Page 35 of My Only (My First, My Last)

H assani

The rain outside tapped against the glass, leaving behind streaks of water against the tall floor-to-ceiling windows.

It was heavier moments ago but becoming lighter, hinting the weather would clear up soon.

I sat back in my seat, inhaling a deep breath as I rolled my head around my neck, trying to shake off the tension.

I was tired… both physically and emotionally.

I’d been sleeping like shit for days now. Tossing, turning, barely catching two hours of rest before the morning hit.

I thought I wouldn’t know what a bed felt like without Ayla in it, but I’d found out three damn times already. And I hated every second of it.

That morning, I dragged myself out of bed, feeling like a shell of myself. I was exhausted, frustrated, but most of all?

I was ashamed.

I didn’t go to the guest room to talk to Ayla the night before. I wanted to. But I was too defeated, too embarrassed, too damn disappointed in myself for letting Harper outplay me. My father had been right. I’d been lying to myself.

So, instead?

I showered when I was done with the treadmill in the basement.

I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and through the skylight.

And by 4 a.m., I knew exactly what I needed to do.

I left the house early, calling Bryant’s assistant, Chelsea, on the drive to Manhattan, asking if he had any availability. I figured he wouldn’t. Bryant Greene was a billionaire. His schedule stayed booked.

But when his assistant called me back five minutes later to tell me she’d squeezed me in for an early meeting?

I took it.

I didn’t want to have this meeting.

But I needed to.

“Hassani.”

I turned at the sound of Bryant’s voice as he stepped into his office.

I pushed my hands into the armrests of the chair, preparing to stand, but he held up a hand.

“Please, don’t get up.”

His office was huge—a penthouse-level workspace with views of the Manhattan skyline. It was the kind of office that screamed power.

Bryant walked in, reaching for the button on his suit jacket as he studied me. “How are you?”

I exhaled. Forced a nod. “Better this morning.”

His brows furrowed. He held up a hand, pressing it to the lapel of his designer suit. “You’re not quitting… are you?”

His voice was half-joking, but I caught the tension in it.

“Because if I need to schedule a session with my therapist, let me know now.”

I let out a low chuckle. “No, Bryant. I’m not quitting. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He laughed lowly, visibly relieved as he exhaled. “Okay, good. Because when my principal architect calls for a last-minute meeting, it’s usually not a good sign.”

Bryant shrugged off his jacket and placed it on the nearby coat rack before stepping behind his desk.

He didn’t sit down right away.

“So… what’s going on?”

I sighed, clenching my jaw.

Pissed that I even had to do this.

“It’s Harper, Bryant.”

A flicker of wariness crossed his face as he finally took a seat in his chair. “What about her?”

“She’s been pulling some shit that’s slowed down the project.

” I shook my head, jaw tight. “Some of the issues were real, but she was holding them back just to make them urgent later. Other issues? Completely unnecessary. And when I say unnecessary, I mean I had no business staying late on recent nights to fix them.”

Bryant sat up straight, his focus sharpening. “Explain.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“She sabotaged work just so she could spend time with me.”

His brows shot up.

“Remember the last-minute revisions on the model home layout?” I continued. “The open concept space she flagged as a concern?”

“I do.”

“She knew about the issue two weeks before she brought it up, then sat on it like it was nothing. I wouldn’t have even known if I didn’t go digging through the email archives this morning. If she’d flagged it earlier, we wouldn’t have had to push back finalizing the investor pitch by two days.”

His jaw tightened. “So she just… sat on it? To keep you here late?”

“Exactly.” I nodded. “And I bought into it at the time because it seemed legit. Just like I bought into her next urgent issue with the community center’s flooring.”

I jabbed my fingertips into the desk.

“She claimed we needed to review swatches because the original supplier messed up the order. Sounded important. But she already had a second vendor lined up with an exact match. She could’ve handled it over email. Instead, she insisted I stay late to approve a whole new batch in person.”

Bryant’s expression was stone-cold now.

He clenched his jaw. “How much time did that cost us, Hassani?”

“Not much,” I replied. “Not in the grand scheme of things. We’re still on schedule for launch.”

“No delays?”

“None.” I swallowed hard. “I’ve gone over everything before our meeting and can confirm that. The project is still on track to hit all the targets… it’s my home that’s taken a hit.”

