Page 28 of Serena (Shattered Queens #1)

I’ve been avoiding Ian all week. Making myself busy with work, kickboxing classes, and even helping Yuri at the studio.

Anything and everything to avoid being alone with him.

He was right, the soreness between my legs is a constant reminder of him, fucking bastard.

I clench my thighs at the thought of him.

It’s worse when he’s in the same room as me.

From the look on his face, I can see him thinking the same thing.

What was I thinking? That’s right, I wasn’t.

Am I running? Well, yes. I know we said one day at a time, but when he left my apartment, I realized that I wanted him to stay.

That is the scariest feeling I’ve had in a long time because I’m depending on him being there for me.

The list of what-ifs is driving me crazy.

I didn’t tell Yuri what happened between Ian and me.

She would list all the reasons why it’s a good thing, hell, great even, but I’m not ready for that.

There’s something going on with her, and it’s evident by the state she’s in when I open my front door to find her in tears.

“Yuri, what’s wrong?” We sit on the couch, and I wait for her to talk.

With tears in her eyes, she says, “Xander and I got into a huge fight, and I left.”

“Did he hurt you?” That’s always my first question. The thought of her in danger makes me sick to my stomach.

“No, he would never do that,” she continues. “My dad sent over the prenup that he wants Xander to sign. We hadn’t even looked at it when Xander accused me of not believing in us, in him. When I defended Dad’s reasons, it just got worse, so I left.”

“Yuri, you know your dad’s right about this.”

“Yes, but I wish Xander saw it the same way.”

Yuri’s dad is a divorce attorney, so he knows what he’s doing.

Granted, he’s also been divorced twice. Between her father and my parents, marriage isn’t something I strive for.

Hell, I don’t even think relationships are, but I don’t vocalize it now.

I can tell she doesn’t want to talk, so I just order Chinese food and turn on a mindless show on my new television.

Yuri decides to stay the night, so we just lie in bed.

“Remember when we lived together, and we’d fall asleep like this?” she reminisces.

“Yes, whenever we had a bad day. You with your dad and Elias, or both, and me when I couldn’t sleep. Either because of the nightmares or my anxiety. Yuri, you saved me so many times. Promise me that you won’t ever let Xander or anyone hurt you. Please promise me.”

“I promise.”

I stare at my friend as she closes her eyes, and I can’t help but wonder. I don’t know when, but eventually, I fall asleep.

Yuri left early this morning, no doubt to go back home and patch things up with Xander. So I decide to head into the office a bit early to prepare for a big meeting. Claudia’s eyes widen as I approach my office.

“Good Morning, Ms. Nerva. Mr. Kayde is using your office to make a call.” Damn it. I planned on avoiding him at all costs.

“Thanks, Claudia, but Mr. Kayde has his own office,” I say loud enough for Ian to hear.

“I’m going to assume you realized how intolerable my son can be?” A voice comes from my office. I turn to Claudia. “It’s not that Mr. Kayde.” She winces.

“Oh, it’s not her fault. I came in and just took over,” says Miguel Kayde as he comes out of my office.

He is so handsome—the older version of his son, but with a short, salt-and-pepper beard and hazel eyes, almost the color of honey.

We make our way into my office, and he motions for me to take a seat in my chair.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kayde, I didn’t mean to.”

“Oh, no need, Ms. Nerva. I know my son can be overbearing and controlling. He tends to bulldoze his way into things.” Like father, like son.

“Is there anything that I can help you with?” I ask.

“No, I’m here to observe for a couple of hours. I need to make sure my son isn't running my company into the ground.”

“I can guarantee he isn’t. I’ll personally make sure of that.” I smile.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve seen the reports and projections. Very impressive, Ms. Nerva.”

“Serena, please call me Serena.”

“Very well, Serena.” He stands up and makes his way out of the office. “I’m going to go look for my son. I’ll see you shortly, Serena.”

He does as he said he would, staying for the meetings, asking questions about next year's forecasting, and recapping the recent audits. He genuinely seems to care. I can see there’s tension between Miguel and Ian, but I don’t focus on that.

I’m here to do my job. “Serena, I'm very impressed.” He glances at Ian, who’s looking in my direction.

“It seems that I did my due diligence when I hired you,” he says.

“Yes, you did, Father. Serena is great at what she does.” I can feel my cheeks flush and all eyes on me.

Kayde Senior stands up and looks at me, then back to Ian, who isn’t paying him any attention.

