Page 40
Story: Only Ever Mine
My phone rang, shrill and urgent.
I frowned, pulling it from my bag. A call from Amélie.
I answered immediately. “Hello?”
“Scarlett, thank God,” my manager, Renée, breathed into the phone. She sounded panicked. Really panicked.
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?” I demanded, already moving toward my bedroom to change.
“The shipment. It didn’t arrive.”
Cold dread tightened around my chest. “What do you mean it didn’t arrive? It was scheduled for this afternoon.”
“I know,” she said quickly. “But when I called the supplier, they said the order was canceled.”
I stopped dead. “That’s impossible.”
“That’s what I said! But they were adamant. They claimed they received an official notice to cancel from us.”
My mind reeled. That wasn’t a mistake. That was sabotage.
And I had a damn good guess it was the same person who smeared my reputation on Luxe Dining.
“Shit,” I hissed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Okay. We can fix this. We have backups in storage, right?”
“Not nearly enough for the event tomorrow,” Renée admitted. “I’ve been calling around, but—Scarlett, what do we do?”
I glanced at the clock. It was late, but nottoolate.
I could fix this.
I had to fix this.
Grabbing my keys, I headed for the door. “I’m on my way.”
I barely heard Renée’s relieved sigh before I hung up.
I stood there for a moment, pulse racing.
I had two choices.
I could handle this myself—prove that I could manage my own damn business without anyone’s help.
Or I could call Christian.
The thought of involving him made something tight coil in my chest.
This was my fight. My reputation on the line.
But Christian had power. Influence. If anyone could fix this with a single phone call, it was him.
I exhaled sharply, gripping my phone.
Outside, a car honked.
I had a decision to make.
I frowned, pulling it from my bag. A call from Amélie.
I answered immediately. “Hello?”
“Scarlett, thank God,” my manager, Renée, breathed into the phone. She sounded panicked. Really panicked.
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?” I demanded, already moving toward my bedroom to change.
“The shipment. It didn’t arrive.”
Cold dread tightened around my chest. “What do you mean it didn’t arrive? It was scheduled for this afternoon.”
“I know,” she said quickly. “But when I called the supplier, they said the order was canceled.”
I stopped dead. “That’s impossible.”
“That’s what I said! But they were adamant. They claimed they received an official notice to cancel from us.”
My mind reeled. That wasn’t a mistake. That was sabotage.
And I had a damn good guess it was the same person who smeared my reputation on Luxe Dining.
“Shit,” I hissed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Okay. We can fix this. We have backups in storage, right?”
“Not nearly enough for the event tomorrow,” Renée admitted. “I’ve been calling around, but—Scarlett, what do we do?”
I glanced at the clock. It was late, but nottoolate.
I could fix this.
I had to fix this.
Grabbing my keys, I headed for the door. “I’m on my way.”
I barely heard Renée’s relieved sigh before I hung up.
I stood there for a moment, pulse racing.
I had two choices.
I could handle this myself—prove that I could manage my own damn business without anyone’s help.
Or I could call Christian.
The thought of involving him made something tight coil in my chest.
This was my fight. My reputation on the line.
But Christian had power. Influence. If anyone could fix this with a single phone call, it was him.
I exhaled sharply, gripping my phone.
Outside, a car honked.
I had a decision to make.
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