Happily Enemy After (Hawthorne Brothers 2)

“Good.”

She grabs her purse and leaves the office with Stella. After they’re gone, I sink into Violet’s chair. My gaze goes to the freshly engraved name plate on her desk.

Violet Cleary. Controller.

Who would have thought she was the same woman I left at a party years ago?

I’d go back and change that if I could, but I can’t. And she won’t give me a second chance. So what am I supposed to do? Just sit and smile while she glares at me every single day, spits venom at me every chance she gets, and plots to take my job?

No way. If I’m not going to have my fun, I’m not going to let her have hers. If she won’t play nice, then she has no place on the court, on my court. If I can’t have her, then she might as well get out of my sight.

Violet brought up a lot of things from the past, but she forgot something important about the present—I’m her boss. I can fire her. I won’t, because that’s no fun. But I will make her life such a hell that she’ll pack her bags and head back to Switzerland.

I gave her a chance to be a saint. She decided to be the devil. So fine. Let’s do this. Let’s give each other hell and see who has the last laugh.

I pick up the Baoding balls on her desk and rotate them in my hand.

Now, this could be even more fun.Chapter TwoViolet

“Having fun yet?” Stella asks me after we step inside one of the elevators of The Mistral.

It’s a thirty-six story building just ten minutes away from the office. It has a doorman, a security guard, a pair of polite receptionists and a spacious lobby with minimalist furniture, a huge chandelier, mirrors and a succulent garden. I like it already.

But that’s not what Stella’s asking.

Fun? Let me think. What have I done so far? I had lunch with Asher. The food was good but the company wasn’t, so no, that wasn’t fun. Although I did enjoy that stupid look on Asher’s face when he was struggling to decipher my words. At least, I would have if I wasn’t so annoyed that he didn’t recognize my name or my face just because I was wearing a pair of contacts. Jerk.

Then I had a tour of the office building. Everything looked fine. The people were warm. But I was also with Asher, who was clearly well-liked, especially by the women, so that wasn’t fun either. That conversation I had with Asher at the end? Maybe, because I was in control, but it was also a bit excruciating to relive that horrible night.

So let’s see. My answer is…

“Too much fun, which is why I’m looking forward to slipping under the covers. After a shower, of course.”

I can’t believe it’s been sixteen hours since I had one.

Stella turns to me with a smile. “Don’t worry. Your apartment definitely has a shower. And it’s fully furnished with fresh linens and rugs and curtains. In fact, everything in it is new. It’s a gift from Eth—I mean Mr. Ethan Hawthorne, the CEO.”

I wonder why she keeps doing that. I don’t really mind her calling the CEO by his first name. I used to call Simone by his first name.

Wait. Did she say my apartment is a gift from the CEO? It’s free?

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t quite catch the meaning of that. Are you saying I don’t have to pay any rent?”

“Oh, no. You do,” Stella answers. “I meant the furniture and the appliances and all the trappings, those are Mr. Hawthorne’s welcome gift. Mr. Ethan Hawthorne, that is. But you still have to pay rent. Don’t worry, though, because Hawthorne Holdings owns this building, so you get a huge employee discount.”

“I see.”

I figured a free apartment was too good to be true. But hey, at least I get a discount. Hopefully, it’s at least twenty-five percent.

“You can make arrangements downstairs if you want to have your rent deducted straight from your salary,” Stella adds.

I nod. “I’ll think about that.”

The doors open and we get out on the thirty-fourth floor. I find myself at the start of a long carpeted hallway. I only see two doors, though, one at the end and another just a few feet away from me.

“The units in this building are spacious with high ceilings,” Stella explains. “So there’s a maximum of seven units per floor. But on the thirty-third and this floor, there are only two units.”

Okay.

She unlocks the door near me and pushes it open. “And this is yours.”

I step inside. As soon as I see the space, I gasp. Spacious? This place is bigger than any apartment I’ve lived in. It may even be bigger than the whole first floor of the house where I grew up. And the furniture is lovely. Modern but cozy. The design has a feminine touch—warm, soothing pastel colors and a few pieces of floral decor. The view of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows is spectacular.