Chapter 15

[ ELERA’S POV ]

"Out of my office, both of you," Luca cut me off, not even bothering to look up from his desk. "Get to work. Your first fashion show is in two months."

Luca actually shouted at me. Ever since that bitch married him, she has been turning his mind against me. Luca used to give me anything I wanted. Now, he is putting my life on the line for a competition against her? A nameless nobody? No way. I am not going to sit back and let her take my place.

Walking out of Luca’s office, I hurried to the elevator. I needed to get to the lobby fast to pick the best manager before she could.

"Hey, wait for me! Don’t close the door in my face!" she yelled, rushing toward the elevator.

I smirked, pressed the button, and watched the doors slide shut right in front of her. I flipped her the middle finger through the glass. Fuck you, whore, I mouthed.

When the doors opened at the lobby, I marched straight to the front desk. "Where are the managers Luca sent?" I demanded.

"Oh, Miss Elera! There they are," the receptionist said, pointing to two young women sitting in the waiting area. "Uhm, Miss Elera..."

The receptionist tried to say something else, but I shut her up with a wave of my finger. I don’t have time to talk to people who are beneath me. What could she possibly say that matters to me?

I walked over to the two girls. "Hey, you," I said to the first one. She was wearing very expensive clothes. Perfect, I thought. She must be highly intelligent, from a good family, and her taste in fashion is exactly what I need.

She scrambled to her feet.

"You will be working with me from now on," I told her. "So get ready. We need to interview workers to get under our wings."

"Thank you for choosing me, Ma'am!" she said excitedly. "I have been looking forward to working with you. You were my senior in high school, and"

"Oh, stop it," I snapped, cutting her off. "Just get to work and quit talking."

Just then, Aria finally made it down to the lobby. When she saw I had already picked someone, the second manager stood up. I nearly laughed out loud. The girl was wearing a loose, baggy skirt and a faded top. How tacky.

"Juliet!" Aria called out, and the two of them hugged.

"I’m so happy to see you again, Aria! Don’t tell me I'll be working with you?" the girl, Juliet, asked.

"Yes, it’s me. We will be working together," Aria said.

"That means you’re Mr. Luca’s wife! Oh my god!" Juliet gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

I waited for Aria to correct her to say she wasn't Luca’s real wife, just a temporary bitch. But the idiot just stood there smiling.

I hissed loudly and walked away, my new manager stepping right behind me. Aria better watch her back. I am going to take everything away from her: her new office, her place in the fashion world, and the husband she thinks she owns.

[ ARIA’S POV ]

By the time I got to the lobby, Elera had already picked her manager, leaving me with the second one.

"Aria!" a voice called out. I looked closer and realized it was Juliet! She was my old classmate from the local fashion school. I had only managed to learn there for a little while because the boss allowed me to show up once in a while.

"Juliet!" I called back, and she rushed over to give me a warm hug.

"Don’t tell me I'll be working with you?" she asked.

"Yes, it's me," I replied.

"Wait... don’t tell me you’re Mr. Luca’s wife?!" She gasped and covered her mouth. She was always so dramatic.

Part of me wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to scream that I wasn’t really his wife, that I just wanted to vanish and never see Luca again. But instead, I just forced a laugh and took her hand. "We should talk and start planning our work, shall we?"

"Yes, Aria, yes!" she replied, smiling with all her teeth showing.

Suddenly, someone hissed and glared at us. It was Elera. She turned and walked away, her manager following closely behind her.

"She looks so mean. I thank God she didn’t choose me," Juliet said, making a face. I couldn't help but smile.

But when we stepped outside the company building, my smile faded. The car Luca gave us was gone. Elera had taken it. At that moment, I realized what a fool I had been. Why did I agree to ride in the same car with her? I should have just asked a guard to drive me.

"Let’s take a taxi, shall we?" I asked Juliet.

"Sure, boss," she replied.

"No, Juliet, just call me Aria like you used to."

"Okay, but I will call you 'boss' when Mr. Luca or important clients are around. I don't want to lose my head!"

"We should think about how to hire our staff before we start thinking about clients, Juliet."

"Yes, yes! I already have a draft ready," Juliet said. "We just have to settle in and start the interviews tomorrow."

"Wow, you are so fast with this!" I said, genuinely smiling.

We hailed a taxi to take us to the company, my company. Just thinking the words "my company" made my heart beat faster. Never in a million years did I think I would have a place to call my own.

But the moment we pulled up to the building, all my happy thoughts vanished.

There was Elera, standing right in front of the building. She was tearing down the logo I had designed, the one Luca helped me put up as my company name and replacing it with her own.

"And what do you think you’re doing?!" I demanded, rushing out of the taxi before it had even fully stopped.

"What does it look like I’m doing?" Elera asked, a nasty smile spreading across her face.

"We both have our own buildings," I said, my voice shaking but firm. "And I know for a fact that this one is mine."

"Hahahaha!" She burst out laughing, literally hitting her chest like it was the funniest joke she had ever heard. "And you actually believe Luca would give you the best one? Do you really believe that? This place is mine, Aria. Take it or leave it!"

"But Luca same "

"Luca said nothing, you fool!" she snapped, cutting me off. "This place is mine now. So take your little rat with you and get out of here."

My heart sank, but I pulled out my phone to call Luca.

"And what are you going to do? Call Luca?" Elera mocked, stepping closer. "Go ahead. Call him. Let him know what's happening and listen to what he tells you. Do you truly believe he would ever choose you over me? Never."

I froze, staring at my phone screen. She was right. No matter what I did, Luca would never choose me over her. I was just a temporary wife to him, but Elera was the one he actually cared about.

"Aria," Juliet called out softly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and lowered my phone. "It’s fine, Juliet. Let’s leave."