19. Jane

Icould hear William and Mr. Bolton loud and clear. I was pretty sure everyone in the entire building could hear them. We all knew they weren't each other"s biggest fans but it has never been this bad. I'd never heard William so… unbridled.

I didn't know what to do so I called the only person I hoped would have answers. William would never forgive me for this but someone needed to intervene before things got even more out of hand.

Bernard Aldaine arrived shortly after my call, just when William and Mr. Bolton had gotten to the crescendo of their shouting match. Apparently, he was already on his way here because he needed to talk to William about the Noble Bank issue. I wasn't around for the meeting so Kelly from HR had to fill in for me.

I'd read her summary of the meeting when I came in this morning. Leaving early was a petty way to handle the situation with William but it was the only thing I could do. I needed to remind myself about the truth of our marriage.

It was a contract. Nothing else.

"How long have they been in there?" Bernard asked.

"Not long," I lied. There was no need for him to know that the match had been going on for at least half an hour. It seemed the men were finally saying everything they wanted to say.

" …arrogant child who would be nothing without your family's money." Mr. Bolton's voice floated through.

I winced slightly because I knew that insult would cut William deeply. Bernard shook his head and pushed the door open.

The men snapped their heads to us and I immediately regretted calling Bernard. I also regretted walking in with him. I could have easily sat at my desk.

William's eyes collided with mine and the fire in them terrified me. I'd never seen him so angry. We'd fought and argued on many occasions but this was different. This was pure rage.

I looked away and my eyes caught Mr. Bolton before settling on the floor. The older man's head was a bright red color that almost made me laugh. He looked like he could barely breathe.

"Grandfather," William said, sounding confused.

"Mr. Aldaine, welcome." Mr. Bolton walked over to shake the man.

I could feel Williams gaze on me but I refused to look at him. I didn't want him to see the guilt in my eyes. Technically, Bernard would have come here no matter what so why did I feel guilty?

For some weird reason, it felt like I'd thrown William under the bus. "Excuse me," I said as I slunk out of the room.

I sat outside and waited. Their voices were a lot quieter but every once in a while I would hear William or Mr. Bolton lose their cool. A new wave of guilt washed over me.

What would William do when he found out that I had called his grandfather?

Two days passed since William and Mr. Bottom almost tore each other's hair out. He gave me a ride home when the day was over. In the car, I'd told him I called Bernard and he simply nodded. It bothered me that he didn't say anything else. I didn't know if he was angry or if he felt I did the right thing.

He'd driven me home today as well but when we got to the parking lot he said he had something important to do. I got out and he drove off. Now, I was sitting in the penthouse alone, waiting for him to come back.

The elevator dinged and I shot up from my seat on the couch. I looked like a pet, happy that its owner had finally returned home.

My face fell when I saw who stepped out of the elevator. Black heels made soft matching sounds on the tiles and blonde hair came into view.

Kiara's mid-length white skirt swayed as she walked over to me. "Well, don't look too happy to see me."

"Sorry," I said, smiling sheepishly. I'd made my desperation to see William too obvious.

Why did I want to see him so desperately anyway?

"It's fine, dear. I guess my son isn't home then?"

"No, he isn't."

"I don't know why he's never home when I come here," she said as she shook her head. "Anyway, I actually came to see you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Kiara and I made our way back to the living room. She took her usual seat in the armchair and I sat opposite her. "I heard you turned down a job at Bella's Elite."

"Yes, I did. I worked there for three years and I didn't want to go back to the same thing."

She nodded. "Hmm. And would you be up for something new?"

"New?"

"Yes. I want you to come work for me."

Shocked would be the understatement of the century. I was too stunned to speak while Kiara talked about how she was there when William found out I turned Mirabel's job offer down. She said she wanted to give me a job so I could have something for myself but she would understand if I wanted to stay on as William's assistant. She said she understood what it was like living in the shadow of a successful man and she resonated with the desire for something more.

Kiara was offering to pay me three times what my salary was at Bella's Elite and I would be a Senior Editor. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of. I knew Kiara owned a fashion magazine but I never expected her to offer me a job there. KAS Gazette was a smaller publication than Bella's Elite but in the four years that they'd been in business, they"d managed to achieve things that took other fashion publications decades. Kiara was very passionate about her work and she had the money and resources to fund her vision. It would be an absolute honor to work with her.

"Jane?"

I blinked and shook my head. "Sorry, I kind of zoned out."

"You shouldn't feel pressured into accepting the job. I just wanted to—

"I want the job!" I shouted, shocking Kakra slightly with my outburst. "Sorry."

Kiara laughed. "It's fine."

She handed me the employment contract and I read through it while she walked off to speak with Josie. My mind drifted to William as the words on the paper danced before me. Would he be upset when he found out I was leaving?

