Page 38 of Serena
With tears in her eyes, she says, “Xander and I got into a huge fight, and I left.”
“Did he hurt you?” That’s always my first question. The thought of her in danger makes me sick to my stomach.
“No, he would never do that,” she continues. “My dad sent over the prenup that he wants Xander to sign. We hadn’t even looked at it when Xander accused me of not believing in us, inhim. When I defended Dad’s reasons, it just got worse, so I left.”
“Yuri, you know your dad’s right about this.”
“Yes, but I wish Xander saw it the same way.”
Yuri’s dad is a divorce attorney, so he knows what he’s doing. Granted, he’s also been divorced twice. Between her father and my parents, marriage isn’t something I strive for. Hell, I don’t even think relationships are, but I don’t vocalize it now. I can tell she doesn’t want to talk, so I just order Chinese food and turn on a mindless show on my new television. Yuri decides to stay the night, so we just lie in bed.
“Remember when we lived together, and we’d fall asleep like this?” she reminisces.
“Yes, whenever we had a bad day. You with your dad and Elias, or both, and me when I couldn’t sleep. Either because of the nightmares or my anxiety. Yuri, you saved me so many times. Promise me that you won’t ever let Xander or anyone hurt you. Please promise me.”
“I promise.”
I stare at my friend as she closes her eyes, and I can’t help but wonder. I don’t know when, but eventually, I fall asleep.
Yuri left early this morning,no doubt to go back home and patch things up with Xander. So I decide to head into the office a bit early to prepare for a big meeting. Claudia’s eyes widen as I approach my office.
“Good Morning, Ms. Nerva. Mr. Kayde is using your office to make a call.” Damn it. I planned on avoiding him at all costs.
“Thanks, Claudia, but Mr. Kayde has his own office,” I say loud enough for Ian to hear.
“I’m going to assume you realized how intolerable my son can be?” A voice comes from my office. I turn to Claudia. “It’s notthatMr. Kayde.” She winces.
“Oh, it’s not her fault. I came in and just took over,” says Miguel Kayde as he comes out of my office. He is so handsome—the older version of his son, but with a short, salt-and-pepper beard and hazel eyes, almost the color of honey. We make our way into my office, and he motions for me to take a seat in my chair.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Kayde, I didn’t mean to.”
“Oh, no need, Ms. Nerva. I know my son can be overbearing and controlling. He tends to bulldoze his way into things.”Like father, like son.
“Is there anything that I can help you with?” I ask.
“No, I’m here to observe for a couple of hours. I need to make sure my son isn't running my company into the ground.”
“I can guarantee he isn’t. I’ll personally make sure of that.” I smile.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve seen the reports and projections. Very impressive, Ms. Nerva.”
“Serena, please call me Serena.”
“Very well, Serena.” He stands up and makes his way out of the office. “I’m going to go look for my son. I’ll see you shortly, Serena.”
He does as he said he would, staying for the meetings, asking questions about next year's forecasting, and recapping the recent audits. He genuinely seems to care. I can see there’s tension between Miguel and Ian, but I don’t focus on that. I’m here to do my job. “Serena, I'm very impressed.” He glances at Ian, who’s looking in my direction. “It seems that I did my due diligence when I hired you,” he says.
“Yes, you did, Father. Serena is great at what she does.” I can feel my cheeks flush and all eyes on me. Kayde Senior stands up and looks at me, then back to Ian, who isn’t paying him any attention. “Well, everyone, if you don’t mind. I’ll be taking my leave,” Kayde Senior announces. “It was a pleasure meeting you all.” He looks at me with a smile, then walks out the door.
It’s almost the end of the day, thank goodness. Fridays are one of the busiest days for investment firms because last-minute meetings take place before closing of business. I look up to see Claudia walking into my office.
“Here, I didn’t see you take lunch, and this was in the refrigerator with your name on it.” She hands me a container with a small envelope taped to it. It’s slices of jícama with a smaller container of chili powder and sliced limes. I take it and open the envelope.
Enjoy. Ian
I can’t help but smile. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I look down and find the container is empty. My desk phone rings, and I see it’s Claudia calling from her desk.
“Hello, Ms. Nerva.” She’s using formalities, so this must be important.
