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26 - Iconic
“In one hundred feet. Turn. Left.”
There was something about the sultry woman’s voice slithering from the car’s speakers that made Jia highly uncomfortable. Crammed into the backseat like this (the semi-sober Dolly was riding shotgun now), Jia could feel the reverberations of the GPS directions fluttering around her ears. Thankfully, they were in a slightly less packed (and less popular) part of the city, and she could see an empty spot by the curb where they could park on the street. Soon, she’d be rid of the artificial female voice for at least a little while -
“What is this place, Ms. Moon.”
Atlas’s voice cut through the vehicle’s tiny interior like a frozen scythe, and she turned her head slightly to look at him instead of the street ahead through the windshield. While she wasn’t an expert on the man’s habits yet, she was certain that that definitely wasn’t an impressed inflection to his words she was hearing. He only had about three typic
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Jia studiously avoided paying any attention to Atlas, who sat on the other side of the booth with a visibly unsettled aura about him. Dolly, on the other hand, was sitting next to her and poring intently over an oversized, laminated tri-fold menu in her hands. Her knee bounced under the table.“I think they’re all good,” Jia said, opting for a safe, neutral answer to the question the woman had just asked. “Lamb burger, maybe?”Dolly flipped the page. “East Coast French Chicken Burger,” she read aloud, ignoring Jia’s suggestion. “What exactly about this entree is French? I don’t know half of these ingredients - I’ve never even heard of this sauce.”Jia leaned over to look at the description. “Blueberry chipotle barbecue sauce,” she read. “Oh, that’s a local favorite. You’d love it. I’ve heard it tastes great with the uncured bacon and avocado relish.”“That’s not French at all,” Dolly repeated, but she pulled the menu closer and squinted at the en
In the Shadow of the CEO 28 - Secrets
“What do you mean, she’s gone? I thought you two have the same sixth period class? Didn’t you see her?”Jia was huddled in the corridor that led to the restrooms, taking refuge in the dimly lit corner and speaking at a volume only slightly louder than a hushed whisper. Why was the music here so loud, she thought in rising irritation. She plugged her other ear with her index finger, struggling to hear her brother on the other end of the line.“Yeah. She was there.”His words sounded clipped. Was he nervous, or was he just rushing the conversation to get off the phone?“How did you find out she skipped seventh?”“It wasn’t like that. I was heading for the Mathletes meeting after dismissal, and someone told me she hoped Jini feels better soon.”Jia gripped the cell phone so tightly she thought she could hear it creaking in her hand. “She’s not sick,” she said firmly. “She was fine this morning when you two left to get o
In the Shadow of the CEO 29 - Bad Company
"Ms. Munson. I mean - Dolly. Everything okay?"The woman answered her with a long, slow blink. "That's what I was about to ask you," she said lightly. "You, uh, having some problems?""No," said Jia. "Just a minor hiccup. Did you need me for anything? I was just about to rejoin you."Easy, easy, she told herself. She couldn't seem like she was in too much of a rush to change the subject. She had gone through these paces far too many times with previous employers to make a silly mistake like that now. The more defensive and hasty she seemed, the more curious she would make them."I was just tired of looking at him. He's awful company."Well, she was right about that. If only Dolly knew exactly how awful Atlas was, all the horrible things he had done to Jia in the one night and one day since they had very unluckily reunited. She allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy of exposing all his mi
In the Shadow of the CEO 30 - Renegotiate
Dolly had excused herself to go to the restroom - well, more accurately, she had sprung up from her seat and stalked off in that direction - and now both women were absent from the table. Atlas looked down at his curly fries and considered sending it toppling off the table just to see if it they would stand up and walk off, too. He wouldn't be surprised.He only began to suspect something was awry when he turned and spotted both women returning at the same time. What, had Jia run into her halfway and decided to wait for Dolores, too? That was entirely unnecessary. He understood offering the utmost when it came to making important guests feel welcome and catered to, but escorting them to or from the restrooms was a step beyond. And not in a good way. When they next had a moment, he was going to have to inform Jia of that.But not now. Atlas watched as first his assistant slid into the booth followed by Dolores, but what particularly caught his attent
In the Shadow of the CEO 31 - Haze
"You don't even want to be here, do you?" Dolly asked.Jia looked up from where she had been staring down at her hands in her lap. They had been sitting in silence for only a few minutes now, Dolly on the far sofa and Jia sitting opposite her on the single-seater couch. The electric fireplace was happily crackling away just a few feet to their left."You don't have to keep up the whole professional thing here, by the way. I'm probably going to get smashed in like half an hour and not remember anything that happens tonight, so there's really no point."...But there was no alcohol stocked here, Jia wanted to point out. She'd peeked around the kitchen and pantries to make sure the other woman wasn't lacking anything, and the closest thing to wine she had seen was a carton of grape juice in the refrigerator. No alcohol at all."Um...There's no...""I have my ways," Dolly told her before she even f
In the Shadow of the CEO 32 - Retaliate
Jia closed the apartment door with a soft click, careful not to let the sound echo through the small unit and wake Jisu and Jini. They had made it home, after all. Even after a quick shower, her heart was still thudding away in protracted relief as she turned the lock and stuffed the key into her pocket. She had been afraid that she would come home to find their beds empty, that she had made a mistake leaving it up to Jisu to get his sister home.It said a lot about her that she had been uncertain. Said a lot about where she had failed and where she should have tried harder. For instance, leaving it up to one twin to find the other after she had disappeared from school. She would have to talk to Jini about it tonight, she knew, but she would cross that bridge when she got there. She wasn't looking forward to it.Jia stared down at the pavement as she walked to the bus stop. She should have been keeping her eyes up and staying alert
In the Shadow of the CEO 33 - Talks
Luckily, conveniently, there was a man waiting to drive them to headquarters in a small limousine instead of a cramped sports car. Why Atlas had picked Dolly up himself was a mystery in that case, but perhaps he simply wanted to make doubly sure that she was ready for him.Well, all things considered, Jia had made sure the job was done well. She was tired and she was sure she had dark circles under her eyes from the exhaustion creeping over her, and Dolly did look like she had just bit into an entire lemon, but they were all packed into the vehicle now and well on their way to Pandora Lights. The two women sitting next to each other and facing the rear, Atlas sitting across and watching them with his now-familiar cold stare. Black asphalt and white sidewalks and pristine buildings slid past them as they trundled down Manhattan streets in 8AM traffic. Besides the incessant honking that had begun to go up, how nice and
In the Shadow of the CEO 34 - Preparations
"Lydia, I owe you an apology for yesterday. I'm so sorry, you warned me and I didn't listen. And then..."What was Jia supposed to say? I'm sorry I made Atlas angry at you, I'm sorry I made him be so rude to you, I'm sorry he's such an ass and also that I don't think before I act -Lydia held up one slender hand and shook her head to dissuade Jia from apologizing any further. "The important thing is that Mr. Grayson didn't miss his appointment. It was incredibly important, and I shouldn't have cut it so close. He was right to reprimand me for it."How could she say that? She was the one in the right, and while Jia understood that sometimes that there was a need to pretend that the boss was always right, but surely this wasn't one of those times. They were alone in a room and there was no chance of Atlas overhearing. Jia had already extended the apology, too, knowing full well that the unfortunate incident
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