“Well, everyone, if you don’t mind. I’ll be taking my leave,” Kayde Senior announces.

“It was a pleasure meeting you all.” He looks at me with a smile, then walks out the door.

It’s almost the end of the day, thank goodness. Fridays are one of the busiest days for investment firms because last-minute meetings take place before closing of business. I look up to see Claudia walking into my office.

“Here, I didn’t see you take lunch, and this was in the refrigerator with your name on it.” She hands me a container with a small envelope taped to it. It’s slices of jícama with a smaller container of chili powder and sliced limes. I take it and open the envelope.

Enjoy. Ian

I can’t help but smile. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I look down and find the container is empty. My desk phone rings, and I see it’s Claudia calling from her desk.

“Hello, Ms. Nerva.” She’s using formalities, so this must be important.

“Ms. Nerva, there is a Mr. Byran Carson on the line for you. He’s called a couple of times and insists on speaking with you.”

What the hell? I told him that he would not be speaking with me directly.

“Tell him I’m in a meeting.” I hang up, and the phone rings again.

“Ms. Nerva, he says it’s important and, if needed, he’ll come in person to speak with you.” My hands begin to get clammy, but I take a deep breath. What does he want? “Put him through.”

“Hel—”

“You had me fired?! I can’t believe you, Serena!”

“Hello to you too, Byran, and what are you talking about?”

“Last week, I was removed from the project, and today, I was fired from the marketing firm. What the fuck!” he yells.

“I didn’t do anything. I’ve been out of the office, as a matter of fact. Not that I owe you an explanation.”

“You know, I tried to call your cell. You blocked my number?”

“Byran, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Fuck this guy.

“Yeah, right. You can’t let the past go. You’re still holding things against me. Do you know how long it took me to get my life together?”

“Listen, Byran, I don’t know what you mean, and just stop while you’re ahead. I had nothing to do with whatever happened. Don’t call me again.” I slam the phone down. Fuck, I hate him.

I haven’t received an update on the team's project because Claudia is the point of contact. I make my way over to my assistant's desk.

“Claudia, have you heard any updates from the marketing team?”

“No, Selma’s in charge of that. She told me not to worry about notifying you; she’s taking care of all communication. I’m sorry, I thought you’d already know.”

“She hasn’t communicated anything to me. Let me go talk to her.” I turn to walk away.

“Serena, will you be going to the party this weekend?” Shit, I forgot all about her son's birthday party.

“Yes. I’ll see you there.” I wave as I head to Selma’s desk.

This woman is intimidating, not only because she can tolerate everything Ian throws at her, but she also seems to be his gatekeeper for everything.

“Hello, Selma.”

“Hello, Ms. Nerva. How can I help you? Mr. Kayde is in a meeting with his brother. He asked not to be interrupted.”

Straight to the point. I like this woman. No beating around the bush.

“I was wondering if there was an update from marketing. Will I be needed for anything?”

“Well, there were some changes to the team. Moving forward, I’ll be their point of contact. In regard to needing anything from you, no. Mr. Kayde specifically asked that you be left alone.” There is something that she isn’t telling me.

“Selma, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Serena, may I call you Serena?”

“Yes, of course.” I mean, the woman saw me in the middle of a panic attack.

“Mr. Kayde, well, he asked that I not tell you any specifics. I think those, you need to get from him. What I can tell you is that last week he came in very upset and asked that I schedule a meeting with the marketing firm.”

I nod. “Thank you, Selma.”

“Have a good weekend, Ms. Nerva.” She grabs her bag and heads toward the elevator. “Also, Mr. Kayde informed me that the only person who can interrupt him is you.” She gives me a knowing look and walks away.

I blame my impulse for what I do next. Without hesitation, I open the door of his office and walk in.

Ian is pacing the room while his brother is sitting.

They both turn to look at me, surprised by my sudden interruption.

Ian stops and takes a seat. I can see the familiarity between them but also the vast difference.

Gabriel is the first to speak. “Ms. Nerva, how lovely to see you. I heard you met my father.”

“Hello, Mr. Kayde. Yes, I did.”

“Please call me Gabe. He said you left quite an impression.” His voice is friendly.

“Oh, I hope in a good way. Gabe, I actually came to ask Mr. Kayde a question.”

“Oh. Should I take my leave?”

“No,” I say.

“Yes,” Ian says at the same time.