Chapter 93 - Book 2


    The subway to work is crowded as usual, even at this early hour the smell and noise are overwhelming.


    I’m overly fragile, nausea guing me all the time these days; the stress of moving offices and away


    from Jake making me physically ill.


    I check my watch for the fiftieth time this morning.


    I’mte again … What the hell is wrong with metely?


    I groan inwardly. I can’t seem to get my head together or get back on track with anything. Giovanni


    Carrero has yelled at me so many times thesest three weeks, I feel like resigning. He’s demoted me


    to coffee bearer for now and I’m slowly losing everything I’ve worked for. My reputation as an efficient


    PA is shot and I’ve heard the rumors circting the building.


    Jake Carrero dismissed me for my ipetence and moved me to his father’s building, because he


    felt sorry for me.


    That stung. The lies upset me, but I push them down into the depths of my mind along with everything


    else about Jake Carrero. It’s better than people knowing the truth; that the stupid, naive PA fell in love


    with her boss and he didn’t feel the same way.


    That truth hurts more than rumors and lies ever could.


    His father has more assistants than he needs but he likes to be surrounded by a swarm of servants, yet


    still, I am surplus to requirements it seems. So, instead, I''ve be a glorified receptionist without a


    desk or any actual tasks or responsibility. I am that person who is asked to do the menial things, like


    hauling files to the library, making trips to Starbucks, and serving hot drinks to stuffed shirts when a


    meeting is in full swing. It just adds to the rumors that I am useless.


    My life is over.


    I''ve thought about leaving so many times, scanning the ssifieds in the paper almost every chance I


    get, but something always holds me back.


    More like someone!


    Somehow, still working for the Carrero Corporation is my link to Jake and I’m not ready to let him go


    just yet if I ever will be. The pain is still too raw even though I haven’t seen him or heard from him. This


    is the true definition of being frozen out and even the office gossips don’t seem to know about anything


    going on in Jake’s life since he dismissed me.


    That’s the whole point of him keeping his staff small and in his trust, I guess. Unlike his father, who has


    an army of minions and everyone seems to know Senior Carrero’s business. He’s so public about a lot


    of things, and loud, andmanding.


    He yells at staff frequently and isn’t shy about his movements or dragging an entourage with him


    wherever he goes. He has a mix of security, assistants, and god knows what else, always crowded


    around him pandering to his every whim. I miss Jake’s less inted, uplicated character. He’s only


    ever needed me … as ironic as that is.


    I walk thest block to my new office building; it stands tall and blindingly bright, another column of


    pointy ss and harsh edges—just like Executive House. A sharp knife looking column amid the


    Manhattan corporates, standing as tall as most. I shudder. I hate working here. I hate everything about


    this ce. I miss what I had at Executive House in so many ways, beyond Jake.


    The sterile interior is uninviting, and the staff at Carrero Tower are always so afraid to step out of line


    under themand of Senior. The rxed aura of Executive House ispletely absent in this


    building and I never thought I’d see the day where I missed Jake’sxness and personal touch. The


    whole atmosphere between the two is so different.


    The receptionist casts me a disapproving look as I shuffle past in a hurry, knowing for a fact I look


    disheveled. I slept in, rushed about, and practically got dressed while running out the door. This shorter


    wavy style in my hair is always doing its own thing nowadays but I simply don’t care anymore. I re


    back at her icily to cut off her stare.


    Yes, I’mte … I don’t fucking care.


    She nces away fast. She’s met my anger before; during the first three days I was here. She spilled


    coffee down my cream pencil skirt when passing, so I unleashed teen Emma in a rather grand fashion.


    I’d been a touchy, aggressive, nightmare those first few days and one wrong word got her a tongue


    lashing from hell. My face twists into a snarl, thinking of the calm and controlled Emma of the past who


    was always so poised.


    Where is she now?


    She’s jumped off a goddamn bridge! I can’t seem to muster her ofte, no matter what. I miss her. Jake


    Carrero killed her; weeks of tears can do that to a person.


    I drop my bag and cell on the desk in the office, among the sea of temp desks. It’s pretty much a free


    for all where you sit when you need a seat. I miss having my own office and my own space, but it’s not


    like I deserve it anymore. The inclination to run and organize my new boss’s life has deserted me. I


    have zero interest in his calendar or responsibilities. I’m a train wreck nowadays and probably couldn’t


    organize an alcoholic’s party in a brewery.


