Page 22 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Thirteen

Baylyn.

I was grateful for the chaos of my morning. Between emails, phone calls, and last-minute adjustments to upcoming events, my calendar was packed but my mind was elsewhere. I tried to stay focused, but every few minutes, my thoughts drifted back to last night.

As crazy as things had been, I felt safe knowing Emir was the one handling things and then, of course, there was this morning. Awareness pushed through my body just thinking about it.

“Baylyn.”

I blinked and snapped my head up from my computer screen to find Cami standing over my desk, arms crossed with a knowing smirk on her face.

“You’re distracted as hell. Something you wanna share?”

“I’m just tired.”

Cami’s eyes narrowed. “Regular tired ? Or post-great-sex tired?”

I choked on air.

“Cami!” I hissed, glancing around the office, but she just grinned, leaning against the door frame.

“I knew it!” she said triumphantly. “You’ve been sitting here, staring at your screen like a lovesick teenager. So who is he?” She paused. “Wait, is it him? The guy ?”

She knew about the random lunches and flowers but she wasn’t here the day Emir pulled up.

I groaned, dropping my forehead to my desk. “Please stop talking.”

“No, no, I need details.” She entered my office and plopped into the chair across from me. Her eyes were shining with curiosity. “You’ve been all lowkey and secretive about him, but clearly something is happening.”

I sighed, deflecting. “I am literally at work, trying to focus.”

“Liar.” She pointed at my computer screen. “You’ve been staring at the same email for ten minutes.”

I glanced down and cursed under my breath because she was right.

“Uh-huh. That man has wrecked you.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?”

I hesitated because honestly? I didn’t know.

“It’s… complicated and none of your business.”

Cami rolled her eyes but smiled. “Okay. I won’t pry. For now .”

Good because I wasn’t telling you shit anyway…

“But if you start showing up in a G Wagon and a new wardrobe, I’m going to assume you’re being kidnapped and cared for by that sexy ass man and I’ll need you to run me the list of his eligible family members.”

I laughed as she walked off, but the thought stuck with me because the reality was, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and Emir was not an average guy.

And…

I was ten toes down.

By lunch I was back in work mode. I had a client meeting scheduled to go over the final details of an upcoming corporate event. Everything had to be flawless because this was one of the bigger projects I handled solo and I needed to ensure the client had zero complaints.

The meeting went smoothly. They were happy with the setup, loved the execution plan, and signed off on all the final decisions. It reminded me why I loved this job but the real shock of the day came when my boss, Tae, knocked on my office door just as I was wrapping up.

I looked up, surprised because I hadn’t known she was here. “Hey! It’s been a while.”

She smiled, stepping inside. “I know. We’ve both been buried in projects but I wanted to check in.”

I motioned for her to sit, but she stayed standing, crossing her arms as she studied me and then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Do you still plan on starting your own event company?”

I froze.

That was unexpected.

Tae and I had talked about it before but it had been months ago and she hadn’t brought it up since. I blinked. “I thought you forgot about that.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I’ve been keeping track of your progress, actually.”

My brow lifted. “You have?”

“Of course,” she said with a confident smile. “It’s why I’ve been letting you take on some of the larger projects. You need the experience if you’re going to branch off on your own.”

I stared at her shocked but also feeling prideful that she noticed the work I was putting in.

“I…yes…I still want that.”

Tae nodded, like she had expected that answer. “Good.”

She fully entered my office and sat down in front of my desk. “I wanted to talk to you because I would like to help you get everything started.”

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Help me?” I repeated, still trying to process her words.

“There’s plenty of work for both of us to be successful and to be honest, Baylyn… I’m overwhelmed. I can barely keep up with the volume of clients we have now. Splitting the load with someone just as talented is the best option for both of us.”

I blinked rapidly, completely floored.

“I think it’s time you start working toward bringing your own vision to life. You’ve proven you’re ready.”

I just stared at her for a second, my mind racing because holy shit. I had spent so long telling myself I would do it someday. That eventually I would start my own business and now, Tae was telling me that not only was I ready, but she was willing to help me make it happen.

My heart raced with nerves and excitement.

“You don’t have to decide right this second. But I want you to start thinking about it. Vibe she was my biggest hype woman, my day one, and hearing her hype me up like this was exactly what I needed.

“I love you, friend.”

“I love you more! Now listen, we’re celebrating this weekend. No excuses.”

“Fine. We’ll celebrate.”

“Damn right we will. Now go be a boss and change the world, babe.”

I shook my head, still grinning. “I’ll talk to you later, Rach.”

“Later, CEO!”

She hung up and I sat there for a moment, holding onto this feeling.

Vibe & Vision could really happen...