Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Zelda
“No. Absolutely not!”
“You’re yelling,” I hissed.
“I don’t care,” he grabbed me by the shoulders, sounding separate, “Listen, Chloe means nothing to me. You’re the one I’m gonna end up with. I love you.l
‘You’re hurting me,” I squirmed. His fingers were digging into my skin and I tried to pull way but he was stronger than I was.
‘Didn’t you hear the part where I said I loved you? Come on, baby. Don’t throw away everything we’ve got because of someone inconsequential.”
He tried to kiss me but I avoided his touch.
Don’t you even think about it. You disgust me, Julian.”
Shaking free of his grip, I threw the door open and exited, slamming the door shut noisily. My hands flexed with the urge to drive a fist into the wall but I held on to my temper. Going off at the slightest provocation wasn’t going to earn me anything but a bad reputation.
t was after I walked out of that office I realized how exhausted I was. Ever since Charles’s wedding, I never new peace of mind. Was this what my fate had ins store for me? I didn’t want any of it, if that was the case. There was a vacant cubicle at the interns’ corner and I quickly dropped into the chair with a sigh of
rustration.
This was going to be a very long day, I could feel it in my bones.
Looking around, I tried to understand what my job here actually was. A computer set, paper pad and an igly mug were all staring back at me,
What am I even supposed to be doing here?” I muttered to no one in particular. The other interns who were resent had their noses buried in different files and I didn’t want to be that one girl who bothered everybody else.
My question was answered when Melinda popped up like a villain in a comic book, her perma scowl in
place.
‘I have a task for you,” she stated with no preamble.
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An ugly retort on what she could do with her task sat on the tip of my tongue but didn’t make it out.
Which is?” I asked, leaning back against my chair.
Melinda’s nostrils flared at my nonchalant tone but she refused to comment on that, instead she answered,
Some clients of ours are proving difficult. You have to persuade them to sign the contract in their
ossession.”
‘he smirk on her face told me there was a catch.
Okay? And who are these clients?” I probed further.
The Pennington brothers.”
he cubicle grew eerily silent as the chatter around us died down. I think I heard a horrified gasp from one
f the interns. The task sounded easy enough, but I smelled a rat.
Where are you going with this?” I asked her outright. I was not in the mood to play games.
Ier lashes fluttered innocently. “This is me being nice, Zelda.”
covered a scoff with a cough.
Are you taking the job or not?” She asked.
It’s not like I have a choice, do I?” I retorted.
Ah, you’re a fast learner. Get it done by the end of today and prove your worth or risk being fired,@ she laid lown the gauntlet.
Well, thank goodnes I was never one to back down from a challenge. Meeting her gaze head-on, I accepted
he task with a nod.
Fine. I’ll do it.”
I’ll send you the address, then,” she added. For some reason, her self-satisfied smile didn’t sit right with me.
couldn’t put my finger on why it was so aggravating; I just knew it was.
‘One more thing,” she paused, “Chloe doesn’t like disrespect. She hates it, even. What happened today must not happen again if you wish to keep on working here.” After this, she walked out of the room and I turned back to staring at my computer.
A sliver of worry ran through me while I slowly worked my nerves into a frenzy. Did I go too far with Chloe? Was I just supposed to stand there and let her speak to me like a nobody?
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“Sitting here isn’t gonna solve your problems,” I told myself anyway. I had to get off my butt and go prove Melinda wrong.
I found Lily in her cubicle which was just as drab as mine. She gave me one of her illuminating smiles when she looked up to see me standing beside her.
“Hey! Need something? Maybe that tour I was supposed to give you?”
“No, thanks.” I refuted, wondering how she ran on so much energy.
“It’s something bigger, actually.”
She kicked away from her desk, indicating I had her full focus.
“I’m all ears.”
“Melinda just assigned a task to me, something about getting some guys named Pennington to sign a
contract?”
The gasp Lila gave urther strengthened my suspicions that there was something fishy going on.
‘What?” I asked, alarmed. “Do these people exist or did she send me on some wild goose chase to punish
me?l My brain churned out worst case scenarios I could think of.
Lila shook her head, pity turning her mouth down in a scowl.
‘They do exist. But they’re very unscrupulous characters who are very difficult to deal with
‘Whoa, whoa. We’re in business with dirty guys? Why?”
prided my company on having nothing to do with delinquents. Julian, apparently, had no such morals.
‘Honestly, they bring in more money than any other client. And we all know the cash keeps this whole thing
running.”
[udging from what I’d seen, the company was barely running but I kept that observation to myself. This was Melinda’s way of trying to put me in my place for sure. What she didn’t know was that she had messed with the wrong woman.
‘Well, I’ve got to go meet them or Melinda is gonna have all the excuses she needs to fire me. Thanks for the
info.”
I raised a hand in farewell, ready to leave.
“Wait!” Lila stopped me. She the stood up from her chair and began rifling through her bag.
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“What are you doing?”
She stared at me. “I can’t let you walk into the lion’s den alone. I’m coming with you.”
Rattle was the name of the club. It was upscale and located in the trendy part of town according to the address Melinda had sent. I’d passed by here a few times before and was aware of how busy it always was. But today, I’d looked different, more quiet in the daytime than it did at night.
‘I was hoping this meeting would take place in a more official setting.” I murmured, staring up at the proud sign on the building.
Lila nodded out a sigh. “They own the club and they practically live here.”
Just great,” I said before pulling the door open and going in, not knowing what to expect.
t took a while for my eyesight to adjust to the dim lighting. When it did, I took in the dance floor, the booths with poles and the sensual decor. Nothing out of the ordinary for your average club.
At the bar, there was a man casually dressed in jeans and a shirt cleaning the wooden top.
Nudging Lila, I gestured at the man with my chin and she nodded silently before we approached him.
Excuse me.”
His head quickly snapped up at my voice.
Sorry, we aren’t open yet, sweetheart,” he shot me a charming smile.
Come back much, much later,” he eyed my work clothes. “And in something skimpier.”
ignored his blatant flirting.
‘We’re actually here for the Pennington brothers?”
In a flash, his affable expression was gone, replaced with one of suspicion.
‘Who’s asking?”
Lily spoke up this time.
“We’re from the insurance company.”
He still looked unsure of our motives even as he gave us directions.
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“First room down the hallway.”
“Thank you,” Lily quickly showed her gratitude while I didn’t bother with the niceties and stomped down the hallway to where a line of rooms were located.
We stopped at the first door, just as the bartender had instructed, and Lila raised her fist to knock.
Then she froze her fist mid air. “Wait, are we supposed to knock?”
Her question had me thinking twice. “I mean, isn’t it common courtesy?”
“Sure,” she agreed. “But wouldn’t it be better to take them by surprise?”
‘Just knock on the door, for Christ’s sake.”
I didn’t want to walk in on an orgy or worse and the best way to avoid that was to announce our presence.
‘Fine, fine,” she grudgingly agrees before knocking twice.
There was no answer.
She then slowly opened the door and we hesitantly went in.
‘Hello?”
The stench hit me first before I took in the chaos around me. There were littered boxes of takeout and bottles of alcohol lying about and unfinished lines of white on every surface. I scrunched up my face in
lisgust.
Lounging in a chair, at the middle of the pigsty, were two men. Their clothes were dishevelled and their cheeks ruddy.
The better looking one stared in our direction. He didn’t even bother hiding his leer when he spied the both of us. My skin crawled as his beady eyes scanned my body, before announced,
‘Would you look at that, brother? The strippers are finally here,”
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