
“Time to step up. And I know you will. Otherwise, you know what will happen to your little nobody. And her father.”
He’d made it crystal clear that he was truly deranged… and left me with this mess, a burning hatred of all that he was, and all that he’d done.
As I slumped into the chair, I wondered how I could tackle the controversy of Karlos’s impending mining project. Karlos merely wanted me to minimize the “fallout,” but I wanted to do something about the displaced families he clearly disregarded.
But the contract was already in place. How can I fix this?
I separated the daunting pile into several smaller ones and sorted through some documents at random. Most of them looked the same, but as I flicked through the pile, one with a bright red logo grabbed my attention.
It was a company registration. One I’d never heard of…
KWK
I skimmed through the pages…
Chief Executive Officer: Karson Wells.
What the fuck? Why’s this in my name?
The date of registration was the same day I’d turned eighteen, and it was registered to an address in the Caribbean.
My blood ran cold.
I don’t get it. I tilted my head to one side, searching through the documents for more information.
How can I be the CEO of a company I’ve never heard of? Why would Karlos set this up in my name without my knowledge?
What’s he playing at?
First, he uses dirty tactics to make me stay in Sydney, now he’s set up a mystery company in my name. Something felt very wrong.
I walked over and kicked the door shut, pulling out my second phone. Turning on the VPN, I searched for the name of the company. But there was nothing. Not a trace.
Weird. I took a few quick snaps of the documents, resolving to get someone to investigate this KWK company. I had to find out what was going on.
He was up to no good. I paced to the other side of the office and back, as I mulled over the possibilities, a chill seeped up my spine.
***
IVY
Miki had called last drinks for the night.
I placed a bourbon in front of one of the few remaining customers—a guy sitting at the bar.
As I moved away, he closed his hand over mine in a tight grip and stared at me fiercely.
“Hey, let go!” I cried. “What are you doing?” I tried to free my hand.
He appraised me from head to toe. “Hey, how about we have some fun together?” he slurred, squeezing my hand harder.
“Let go of me.” I pulled away as hard as I could, but to no avail. “Take your hands off me, right now!”
“You haven’t answered my question,” he snarled, not loosening his grip. His overgrown mustache hung over his crooked teeth.
My stomach churned as I scanned the room for help. The security guard was outside having his usual smoke.
Miki caught sight of me and charged in my direction, holding a steaming hot tray of glasses, her face scrunched with anger. “Get the hell off her,” she said, stopping alongside me.
His greasy mustache curled up as he broke into laughter, right before she brought the heavy tray crashing down onto his arm. He shrieked in pain, and I broke free from his vise-like grip. Leaping back and rubbing my hand in relief, I glared at him.
“Touch her again and I’ll call the cops. Now get out,” she said in a low voice, “and don’t come back.” Snatching a broom from near the counter, she waved it like a weapon. Still planted on the stool, he stared at her, malice flashing like poison.
Miki held firm, her piercing glare not wavering.
Someone cleared their throat behind us, turning, we saw Dan closing in. With arms folded across his chest like tree trunks, he glared at the guy and positioned himself in front of Miki and me.
“Listen to the lady. Get out, now!” Dan said, looming over him with his six-foot-four frame. “Touch any of the girls here again, and you’ll live to regret it. And don’t come back. Ever.”
Firing off a round of curses, he eyeballed Dan and finally skulked off.
Dan was getting on in years, but people didn’t mess with him. As I’d witnessed more than once since starting work here, if they did, they soon regretted it. He ran the place like we were family and never tried anything sketchy with any of us.
One night after we’d closed up, we sat down and had a few drinks with him. He told us, tears glistening, that he and his wife couldn’t have kids, and that we were the closest thing to daughters he’d ever had.
Dan rested his hand on my shoulder, making sure I was all right as Miki put some snacks and a drink on the bar for me and insisted on finishing the cleanup herself.
By the time Miki was done, the security guard—who’d been on his break when we needed him—had already finished his shift, so Dan walked us outside to the car. He scanned the parking lot to make sure Stool Guy wasn’t hanging around to cause more trouble.
“No one messes with my girls,” he said in a deep rumble. “And I’m sorry I didn’t come out earlier. I shouldn’t have had my earbuds in. As soon as I saw him, I came out. Now, you girls enjoy your time off. I’ll see you in a few days.”
“Thanks, Dan.” We slid into the Honda, and Miki started the engine. As we pulled away, he waved from the sidewalk.
“Man, am I glad that shift is over. I wish I could have dropped the glass tray on his entire body. People like that should stay in their caves.” Miki shook her head in disgust as she gave me a sidelong glance.
She’d been fearless, jumping in to defend me from that creep, I was glad to have the help, but I hadn’t expected it. “Hey, Miki?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for helping me.”
I caught the smile on her face as we drove under the bright streetlight. “Anytime, Ivy.”
I turned to look out of my window, still feeling queasy about the whole commotion. As we drove past a vintage car, a pang of longing for my old car shot through me. The chariot might not have been vintage exactly, but I’d loved that classic old car until it stopped working.
The new car I’d planned to buy with the prize money was off the radar for the foreseeable future.
My life now consisted of wiping benches, serving drinks, taking orders, and serving food.
But I was lucky to work with good people, and very grateful that most of the customers weren’t like the one tonight.
“Home sweet home,” Miki said, pulling up in front of our building. “My feet are killing me after that double shift.”
“I know, right?” I replied wearily as we stepped out into the darkness and walked up the narrow stairwell to our studio.
“Are you okay?” Miki asked. “I know it was a rough night.” She gave me a worried look.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine. He was just such a creep.”
She rested her hand on my arm. “He was a jerk, a disgusting, drunk jerk.” She laughed, pulling me in for a hug. “Forget him. He’s a tool, you’re the best. End of story.”
“Aww, thanks,” I said, pulling away. “You too. Thanks again for helping me out.”
The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Since we’ve got some days off, how about we do the hike you love in the national park tomorrow?”
“You know what? I’d love that. I need some mountain air.” Karlos may have taken Karson from me and ruined my modeling career, but I would not let him ruin everything.
“Fantastic! Then when we get back, let’s get our glam on and hit the town for some partying. We’re overdue for some fun, babe,” she said, breaking into some dance moves.
“Sounds good to me.” I laughed. “But now I’m going to take a shower and then crash. I’m beat. Actually, you should go first, seeing as you did my share of the cleanup for me tonight.”
“I’ll be quick,” she said, dashing into the bathroom.
I lay down on the bed and rested my eyes, listening to the sound of running water, hoping we didn’t run out of hot water again, and letting my mind wander. Before the prize money, I was almost out of savings, winning the contract had been the answer to my prayers.
Forcing my weary eyes open, I glanced around the tiny apartment. At least we get along, or living here would be a nightmare.
Miki was a considerate roommate and had become a good friend, but I hoped I could move back in with the girls soon. I missed them. I’d been so busy working that I hadn’t seen them in too long. If only Karlos—
“I’m done in the shower,” Miki called out, drying her hair as she came out of the bathroom. “I’m off to bed. See you tomorrow, Ivy.”
I smiled and walked into the tiny bathroom, letting my clothes fall to the floor as I stepped into the surprisingly spacious shower, hot water streaming down my back.
After toweling off, I smoothed in my moisturizer, squeezed the excess moisture out of my hair, and climbed into bed.
I leaned into my pillow, thinking about the hike we had planned for the next day, then lost myself in the quiet memory of walking the trail with Karson.