"I am here to see Lyvana Montclair," Catalina said to Bertha who was standing by the front desk holding a tablet.
Bertha looked up with a bright smile. "Do you have an appointnt for today, ma’am?"
Catalina let out a cold, mocking laugh. "I didn’t think I needed an appointnt to see soone in a... a fashion house. It’s not exactly an important place, is it?"
Bertha suddenly felt a flash of anger, but she kept her voice calm and professional.
"I am sorry, ma’am, but you do need an appointnt to see the owner of this particular fashion house," Bertha replied firmly.
Catalina stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "What impudence! Do you have any idea who I am?"
Bertha didn’t blink.
"No, ma’am," she said calmly. "But I do know the rules of this office. You can’t see the owner without an appointnt."
Catalina’s expression darkened, clearly not used to being dismissed with such a powerful last na.
"I am Catalina Windsor," she said slowly, as if the na alone should open every door in the building.
A couple of assistants looked up from the racks of garnts.
"Ok," Bertha replied politely. "However, that still does not give you an appointnt."
Catalina’s lips parted in disbelief.
"You’re refusing to let see her?"
"I’m asking you to schedule a proper eting," Bertha corrected.
Nick stood with his hands in his pockets, his eyes moving from Bertha’s calm face to Catalina’s shaking hands. As the PR manager, he was trained to spot a disaster before it started, and the woman standing in the lobby looked like a walking explosion.
He approached them cautiously.
"Nick, Miss Catalina here insists on seeing Lyvana without an appointnt," Bertha said, not moving an inch.
"Miss Catalina," Nick said, his voice smooth. "Welco. Please, forgive Bertha. She’s new here and takes her job very seriously."
Catalina turned her glare towards him. "Finally, soone with a brain. I want to speak with Lyvana, now."
"I’m afraid Ms. Lyvana is in the middle of a very delicate design session. If you leave your na, I can pass along the ssage or have Bertha here, schedule an appointnt."
Catalina straightened slowly, her gaze sweeping over the showroom with pure disdain.
Suddenly the inner office door swung open and Lyvana walked out, deep in conversation with Celeste Armand and Lucille. She looked exhausted, her hair slightly ssy from work.
After Celeste left, she turned to go back to the office but froze when she saw Catalina. Her heart hamred against her ribs. She was the last person Lyvana expected to see.
What is she doing here? She looked like she was arguing with Nick.
She walked towards them regaining her composure.
"It’s alright, Nick," Lyvana said. "I’ll handle this."
The door closed behind them with a heavy thud. In the lobby, the staff looked at each other in surprise, wondering what the rude Windsor woman wanted with their boss.
Inside the office, Lyvana didn’t sit down. She walked over to her desk and leaned against it, crossing her arms. She wanted this to be over quickly.
Catalina didn’t wait to be invited. She began to walk around the room, running a gloved finger over the sketches pinned to the wall as if she were inspecting a cri scene.
"So, this is it," she said. "A little office in a little building. You’ve done well for a girl with nothing, Lyvana. Truly."
"Look, I have a business to run, Miss," Lyvana said flatly. "Why are you here? Are you lost?"
Catalina stopped walking and turned to face her.
"First of all, it’s Mrs." Catalina lifted her hand to show a small gold ring.
"Congratulations."
"I’m also here to give you a warning," Catalina said walking towards her. "Julian is married to now. But I’m sure you already know that."
Lyvana’s heart gave a painful tug at the ntion of Julian, but she kept her face like stone.
"I have nothing to do with Julian anymore," she said crossing her arms. "You won."
"Oh, I know I won," Catalina laughed, stepping closer until she was only inches away. "He doesn’t even want to here your na. When I told him you called, he didn’t care. He said you were boring and he’d rather forget all about you."
Lyvana felt a sting of pain, but she didn’t let it show. "If you’re so confident that he’s forgotten , then why are you standing in my office? You look like soone who is very, very afraid."
Catalina’s face twisted, and her smile vanished. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope, tossing it onto Lyvana’s desk.
"That is 20 million dollars. More money than this shop will make in five years," Catalina hissed. "Take it. It’s all yours. If you ever try to contact Julian, or if you ever let him see your face again, I will make sure you lose everything, including your precious little business."
Lyvana looked at the envelope, then back at Catalina. A small, cold smile touched her lips.
"You can take your money and leave, Catalina," Lyvana said quietly. "I’m going to stay away from Julian because I want to. Not because of your empty threats, and certainly not because you told to. Now, get out before I have security throw you out for the the paparazzi to feast on."
Catalina’s eyes turned murderous. She leaned in, whispering so softly it sounded like a snake. "Don’t play with , Lyvana. You won’t survive the fall."
She turned on her heel and marched out of the office, slamming the door behind her.
For a mont, Lyvana stood very still in the middle of the office.
Then the strength left her legs.
She slowly walked to the chair behind her desk and sat down.
A single tear slipped down her cheek but she wiped it away with the back of her hand.
A few minutes later, the office door opened and Emily walked in, balancing two coffee cups and a small paper bag filled with snacks.
"I brought reinforcents," she announced cheerfully. "Because you skipped lunch agai—"
She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Lyvana’s face. And her smile slowly faded.
"What happened?" she asked softly, placing the coffee on the desk.
Elsewhere at the TechSphere headquarters, Lily sat at her desk, Infront of the CEO’s office. She was halfway through a stack of invoices when her desk phone vibrated.
She glanced at the caller ID and felt a pulse of annoyance.
"I told you, don’t call during work hours. Send an email instead."
"Look, I don’t have ti for emails and you won’t want to wait for one," Marco’s voice ca through. "The new Mrs. Grant just ca out of Aurora."
Lily’s pen stopped moving. Her heart skipping a beat. "What in the—"
User Comments
0 comments from readers