Chapter One

“Blair, have you thought about leaving that soul sucking job of yours?” Cassie asked—seeing how exhausted her best friend was even on Sunday evening.

“Mm-hmm”, Blair replied, her eyes still glued to her phone.

Cassie sat beside her.”I’m serious. That job is really draining you. You are always tired when you come home and on your days off it's either you are answering calls or worrying about something your boss might need. When was the last time you did something for yourself?”

“Mm-hmm”

Cassie looked at her “Are you even listening to me?”

“Mm-hmm”, Blair murmured, still scrolling.

“Right. I am glad we are having this conversation.”

Blair barely reacted, and Cassie shook her head.

“Blair, have you thought about leaving that soul sucking job of yours?” Cassie asked—seeing how exhausted her best friend was even on Sunday evening.

“Mm-hmm”, Blair replied, her eyes still glued to her phone.

Cassie sat beside her. “I’m serious. That job is really draining you. You are always tired when you come home and on your days off it's either you are answering calls or worrying about something your boss might need. When was the last time you did something for yourself?”

“Mm-hmm”

Cassie looked at her “Are you even listening to me?”

“Mm-hmm”, Blair murmured, still scrolling.

“Right. I am glad we are having this conversation.”

Blair barely reacted, and Cassie shook her head.

“You spend all day keeping that man's life in order, but look at our own space. Your room is a mess, the laundry has been sitting there for weeks and you barely have time to look after yourself anymore, Blair. It can't go on like this.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Blair! Can you……..”

Blair suddenly interrupted with a loud scream.

Cassie jumped “Oh my God! What happened?”

Blair didn't answer. She stared at her phone, eyes wide, then whispered, “Oh my God.”

Cassie hurried over. “What? You're scaring me.”

“I did it!” Blair jumped to her feet. “Cassie, I finally did it!”

“Did what?”

“I reached my target!”

Cassie was confused. “What target? Please explain.”

“My savings target!” Blair grabbed both her hands. “I've been saving for the last five years, and I've finally saved enough to start my own fashion business and support myself while I get it going. I can finally leave that job!”

For a moment, Cassie just stared at her. “Wait. You're serious? You've actually saved enough?”

Blair nodded.

“Oh my God, Blair!”

Cassie pulled her into a hug, and Blair hugged her back. They were jumping around the living room, laughing and shouting. One of the cushions fell to the floor, but neither of them stopped to pick it up.

“I'm so happy for you,” Cassie said, holding Blair by the shoulders. “You've worked so hard for this.”

“I can't believe it,” Blair said, laughing. “I thought I had to put up with this much longer.”

“But you made it. Five years of saving, and now you can finally start doing something for yourself.”

Blair hugged her again. For a little while, they talked over each other, both too excited to settle down.

Eventually, they dropped back onto the couch. Blair was still smiling at her phone when Cassie suddenly seemed to remember something.

“Wait. Have you told your boss?”

Blair's smile faded.

Cassie sighed. “You haven't, have you?”

“Not yet. I only just reached my target.”

“I know, I know and I'm so happy for you. But you do have to tell him you're leaving.”

Blair buried her face in a cushion groaning.

Cassie laughed softly. “Come on. You can't hide in there forever.”

“I'm not hiding.”

“Then look at me.”

Blair lifted her head.

“How are you going to tell him?”

“I don't know.”

“You haven't even thought about it?”

“I've been thinking about my savings and the business. I haven't really thought about that conversation.”

“Well, you'll have to soon. You know how he can be.”

Blair let out a long breath. “That's exactly what I'm worried about.”

She had spent the last five years working for Alexander Kent. She knew him more than he knew himself. She was always one step ahead of him, to keep his day running smoothly.

And now she is leaving.

She had no idea how he would react—would he be angry, or dismiss her decision, or simply tell her to hand over her duties and leave. She had imagined turning in her resignation more times than she could count, but that was easier than actually doing it. .

Cassie nudged her on the shoulder. “Hey. What's going through your mind?”

“I am just concerned about his reactions.”

“Who cares if he flips a table, You've worked there long enough, Blair. You've done your job, and need to  give your own plans a chance.” Cassie said to her.

“I know. I just wish telling him could be as easy as deciding to leave.”

“Maybe it won't be easy,” Cassie said. “But that doesn't mean you should change your mind.”

Blair nodded, though she still felt a little uneasy.

