All Chapters of It's Just Business : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

CHAPTER ONE Lexi's POVI'm completely soaked! Like literally drenched from head to toe. I seriously considered punching him in the face, but I need this job, and I remember how that turned out the last time I let my emotions get the best of me.I head toward the staff door to see if I can find something to change into because if I can't, I'm in big trouble—pneumonia is nobody's friend."Whoa! Is there a pool party going on that I didn't hear about?" Dan jokes as I walk over to his locker. "Very funny," I reply, grabbing the towel from his hands and trying to dry off as much as I can."Thanks!" "You're welcome. You know I can't resist a princess in distress." "We both know I'm no princess," I scoff. "We can definitely agree on that." "Jerk!" I hit his shoulder playfully. "I see you more as a knight if we're being real. A pretty and sexy knight though, that's for sure." "Period!" I say, and we both burst out laughing. "How'd you know?" "I saw when Dickly approached you, and yo

CHAPTER 3 Lexi's POV "Fuck I'm so late!" I mutter to myself as I hurry toward the venue's gate. It was already a struggle convincing Darren that I could make it, especially since I need every job I can get. Balancing two jobs is tough enough, and taking on this weekend gig is a lot. But the extra cash is worth it, and since it’s right after my shift at the restaurant, I’d rather not go home to sulk and lose sleep. This is definitely a better option, the more cash I earn the closer we get to being able to afford Aria's surgery.As I approach the back entrance, I notice this event is much bigger than usual one's I've worked.I’m just grateful that I’m not handling the masses; the thing about being assigned to take care of your own guests is that, aside from the amazing tips, you only have one person to serve. Unfortunately, some of the guests behave as if the place is a hooker's club, thinking they can get away with anything. I know how to put those kinds of guests in their place, havi

CHAPTER 5 Brandon's POV I adjusted the cuff of my shirt as I stared out the tall windows of my office. The skyline of the city didn’t calm me like it usually did. Not today.My father’s ultimatum lingered above my head like a threat wrapped with a silk bow: “Get married, and as if that weren't bad enough, I have to stay in the forsaken marriage for at least six months.” It was laughable—if it weren’t so serious. Ugh. I groaned, already feeling another headache coming on. Marriage, love, attachment—emotional contracts masked as romantic ones. I had no interest. I believed in leverage, in control—not in vows.I picked up the folder my assistant had left on my desk—a portfolio of "acceptable candidates my father had his secretary put together." Women with generational wealth, Ivy League backgrounds, and last names that belonged on buildings or charities. All of them looked rehearsed. Plastic. Boring.I tossed the folder aside.“Morning, groomzilla,” came a voice from the door.I didn’

CHAPTER 7 Lexi's POV I stared at the notebook in front of me—the cheap spiral one I kept stashed beneath the microwave, hidden away from Aria's prying eyes. The numbers on the page seemed to mock me.$13,420.That’s what we had saved in three years.Three years of side gigs, back-to-back shifts, missed birthdays, and sleepless nights. Three years of Aria quietly selling her paintings when her body didn’t betray her and of me tucking away tips like coins in a wishing well.And what did we need?$446,000. And counting, in twenty days. That didn’t even include the lifelong medication, follow-ups, or the possibility of something going wrong, God forbid.I dropped my pen and pressed my palms to my face. Breathing through the pressure in my chest didn’t help. Nothing helped.I pushed the notebook away as if it had insulted me. The worst part? I didn’t even have the luxury of a breakdown. Not when I had work. Not when Aria was still asleep in the next room. Not when the world kept moving,

Chapter 9 Lexi's POV I lasted two days.Two whole days of pretending my insides weren’t cracking open every second I was awake. Two days of ignoring the business card shoved in the back of my drawer, hoping it might disappear if I just stopped looking at it.Two days of thinking about $500,000 a month and still hating myself for it.I didn’t tell anyone.Not Dan. Not Aria. Especially not Aria.Because the moment I said it out loud, it would become real.So I kept my head down at work, took extra shifts, and bit my tongue every time a customer whispered my name like it tasted like scandal. I smiled, I served, and I acted like I wasn’t drowning.Dan knew something was up.He didn’t say anything at first. He just hovered more than usual, sliding extra croissants onto my tray like comfort food could fix whatever was eating at me.But by the end of the second night, after the dinner rush died down and we were both closing, he finally broke the silence.“You’re spiraling,” he said qui