I shook my head. “Look, I don’t want to bring my personal life into this?—”

“Hassani.” Bryant interjected, voice firm. “Your personal life is part of this project’s success. If work is affecting it, your personal life will affect work too. Everything’s cyclical.”

I exhaled slowly. “Okay, then…” I licked my lips, collecting my thoughts. “Every issue Harper has brought up? Every night I stayed late to handle them? It was always at the worst times.” My jaw clenched. “Times when I needed to be there for my wife.”

I ran my tongue over my teeth, shaking my head.

“This last issue—this design flaw that didn’t even exist—I spent days Bryant, trying to redo a layout for one of the residential units. Harper claimed the design didn’t ‘flow well with the natural lighting.’”

I released a sharp breath.

“But Bryant, there was nothing wrong with it. She knew I had already double-checked everything. I was racking my brain, doubting myself, because I knew the design was solid. I’m intentional like that.”

Bryant gave a slow nod. “You’re very intentional, Hassani. It’s why I insisted on hiring you.”

“Yeah, well.” I scoffed. “I still spent hours—too much company time and resources—going over blueprints that didn’t need fixing.”

Bryant dragged a hand down his mouth. “Jesus.”

“I don’t want this getting messy,” I continued, forcing myself to stay calm. “But I can’t work with her anymore. She’s made this project unnecessarily stressful and difficult. And now? She’s made things even more uncomfortable… after propositioning me to cheat on my wife.”

Bryant’s head snapped up.

“Yeah,” I confirmed, nodding. “And she was very clear that an affair was what she was aiming for. It was her motivation for sabotaging the project.”

Bryant let out a scoffing laugh, rubbing the inner corners of his eyes.

“While all the other things she’s done are surprising…” He sighed. “I wish I could say the same for this .”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Bryant tilted his head. “Harper has a tendency to aim a little too high, if you know what I mean.”

My brows furrowed. “She’s done this before?”

“Never to this extent but, yes. She’s done this before. The…” He gestured vaguely. “Propositioning, as you politely put it.”

A knot formed in my stomach.

“Another employee mentioned she did this with him, too.” I exhaled, referring to Levi. “Are you saying there are more besides him and I?”

“Yes.” Bryant’s jaw ticked. “Me.”

I jerked my head back. “You? For real?!”

So this wasn’t just about me.

This wasn’t a one-time lapse in judgment on Harper’s part.

She had a pattern. A strategy.

Levi had hinted at something similar, but I had been so damn convinced I had control. That I could manage the situation.

But in reality?

I was just another pawn in her game.

And the worst part?

I let her play me.

All those nights I told Ayla there was nothing to worry about… that she was overthinking?

I was wrong.

I should have listened to her. I should have trusted her instincts. Instead, I let Harper string me along like a fool… and now?

I was paying the price.

Bryant’s gaze shifted toward the glass door of his office.

Without a word, he pushed himself out of his seat, heading toward it.

“Harper was a recommended hire.” He pushed the heavy glass door closed, securing it. “This was two years ago, one of the first projects I was hands-on with in a long time. She was the interior designer for the project.”

I sat up, listening.

“She tried with me.” He exhaled. “And failed miserably.” He shook his head. “Beyond being happily married, I don’t sleep with my employees. It’s undisciplined, trite, and severely bad for business. And…” His voice softened. “I just love my wife.”

My chest tightened.

“I love my wife too,” I echoed, my voice rough. “Which is why all of this is so fucked up.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Pardon me.”

“It’s fine.” Bryant shook his head. “It’s more than fine. But listen…” He sat back down, his gaze serious. “I can’t fix anything outside this office in your personal life. But I can reassign Harper. Just like I did when she tried to cross boundaries with me.”

I frowned. “Why not just cut her loose?”

Bryant met my gaze.

“I mean…” I cleared my throat. “Respectfully, I don’t want to be the reason someone gets fired. But if she’s done this before with you, and someone else here told me she did the same thing to him… why not just let her go?”

Bryant exhaled, shaking his head.

“Because Harper is calculated, and that makes her dangerous.” He chuckled bitterly. “She’s the kind of woman who wouldn’t hesitate to flip the script.”

My frown deepened.

“It’s one thing if she only sabotaged the project. If that was the case, firing her would be a no-brainer. But the moment you bring in the affair proposition? That’s where things get messy.”

I clenched my jaw.

“She can easily flip this on you, Hassani.” Bryant’s voice was firm. “She could run straight to HR, claim you propositioned her , and start screaming discrimination.”

My stomach sank.