    My cell vibrates across the table, Sarah’s name lights up the screen along with her face brightening it


    with a grinning selfie. She never calls me at work so concern rises in my stomach as I reach for it.


    She’s my best friend and roommate, but even she knows not to bother me here.


    “Sarah, what is it?” I ask in a clipped tone,ced with nervous apprehension, inner dread rising that


    something is wrong.


    At least I still have anxiety by my side.


    Nothing changed there then.


    “Emma, I’m really sorry to bother you at work … I know you don’t like it … But your mother is here,” she


    mumbles sheepishly then silences at my angry gasp of air.


    “What the f—?” I cut myself off, ncing around the room for listening ears. There are a couple of


    assistants milling about so I lower my voice, bringing my mouth to the receiver to quietly hiss.


    “What the hell is she doing there?” I know I shouldn’t take this out on Sarah, she’s only the messenger


    but I’m seething from every pore at the mere mention of Jocelyn Anderson’s appearance. Weak


    pathetic woman who chose another abusive boyfriend over sense or logic.


    She has no right to show up like this! Invading my life after what she’s done.


    “She says she came to see you … To talk … What shall I do with her, Ems? I need to leave for work


    soon, I’m on an early shift today.” She sounds genuinely upset, knowing she’s stuck between a rock


    and a hard ce, but my girl knows which side she should be rooting for—if she has any sense at all. I


    take a steadying breath, pushing down my internal rage in a bid to remain calm and adjust my tone to


    as neutral as I can muster.


    “Show her the door,” I reply bluntly. “I need to get back to work, Sarah. Goodbye.”


    “Emma, but—”


    I hang up quickly. I know Sarah will try to talk me around, but I can’t deal with this right now. I can’t deal


    with anythingtely. I just need everything in my messed up, pitiful life, to take ten steps back, give my


    brain time to stop reeling and find its feet again. Thest few weeks have been one constant headache


    and I’m drowning, I can barely breathe with it all.


    My cell rings again but I reject the call. Sarah is persistent, more so ofte since the changes in me


    have hit her hard; I feel like she’s been smothering me with over-protectiveness. She doesn’t know this


    version of me, this unraveling mess of tears and bad moods, the scatter brain behavior, or the chaos


    I’m leaving in my wake. I think even she longs for a hint of the old Emma toe back and I’m really


    trying, for both our sakes. Her insecurity over my new persona is obvious and upsetting.


    Somehow the mention of my mother has flipped a little switch inside me though and a wave of numb


    seeps in as the icy controlled part of PA Emma takes hold. I’ll have to deal with my mother at some


    point, just not right now, and it only angers me further that she thinks she can just waltz in


    unannounced as though I owe her my time. I lift my chin defiantly.


    That’s right, use the anger to fuel your return, cling on to that tiny piece of defiance and get your


    goddamn life back on track!


    I am relieved at the tiny inkling of fire burning deep down inside my belly once more.


    You’re still in there, Emma. You can do this.


    Walking into the board room I catch sight of the mess left behind from the breakfast meeting I obviously


    missed. Not that I really care. I sigh, heavily, since it’s me who is going to have to clear this up, despite


    this floor paying cleaners to keep the ce tidy—but they usually only appear after hours. I pout at the


    monotonous tasks that have be mine. It’s so deting considering I used to travel the world as the


    right hand of an aplished CEO.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    What the hell happened to me? This timest month I was PA to Jake Carrero! I was organizing his


    entire life, sitting in five-star hotels, pouring over contracts with him. We were friends and the whole


    time I was trying to ignore the fact I was head over heels in love with him.


    I shake my head, discarding the thoughts thate uninvited into my mind, and start picking up the


    scattered documents and brochures from the table and returning them to the cart to be filed away. I


    stack the empty mugs and tes on the trolley, meant for serving food and drink, by the door. At least I


    can lose myself in cleaning up this room and bringing some calm back to the chaos in my head. I set


    myself to task, submerging my brain into deep cleaning the room and wiping away the mess made by


    its previous upants; hopefully some of it will rub off on my thoughts and help me get back to myself.