Page 26 of The Enemy

“She didn’t,” I replied all too happily. “If she keeps coming down here unannounced, people might get the wrong idea that you need Mommy holding your hand while you work.”

“I have a job?—”

“Everyone knows how much you love helping the elderly…”

“Enough,” Neo spat at both of us. His eyes went toward the other employees. He knew damn well we were one shout away from laying our dirty laundry at everyone’s feet.

“I’m taking my lunch now. I want the reports on last week’s sales on my desk before I return. Don’t forget I have a meeting with the board tomorrow.”

I bit my lip in hopes it would stop my mouth from getting ahead of me. That last bit he threw out was a warning that tomorrow he would give the crusty men at the round table a report on how I was doing.

When I become head of this company, I will fire them. I don’t know what loopholes I have to find, but I will find them—hell, I am not afraid of blackmail.

An idea instantly popped into my head, but before it could fully form a loud tap to my desk pulled me back from my thoughts.

“I don’t pay you to daydream,” Neo bit out.

I smiled up at him.

“Good thing my grandfather pays us and not you.”

Neo just rolled his eyes, but instead of continuing our little spat, he held out his elbow for his mother to take.

“Better hurry along, Pricilla. I do believe they are still doing senior discounts.”

She scoffed but didn’t bother engaging me any more, and it was probably for the best. I never knew when to hold my tongue.

If I was being honest, working under Neo wasn’t all that bad. I mean, we all had to suck it up to our superiors, it just made it all that much worse that my superior wasn’t someone I was too keen on being on my metaphorical knees for.

My mother always told me pride was one sure way to get us killed. And although my pride had taken a hit this past week, I was determined to learn all I could. Every defeat was a learning opportunity, and what better way to know my enemy's weakness than right under his nose?

I took a day to wallow in self-pity when I realized that I had never been in a position to study Neo. He was like a figment of my imagination, just coming in and out of my life as he pleased. Our interactions had been minimal, and now, thanks to him, I got to be around him all the time.

I would destroy Neo from the inside. The only thing of my family he would have would be our last name, and I would make sure he would come to regret that.

By the time lunch had ended, I had my reports done and figured I might as well put them on Neo’s desk before he returned. Just as I got up from my desk, my cell phone rang.

Mierda. Shit.

Good thing Neo wasn’t here. I was usually good with having it on silent mode, and the last thing I wanted was for him to berate me for being unprofessional. The caller ID said that Clove was calling me, and since she knew I was at work and wouldn’t call me unless it was an emergency, I decided what the hell, it couldn’t hurt.

“I’m working,” was my greeting.

“I know, bitch, but there’s a huge party tonight. We have to go.”

The only reason I didn’t roll my eyes was because she couldn’t see me. I took my reports and went to put them on Neo’s desk. I was about to leave when I noticed his wallet on his desk.

With cell phone pay, I guess it was an easy mistake to make unless he was making Mommy pay, but I doubt he would do that to her.

“Whose party?” I asked, remembering that Clove was still on the line.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m sure he’s friends with Tatum, so your brother will probably be there.”

I almost gagged when she called Neo my brother, but the fact that I was now snooping through Neo’s cards stopped me.

“Yeah, I’ll go,” I told her, mostly to get her off the line before Neo returned.

The reports I left on his desk were forgotten as I held various bank card in my hands. Neo Caldwell was a thing of the past, as his cards had now all been changed to my family’s last name. Taking his black Amex would have been very obvious, so I settled on the next best thing. A giddy feeling went through me as I walked out of his office with it.

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