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“Thanks, Marcus. We’re really excited.” I mean, I wouldn’t say I wasreallyexcited, but it was done now, and I was determined to make the most of it.
Marcus nodded, pausing for a moment as he glanced towards Grayson, who was standing a little apart from the group. “Now that the contracts are secure, I can make a little confession. I wasn’t sure about you guys, given how different this process was to how we usually go about things.”
“Oh?” Miriam’s tone was deceptively casual. “In what way?”
“Oh, nothing much, really. Just that Grayson has a very clear vision for the label, so when he said he couldn’t decide regarding Boudica, and wanted me to make the call on this one, I wasn’t expecting much. It took me less than two seconds to realize you were the perfect fit for Flow and the rest, of course, is history.” His voice held genuine warmth, and he seemed like a nice guy. Hopefully, we got to see more of him than Grayson.
“It’s nice of you to say so.” I couldn’t decide if Grayson distancing himself from the decision to sign us was good or bad, which made me feel uncomfortable.
“It’s only the truth.”
What was the point of stressing over it? The future of Boudica was now officially intertwined with Flow Records, and there was no getting away from that.
Marcus wandered away, and Miriam’s phone rang, jingling loudly in her back pocket. She hastily grabbed it and silenced the ringer. “It’s Eliza.”
“Answer it,” I said, when she hesitated.
“You sure?”
“Of course! It’s not every day your wife gets signed to a big record deal. Let her know.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Miriam stepped away, murmuring into the phone. There was a loud shrieking noise from the other end that had Miriam hurrying from the room.
The entire exchange made me smile, because Miriam’s previous girlfriend had broken her heart, and seeing her so happy now was just the best. Thinking I might try some of that bruschetta, I glanced around, looking for one of the waiters. Well, that was a bad fucking decision, because my gaze collided with Grayson’s. Every particle of air left my lungs and I swear my blood stopped pumping for ten seconds.
Oh, fuck. He looked like he was going to approach me. Talk to me. Abso-fucking-lutely not. My bag was where I’d left it, under my chair at the conference table. I grabbed it and headed for the door, hoping no one else would notice.
My hands were shaking when I reached the bank of elevators. Grayson’s office was on the twentieth floor and the nearest elevator was slowly climbing up from level four. I watched it stop at level five, swearing under my breath, tapping my foot impatiently.
The office door opened and closed, and I didn’t need to look to know it was Grayson.
Fuck off!I spun away, hurrying for the door to the stairs, shoving it open and going as fast as I could down the first flight.
The door banged open above me. His voice echoed down the stairwell. “Stefania! If you would just listen to me?—”
“No!” I froze, one hand on the railing as I turned to look up at him. “You listen to me! I would rather stick razor blades in my ears than hear a fuckingwordyou have to say!” The words tumbled out, harsh and loud, in the confined space.
I didn’t wait for his response. Turning on my heel, I bolted down the stairs, gripping the rail so I didn’t fall.
My footsteps echoed off the walls, furiously loud. Grayson was left standing above me, my angry words hanging in the air like an unresolved chord in a song. Asshole.
CHAPTER 11
Stefania
“Holy fuck, Esme! When you said you’d done a bit of wedding prep, I didn’t expect this!” The moment I stepped into Esme’s living room, it was like walking into the office of the most accomplished wedding coordinator the world had ever seen. First up, my eyes were drawn to the hardwood coffee table in the center. Bridal magazines fanned out, swatches of fabric in a rainbow of colors, and a planner that seemed to hold Esme’s entire world. Then, on a side table, Esme had laid out fifteen variations for table centerpieces. “Okay, these look amazing!”
“Thanks! Ariel and I have been working on them most nights when she gets back from school.” Esme smiled sweetly. She’d been responsible for raising her four young siblings since she was barely a teenager herself. Ariel was thirteen, Florian, ten, Tiana was eight and little Belle had just turned six. It had been a struggle, that’s for sure. But now that she had Wolfe, all that had changed. He loved those kids like they were his own and he was there for Esme in every way that mattered. No one deserved it more than Esme, and I couldn’t be happier.
“I bet Belle loves that!” Even though she was still little, Belle was showing signs of being a gifted artist. “But how have you stopped Tiana and Florian from trashing them?”
“Yeah, it’s not easy. Wolfe’s threatened canceling Friday Family Movie Night if anything happens to them. That seems to have done the trick. I’ll get the coffee on while you tell me all about this photoshoot you guys had.”
“Oh, fuck. It was so funny.” I followed Esme into the kitchen, taking a seat at the counter. “Have you heard of Fogarty’s Hut?”
“Nope.”
“It’s on the edge of the national park. Abandoned. Looks like it’s straight out of a horror movie.”