Cassie reached for her hand. “You've wanted this for a long time you know? Don't let the thought of one difficult conversation take away from you. We'll figure out what you're going to say.”

Blair managed a smile. “Thank you.”

“You don't have to thank me. I'm your friend.”

They talked about Blair's new chapter.

She wanted to build something of her own, starting small and growing at a pace she could manage. It wouldn't happen overnight, and she knew there would be plenty to learn but she was still willing to try.

She had just started explaining one of her designs when her phone rang.

Blair glanced at the screen and sighed.

“Speak of the devil,” she muttered.

Cassie leaned over to see who was calling. “Your boss? At this hour?”

Blair answered. “Good evening, Mr. Kent.”

She listened, then reached for the notebook on the coffee table.

“Yes, sir. Of course. I'll take care of it.”

The call ended, and she set her phone down.

Cassie stared at her. “Please tell me he didn't just call you to do more work.”

“He needs me to make a few reservations.”

“Now? Blair, it's late.”

“I know. It won't take long.”

Blair got up and went to the small desk in the corner of the living room. She opened her laptop while Cassie watched her.

“Can I ask you something?” Cassie said.

“You just did.” Blair laughed.

Cassie gave her a look. “Why does he always call you to handle things like this? Doesn't he have other people working for him?”

“It's personal.”

“Personal how?”

Blair glanced at her. “You know how he is with women. When he has one of his arrangements, he doesn't bring them back to his apartment. He usually books a hotel or somewhere else, and if he needs anything organized, he calls me.”

Cassie rolling her eyes, “I can’t believe some women fall for this devil”

“Have you seen the man?”  Blair said in a soft tone.

Cassie paused. “So you're the only woman who gets to go into his apartment?”

“That's not what I said.”

“It's close enough.”

Blair rolled her eyes and returned to her laptop. “Cassie, I'm trying to work.”

Cassie settled against the couch, thinking it over. “Honestly, if you didn't complain about that man so much, I might think you two were secretly in love.”

Blair looked up. “Why would you even say that?”

“Because you know his schedule, his habits, what he likes, what he doesn't like, and now you're arranging his dates too. You know more about his life than most people do.”

“I'm his personal assistant. That's my job.”

“Okay, okay. I'm just saying.”

“Then stop saying it.”

Cassie smiled and picked up her phone. “Fine. I'll leave you to it.”

Blair shook her head and focused on the reservations. It took a little while to confirm the details and arrange everything Alexander had requested. She cross-checked everything and  called him back.

He answered after a few rings.

“It's done, Mr. Kent,” she said. “I've made the reservations and sent you the confirmation.”

“Okay. See you on Monday” he said with a stern voice—not acknowledging her effort especially at this ungodly hour—-typical Alex

“You …….too.”

He ended the call before she could complete her sentence..

She closed her laptop and Cassie looked up. “All done?”

“Yep!” she sighed.

“Good. Now we can go back to talking about your future without another call interrupting us.”

Blair laughed as she returned to the couch. “For once, I agree with you.”

They talked a little longer, but eventually the night caught up with them. Cassie went to her room, leaving Blair to tidy away her things before getting ready for bed.

Later, Blair lay beneath the covers, but sleep didn't come straight away.

The light from her phone lit up her dark room. She had been looking through her phone—-some designs she had saved, and notes she had made whenever an idea came to her. Some were only rough sketches. Others were little more than descriptions written in a hurry before she forgot them.

They were still hers.

She put her phone down and pictured what life would be like once she left Kent Corporation. No more checking her phone every few minutes in case Alexander needed something. No more arranging her day around his schedule or putting her own plans aside because something had come up at work.

The thought alone made her relax into her pillow.

She knew starting a business wouldn't be easy. There would be bills to pay, decisions she had no idea how to make, and days when she might wonder whether she had been foolish to leave a steady job. She couldn't afford to mess this up.

But at least she would be working toward something she had chosen for herself.

Blair turned onto her side, smiling.

There was so much she had to figure out like telling her boss about her resignation but that conversation could wait until Monday. Tonight, she wanted to enjoy her progress.

She picked up her phone one last time to check the time.

Then she set it on the bedside table, pulled the covers up, and closed her eyes.

For the first time in a long while, Blair went to sleep thinking less about what someone else might need from her and more about what she wanted for herself.

She was still smiling like an idiot.