Page 19 of Heartless

“Do that, and you’ll be the one cleaning it,” he paused. “Why are you here? What happened in New York?”

I smiled. “Nice try.” Then I bent down, took the contract from the couch and slapped it across his chest. “Are you going to revise this, or should I call Annie?”

“I’ll revise it alright.”

That sounded like a threat, but I had to ignore it for now. “You know how to find me when it’s ready for my signature.”

I walked out of there, confident that I had won. I didn’t want a new boss. No way he would agree to my terms and bind himself to me witha contract. But then the next day, Katie sent it to me revised, ready for my approval.

Parker had added everything I asked for in the contract. The clauses sounded like restrictions, not perks. I couldn’t eat at the restaurant. Room service was mandatory. The horror. If this was his revenge, I could take it and ask for more.

The only problem was I really didn’t want another boss. I was good enough to work on my own. Annie freaking Foster hired me to plan her wedding. That was an opportunity I wouldn’t miss, nor would I ruin by petty fights with Parker Wilson.

Did I want to be his employee and obey his orders? No.

Did I want to live with my mother and obey hers? Also no.

Who was the biggest threat to my sanity? Parker or Sylvia?

As much as I wanted to say it was Parker, I would be lying.

Besides, for me, this was all about the weddings. I always loved creating something beautiful. Something that took people’s breaths away when they saw it. I helped people have their perfect day. Their gratitude and genuine happiness were the source of my satisfaction in life? Was that pathetic? Depends on how you look at it.

And I chose to draw gratification from my work. I had invested the last ten years of my life in it. I had control. People needed me. People appreciated me. Starting a family wasn’t for me. I didn’t thrive in the family setting. I thrived at work.

So I signed my contract and the next day I arrived at The Gem. Unfortunately for me, it turned out that Parker had tricked me after all. Because he wasn’t giving me The Pink Diamond.

Chapter Seven

Parker

Having Madison signing her contract, thinking she would be staying in The Pink Diamond, was the highlight of my month. After I realized that, I decided Ryan was right. I needed a hobby.

“Katie,” I approached my personal assistant as I was leaving my office for the day. “There is something I want you to do first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I want you to make a list of hobbies.”

Katie tilted her head to the side. “Hobbies, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she hesitated. “How many hobbies should I include on the list?”

“Ten should befine.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you, Katie.” I tapped her desk with my knuckles and left.

Passing through the lobby, I noticed Melany was on shift. She had made it pretty clear she disliked Madison, so we had that in common.

“Melany?”

“Mr. Wilson?”

A genuine smile formed on her face. She seemed so nice and friendly. So different from my newly employed event planner. I felt bad about what I was about to ask from her, but I spent too much time obsessing over all the ways Madison could fuck me over. It was bad enough that she would spend the next few months at The Gem, grating on my nerves. I should at least try to get her out of my head when she wasn’t in front of my eyes. Which meant I needed someone to monitor her for me.

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