Willow
“How…?” I trail off, not knowing what to say.
How did he know?
But he only chuckles. “My previous girlfriend made me read it a few years ago, and I must say I loved every moment of it.” He says.
A Night Like This was the book based on Alexander and I, the bestseller that I never picked up again even though I still made thousands on the royalties.
“Why would you bring it up now, though?” I ask him, not understanding where this was heading. That book is the bane of my existence, and I wish I had never written it.
Seth shrugs, “I was just curious as to why you’re at the firm if writing is clearly your passion.” He says.
“Well, I originally only took the job to make ends meet before my writing picked up, but I have grown to love my job, so I’m juggling two things I love right now,” I say, which is the truth.
Everyone at the firm grew to be like the family I never had, and it would crush me if I had t
Willow This can’t be happening. No, no, no, no. Why now? Why here? My mind hits a blank, and before I even realise what I was doing, I get up and walk out. “Willow?” I hear vaguely behind me but don’t register the voice. I haven’t seen Alex since he walked out of the home we shared, claiming that I had been neglecting him as a partner. But I have to admit that seeing him happy with the woman he betrayed me with hurts a lot more than I care to let on. I feel a tug on my wrist and stop. “What the hell, Willow?” I hear behind me and turn around, looking straight into the eyes of Reid. As soon as I see the confusion in his blue eyes, the fog lifts from my mind. I blink back the tears in my eyes. “I’m… I’m sorry about that. Do you mind if we leave?” I ask and see him frown, but he nods and leads me back to his car. I honestly don’t think that I could go back inside after that display. “Do you want to talk about it?” Reid’s
Willow The following day I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I enter the office. For some reason, I woke up calm and at ease this morning despite my confused feelings, so now I’m ready to face the day. Last night did not turn out as expected at all. Seth had my heart doing flips, and we have so much in common, but Reid did something no other man ever has; he comforted me and took my mind off the hurt. Everything in me tells me to go the safe route and pick Seth, but a little voice is egging me to be spontaneous and choose Reid. But I have already made up my mind, and today I will put it into effect. “Okay, bitch you need to explain this!” I chuckle when I hear Mel approaching me while holding up her phone. “What is this? 20/5? What the heck happened last night?” She exclaimed, curiosity itching her to the core, I bet. I wink at her, “I’ll tell you more at lunchtime. Try and hold out until then,” I say while flashing her an in
Reid I messed up last night; I should never have brought her to my lake house. She might think that I care about her feelings after this, when in fact, I don’t. This is to be a part-time thing, a welcome distraction to my current situation, but seeing her face screwed up in anguish last night was like a slap in the face. Willow is like the face of this company, the smile that greets our clients. Since I started here, I’ve always looked forward to her ‘good morning’ when I enter the building. So seeing that smile gone made me want to put it back. What the hell is wrong with me?! I sigh and enter the joint office, but I don’t see her as I walk past her desk. Her belongings were there, so she must be in. Fuck, I need to stop this and get my head in the game. My father is counting on me to break this case wide open; I have no time to deal with unwanted thoughts. “Reid,” I hear behind me before I enter my office and stiffen before
Willow In the weeks that follow, I barely see Reid except when I sit in on the board meetings, and even then, Reid and I clash. Seth has been helping me with a few things regarding the crucial case as well. The Simons case is finally going to court, and everyone is on edge even though we have a good case. Michael called for a final meeting with everyone, including Mel and me, on the morning of the opening arguments. The Sawyer PA was Seth’s sister, and she joined us as well. Michael clears his throat when we all file into the boardroom. “Good morning, everyone. Today is the day; everything we have put into this case will bear its fruits from today forward. I have faith in all that you have done, and I want to say thank you to all of you and let’s get these bastards.” He says, and applause follows. Michael indeed was a leader; we all look to him when it comes to cases like this. When we all file out, Michael asks Reid and me to stay be
Willow After telling Mel what happened this morning, but leaving out what happened in Reid’s office, I felt even worse than before. I think it’s only hitting me now; Seth’s games, Michael using me as ‘bait’. I suppose, in the end, I ended up helping Michael as I intended, even if it wasn’t the way I had hoped. Mel draws me in for a hug. “I’m so sorry, Willow. I mean, I knew Seth was a bit too good to be true, but I never expected something like this. What a shitty thing to do,” she says, letting go of me. I couldn’t agree more, though. I felt like shit right now. “Maybe you should go home for a little while to clear your head. The guys should be back from the courts soon, so why don’t you ask Michael for the afternoon off? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, considering.” She says. I think it over; maybe it won't be so bad. I don’t think he would mind after what was done to me. I nod, then we change the subject again. Lately, I just didn’t fee
Willow What exactly did I see? Reid and that woman seemed pretty cosy in the restaurant; were they together? If so, why did he need me as a date for his brother’s wedding? God, this is bothering me so much. I barely got any sleep last night because of this, and now I’m entering our offices, feeling dead. My hopes that today wouldn’t be as eventful as yesterday were bashed when I saw what was on my desk. A bouquet of pink asiflorum lilies. I stand there, staring at the flowers as if in a daze and slowly walk towards it as I spy an envelope. Who could have sent these and knew they were my favourite flowers? As I think these words, I groan aloud and pick up the envelope, knowing who sent them before even seeing the name. I hear a whistle behind me, “Wow, these are beautiful! Who sent them? Came the voice of Mel as she walked up to me. “You don’t want to know,” I say while shaking my head and opening the envelope to see a
Willow I don’t know what to wear. For the last hour and a half, I’ve been staring at my wardrobe and wondering what the heck I should wear. Zack had said it would be semi-formal, but since he lives in Cherry Creek, I knew I couldn’t just show up looking like a nobody. I sigh and make up my mind: an a-line champagne off-the-shoulder cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline. I had this custom made a few months ago by Matthew Greene of Greene Designs*, but never had the opportunity to wear it. So tonight, I think I will. I have never been this nervous before, and I think I might just vomit. Zack is making a big deal out of this, so all the spotlight will be on me. Not to mention that Reid will be my date for the evening. Would there be paparazzi? Oh, god, I hope not! Groaning at the mere thought, I make my way to the shower and resign myself to the fact that all eyes would be on me tonight. By 7 pm, I am dressed up and r
Reid I watch Willow down another glass of champagne and grab her wrist. “I think you’ve had enough, Miss Creed,” I tell her, but she snatches her wrist back and puts a finger to her lips. “Shhh, Missster bossyyy,” she says through slurs and hiccups. Sighing, I pulled her towards the exit, knowing she would soon be making a fool of herself in front of very important people. “Where are you - Where are you taking me?” She asks, looking around, but I decide to remain silent because I knew she would only argue with me. Even in a drunken state, Willow is unfailingly argumentative; if not more so. How did I not notice that she had been drinking too much since her editor put his slimy hands all over her? Clearly, this was hitting her harder than she had let on, and the mere thought of it pissed me off. Even though we were in a fake relationship, I should have defended her honour on that stage. Was I that much of an asshole? I