EMBER's POV

"you're still awake," I was surprised to find out Ashley wasn't asleep; she was in bed reading a book.


"what? You didn’t t think I'd sleep off and miss the firsthand information about the night you've had. Especially with how fresh and new it is."

Fresh and new." I said with a scorn and began taking off my dress,

"so, how was it?"


"It was a lot, I'll tell you that. "

"It was a dinner party," Ashley said, and I would have given anything to be as oblivious as she was. Except, I was the first-hand victim of a hard night.


"Yes, with a lot of Alpha guests. Among those guests happened to be my soon-to-be ex-husband and his little family."

Ashley gasped, "Paris was there?"

"he was." I said, nodding,

“Why?” She said with irritation and I nearly laughed. I was the one who got hurt, but the woman hated Paris as though the injury was done to her.

I suppose that was friendship. I suppose that was love.

“Most other Alphas were at the party, so I suppose he invited and he brought Kate along. Christina came, but he was only allowed to take in one of them.”

“One too many guests if you ask me.” She said

“I suppose.”

“Did they give you any trouble?”

“A little bit here and there.”

“Damned people.”

"and I slapped Kate."

"you did what?"

"you heard me. " I said, and sat in with exhaustion in the bed,

"do tell all," Ashley said with excitement and I shook my head,

"she was nothing but annoying. I had a one-on-one with Paris's mother and was already angry from that, and then she came with her bull crap about me seducing William. I hit her without even calculating it. The damned woman deserved more if you ask me." I huffed out and found Ashley watching me with a smile,

"what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"did it feel good?"

"What?" I said with a laugh,

"putting her in her place. Did that feel good?"

"Actually, it felt mighty righteous," I said, and we both erupted into laughter,

"serves her right," Ashley said, and her smile soon became dreamy,

"William's getting all kinds of notifications, don't you think?" she asked, and I rolled my eyes,

"good for him."

"oh, come on, don't be like that."

"Be like how?"

"If that miserable woman can be talking about you seducing William, then it must be becoming very obvious his feelings for you."

"There aren't any feelings," I said with a pained expression, and she just smiled,

"there are. You're just being too stubborn about it. Or perhaps it's fear. What are you afraid of, em?"

Of getting hurt again. But that was a conversation I wasn't ready to have.

"I am not being stubborn, neither am I afraid of anything. William and I are just friends."

"just friends, but there really isn't much of anything he wouldn't do for you."

"There really isn't much of anything I wouldn't do for you."

She rolled her eyes and I smiled,

"you're no fun."

"I tried to have fun today, and I've decided that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing."

"not true. You were just caught having fun around bad people."

I thought about it and shrugged, "That too."

It was the sound of my phone ringing that woke me the next day, and for a moment, I thought it was the president of my company calling me to ask why I wasn't at work yet.

But it was barely even six a.m. when I checked the time and wondered who it would actually be.

It was William.

"Hello?" I said, drowsily into the phone,

"Rise and shine sleepy head," he said in a happy tone, and I wondered how the hell morning people always seemed to do it.

"It's too early," I complained, sure to keep my voice down for Ashley's sake.

"precisely why I'm calling at such a time," he said, and I put my hand over my eyes.

"I'm listening."

"Alright, so, do you ever get tired of your boring old job and long for something more exciting? More satisfying?" he asked, in a salesman's voice and I couldn't help but giggle,

"Don’t we all?"

"then long no more. "

"How come?"

"oh, because I've got this new spot of a manager at the new firm I've been working on establishing. I think you'll be a perfect fit, plus, we'll be all up in each other's space most of the time."

I smiled at the idea but felt a twinge in my heart. Because as much as I was grateful that he would ask me to do this, I was going to have to turn him down.

"I can't," I said sadly,

"How come? You were just longing for satisfaction."

"more satisfying. But I like my job, to be honest. Even though, after this call, I have to go get ready for it, and it's the last thing I want to do because I want to sleep so bad I appreciate my job." and appreciated the fact that If my work was treated right, it wasn't because of my name or friendship.

William would be fair, but I doubted he would scold me if ever there was a time that I messed up.

"you're sure?" he asked and I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me,

"I'm sure. But thank you so much for considering me this way."

"It's cool. But, if you ever change your mind, the spot is still open."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"alright. Now go. Go get prepared for your not-so-satisfying job."

I laughed, thankful he was not going to hold my no against me,

"See ya!"

The not-so-satisfying job wasn't all that bad once I managed to drag myself to it. It was a healthy space and I liked it.

But I started to reevaluate my situation when I paused in the hallway, and came head to head with the devil that was Christina.

I had just gotten into the company building when I Unexpectedly bumped into someone ,

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I said and looked up in surprise to see my victim.

It was Christina and She was wearing an employee badge, so did that mean she probably worked here too?

If she did, She likely didn't know I worked here too.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, with a bite in her voice, confirming my thoughts and I cast my eyes up to the heavens and prayed for reprieve.

I never got to rest with these people.

"Stripping," I said shortly and tried to walk past her, but she grabbed my hand, stopping me short.

I grit my teeth, angered that she would even think of placing her hand on me, much less in my workplace,

"you get your filthy hands off me," I said angrily and she sneered,

"You think you're funny, don't you? You think you're all high and mighty, and dared to slap Kate?"

I shook her hands off me and was tempted to slap her too. But violence wasn't allowed in this place,

"might as well ask her all the rubbish she sputtered that led to it. I have the feeling history might repeat itself today."

"What part of what she said was a lie, anyway? You dirty tramp. "

"be careful what you say and where you say it."

"I'll say whatever I please. And if it's in this place, there's nothing you can do. I'll bet anything you're probably the lowest possible staff in a company like this, seeing as you barely got a degree. You low class, piece of nothing."

I looked down at my work clothes, and then back at her. I didn't wear the ID card that identified me as the manager, and I suppose that was Christina's grounds for running her mouth. Surely, she didn't know who she was messing with.

"You're really about starting things you can't finish, aren't you?"

"don't play cool, Ember. It doesn’t suit you."

"That's the difference between you and me. I don’t ever try to pretend to be something I'm not."

"Why you little-" I got the hand she rose to hit me, and bent it until I saw the pain and surprise in her eyes, before letting go,

"Be very careful," I repeated and turned to walk away, but the woman. Good heavens. The damned woman.

"Paris, will one day see you for the lowlife you are." she said, trailing me, " but until then, I'll do my best to expose you. So you start counting the days, because soon enough you're going to be homeless, once I strip you of that house you claim as yours. You have some nerve, trying to take all of my brother's possessions, under the guise of wanting a divorce."

I nearly groaned. But instead, I stopped walking and faced her, "Shut up, Christina. Just shut the hell up. I suppose, for some reason, some twisted reason, someone's given you a job here. But I assure you, that only a few calls from my end, can render you jobless. So you just keep running, you filthy mouth."

"And who the hell do you think you are, to be making such threats?"

“Bold of you to think that this is just a threat. But by all means, doubt, and in the end we’ll see who wins and who loses.” And with that I walked away.