Probably not.

William doesn't care about you, I reminded myself. I realized I was starting to blur the lines between real and fake. I had forgotten what my marriage to William really was. It was a business agreement between two parties in need. There was no room for emotion in business.

I signed on the dotted line and sealed my fate. The last time I signed a contract, it bound me to a man who did not love me. And now this contract bound me to his mother.

I hoped she would still accept me after the divorce.

KAS Gazette was by far the most incredible place I'd ever walked into. It was great to see everyone working as a team no matter what level they were on. Krista had figured out what Bella's Elite never did.

Teamwork really did make the dream work. It seemed to be an integral part of how Kiara ran her business. Kiara's assistant, Lisa, led me to my office. She pushed the door open and revealed a small office that had already been set up for me.

I walked inside and she left me to get settled in. My hand ran over the desk as I took in the gorgeous space. I couldn't believe this office was all mine. I was finally getting everything I'd ever dreamed of.

The smile that spread across my face almost hurt but I didn't care. Nothing else mattered but this incredible moment. Standing where I've always wanted to be—in my own office, staring at a name plaque that had my name and ‘Senior Editor' written on it. I wondered how Kiara was able to get the name plaque done so quickly but I guessed those were one of the advantages of being rich.

I felt a strange pang of pain in my chest. I remembered the last time it felt like I was about to get everything I'd always wanted. I remembered the pain of having it snatched away from me. That pain was still fresh.

The investigation into the real culprit was still ongoing but I knew I'd have a name soon. What would I do when I found out?

How would I react? Would I have the guts to confront the culprit? Questions swarmed my mind until my head hurt and I forced myself to focus on the good in my life.

I picked the plaque up and traced the letters with my fingers. My hand gripped it tightly, almost like I was scared it would fall away.

"Senior Editor," I whispered as I traced the words.

My trance was interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. In the small office, the sound seemed louder than it usually was.

William's name glared back at me as I stared at the phone. He was the last Aldaine I wanted to speak to right now and yet the person I wanted to speak to the most. He had no idea about his mother"s job offer and it killed me to keep it from him. He would find out soon but I didn't want to look into his eyes when the truth came to life. I wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Hello," I said as I answered the call.

"Where the hell are you?" William's voice was so loud that I had to pull the phone away from my face. "I woke up and you were gone. I came to the office expecting to see you but you weren't here either. I was worried."

I silenced the part of myself that felt happy about his worry. Worrying about me should mean he cared about me but things were never that straightforward with William.

"Sorry, I—

"Jane, dear! How do you like your office?" Kiara walked into my new office, cutting my sentence short. She mouthed an apology and stepped back out when she saw I was on the phone.

"Was that my mother?" William asked. "Why are you with her and what did she mean by your office?"

"She… she didn't…" My voice trailed off as I struggled to come up with an excuse for what he heard.

"Where are you, Jane?"

I sighed. "KAS Gazette."

I waited for him to say something but he remained silent. Then the call dropped. I sighed again and tried to go back to admiring my new office but everything seemed bleaker than before.

After settling in, I decided to go see Kiara. She might have had something important to tell me when she walked in a while ago.

I walked to her office but I paused when I stood in front of the door. Through the glass doors of Kiara's office, I could see William sitting inside. He adjusted his tie as he listened to what his mother was saying. Somehow he knew I was there because his gaze shifted and our eyes collided.

Kiara signaled for me to come inside. I pushed the door open. "We were just talking about you," she said.

"Yes, I came over to wish you a great day at work. If only you had told me about your desire to leave early, I would have given you a ride." William's voice was terrifyingly cold despite the smile that was on his lips.

"It was a last-minute decision," I said. I looked away because I was unable to meet his eyes.

"Yes, I imagine that it was."

Silence fell between us and Kiara's gaze shifted from me to William. She could tell something was off but she didn't say anything. I was grateful that she didn't.

"I should get going. Now that my wife has a new job, I'll have to get a new assistant. You know how stressful it can be to find one on short notice but thankfully I received a heads up from my wife so I was prepared."

I bit my lip as regret lanced through me. I forgot that by leaving without any explanation, I was leaving William without an assistant.

"You can walk him out, Jane, and we can talk when you get back," Kiara said.

"Thank you." The last thing I wanted to do was walk William out but how would I explain that to her?

"So Senior Editor?" William asked when we were a few feet from his car.

"I'm so sorry. I should have told you."

He waved a hand. "It's fine. Congratulations."

I couldn't tell him if he was really happy or not. His features were unreadable. William got into his car and drove off. I stood there for a minute before I walked back into the building.

Things would be awkward when I got home but I would face that when the time came. For the moment, I just wanted to focus on my new job.

It wouldn't be easy to focus after what just happened but I would do my best.