Chapter 84: No HangoverRUEMy head felt like a construction site, it felt like drills, hammers, a whole lot—when my eyes finally fluttered open. The first thing I noticed was the warmth next to me. Vicky was nestled against my chest, she was curled up like she was protecting something fragile.She looked so impossibly sweet—innocent even—her eyes were perfectly shut, her hair was messy but it was cute ,For a moment, I forgot the headache. Forget the world. Just stared at her, thinking, How did I get this lucky?Then I saw her eyelids flutter. She blinked, groggy, and I closed my eyes faking i was asleep so we could stay for more time . Her fingers slid from my chest, and she yawned. I would have warned her, but before I could speak, her body shifted. She was unwrapping herself, gently easing out of the sheets, was she sneaking out ?“Where are you going?” I croaked.She froze. Then smiled, sleepy and sly. “You’re awake?”“Yes,” I groaned, attempting to charm. “And why are you sneak
Chapter 83:Drunk Husband Day 29/365VICKYI twisted in bed, staring at the ceiling as seconds ticked into minutes—minutes into half an hour past midnight. Rue still hadn’t come home. Panic started biting at my insides. I tossed the blanket aside and sat up.“Rue?” I whispered into the darkness, but no answer came.I glanced at my phone – no missed calls, no messages. My eyes snapped to the clock—almost midnight. He never stayed out this late. Ever.I rubbed my temples and made the worst decision of the night: I tried calling him. Once. Twice. Straight to voicemail. My chest tightened.He always tells me when he’ll be home. Those texts read like appointments: At the studio now, home by seven. Meeting ran late, be back soon.This was unusual. Out of character. I slipped on slippers and crept to the window overlooking the garage. No tail lights, no silhouette—just the vast empty concrete.My mind whirled with scenarios: Working late? Crisis at the office? With Sienna…? A tidal wave of a
Chapter 84: A First-Day JoltDay 29/365VICKY My first day as Vice President should have felt like a spotlight moment. Instead, I found myself slouched in my chair, swapping documents more times than I care to admit. By midday, my eyelids were heavy and the files—contracts, spreadsheets, memos—felt as dull as dishwater, at least i was familiar with dishwashers. Julia was out for lunch and the office felt too quiet. Too serious. I picked up a pen, tapped it on the desk, and sighed, this was boring . I glanced over at Rue’s office—just across the hall. He’d told me not to worry, that he’d review my work until I settled in. Out of nowhere, I thought: it wouldn’t hurt to walk over and say hello, maybe we could have a chat and he would keep me company So I stood, smoothed my skirt, fixed my hair and lipgloss , and headed toward his door. It was locked. Not unusual. I gently pushed it—and it swung open. i had forgot to knock . I opened it still and it looked like he had a visitor Sien
Chapter 81: Call Me Vice President Day 29/365 VICKY. The smell of hot chocolate woke me up. Not the fancy type with whipped cream and cinnamon. The Rue type — creamy, smooth, made just the way I liked it. “Good morning, VP,” he greeted as i walk downstairs still in my robe ,he gave me a mug immediately i got to the kitchen . “I figured you’d need something warm. Big day.” I smiled, stretching. “You made it yourself?” “I always do , you know that …. Don’t want the kitchen staff messing it up.” Julia was already downstairs. She was supposed to drive me to work — first day and all — but Rue had other plans. “You can go ahead and prep her office,” he said casually, sipping his own coffee. “But I’ll be driving her to work “ “ That’s a fantastic idea, see you soon Vicky “ She said and left . “ Why does she still call you Vicky ?” “ Cause i am comfortable with her calling me that “ I looked at him from the rim of my cup. “Why do you want to drive me to work ?” “I am your hu
Chapter 80: The New VPDay 28/365VICKY.I thought I had seen social media buzz before, but this? This was insane.My phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. Story shares. Tweets. DM notifications. Old friends I hadn’t spoken to in years were crawling out of their caves to congratulate me. Influencers were reposting Rue’s company bulletin like it was a Vogue cover. The caption was short, but the impact? Loud.Meet the new VP of R.Corp — Victoria Rogers.Rue had announced it right before noon and by 3 p.m., my name was trending. I hadn’t even posted yet. I was just watching.“Get ready,” Rue said, walking into the living room with his iPad and a grin. “I’m thinking we do a little welcome dinner for you. Small. Luxurious. Classy. Maybe seventy people max.”“Seventy?” I laughed. “You call that small?”“Trust me, babe,” he winked. “In our world, that’s nothing.”“ Babe?”I rolled my eyes and smiled, but I liked the idea. I was finally stepping into my power — and it felt good. I didn’t have to be
Chapter 79: A Threat in InkValerie adjusted the strap of her silk robe and crossed her legs, letting out a soft sigh as she sat on the edge of the leather couch in Williams’ Manhattan penthouse. The room smelled of her vanilla-scented hair serum and morning stress.It wasn’t even 10 a.m., and the conversation had already looped around the same topic for the third time.“Barth’s stalling again,” Williams said, jaw tight as he paced the floor. “He’s suddenly saying he needs more time. Playing wise old man, acting like he’s the board’s moral compass.”Valerie rolled her eyes. “He’s confused and ancient. Maybe he needs to be reminded what’s at stake.”“You reminded him last week, remember?” Williams snapped. “Didn’t work. If anything, he’s gotten colder.”Valerie scoffed. “I already promised to pull strings for his niece’s little zoning issue in Jersey. And I let him announce our pregnancy like it was a Christmas miracle. He owes us.”“He’ll fold,” Williams muttered. “He just needs…press