With an opportunity of a lifetime to make her entrepreneurial dreams come true, Thea finds it getting increasingly harder to hide her attraction to her boss, Aiden Steele - not knowing that the man under all the cold layers has a secret worth millio...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
If I had thought Aiden was an arse, Ridgely was breaking my back. Within the first ten minutes, he'd cursed my family and asked me impossible things that terrified me and things I had no answers to.
It didn't help that my head was still wrapped around Aiden's hot and cold behaviour, even though I should have expected it, really. In his car, the atmosphere was terribly rigid and right before he dropped me near the coffee shop, he'd been more than clear that I was only interning under him and this was strictly a business deal. Well, he used lesser words, but yeah. And I had agreed with him wholeheartedly. But then I'd walked in the lobby to find him still there, even though he should have reached there at least ten minutes before me, chatting with Mary and my blood was singing at the sight of her laughing.
I had full intention to ignore her as always and walk away, but her laugh had been piercing my ears and she called me before I could escape, "Oh, Theodora, good morning!"
"Morning, Mary!" I plastered a smile on my face, trying to turn and walk away. But Mary didn't let me.
"Hey, Theodora, come here!" Jesus, fuck.
"The girls and I are planning a little get-together after work today. Just to unwind, you know? It'll be fun, and Lydia and Jade would be there too. I thought you'd like to join."
"I would, really, but I already have plans tonight. I'll pass. Some other time, maybe?" In my experience, adding the last line really made all the difference when rejecting any offer. People don't usually feel as offended. But Mary wasn't most people.
"There won't be an invitation next time," she said frigidly, before looking over at Aiden and laughing, as it was all a joke. Even though Aiden was typing something on his phone, I knew we had his attention. It was just the way his face acted when he was eavesdropping.
"I'll be glad for it," I smiled, hoping she could see how absolutely dumb her threat was. I didn't like her, and I didn't want to get along with her. I just wanted to keep my distance from her till this internship lasted and then I wouldn't ever see her again. I wished someday I'd be important enough to get someone out of a job. That would be so much power. I'd feel no remorse kicking Mary's ass right out of those revolving glass doors.
"That's no way to talk to your colleagues, Thea." Aiden's attention was on us now, undivided. Before I could come up with a smartass reply, Aiden continued, "You will go tonight."
"I have plans." My jaw was tight, just seconds short of trying to maul those pretty brown eyes off his face. Just who the fuck is he?
"Not my problem."
"Aiden, it's fine. We can catch up some other time if she has other commitments." I hadn't even noticed Lydia behind Aiden till she spoke, but I was glad for her presence. The woman was a godsend.
"What are these commitments, may I ask?" Mary had leaned over her reception desk, resting her chin in her palms.
"Is it a date with that guy you were talking about?" Lydia spoke before I could. Now there was no guy I had been talking about. Dating had been out of the cards for quite some time now.
