‘OK, Maddy,’ he says, a devious hue seeping in through his irises.
I roll my eyes. It’s still not ‘Maddison’, but one battle at a time.
‘Your little laissez-faire attitude comes with its own inflated ego and I’m sick of you parading it round like it makes you superior.’
He crosses his arms. ‘No one says “laissez-faire”.’
‘Well, maybe they should. It’s fun,’ I say through gritted teeth.
A quick chuckle escapes from his mouth, head shaking at my tightly packed animosity.
‘If you tried to live like me, you’d barely make it through a week.’
I snarl. ‘I could do it without trying.’
His eyes seem to grow more alive. He shuffles closer, pressing against me until our chests touch and his stare drills right into my soul.
‘Prove it.’
His words are a notch above a whisper, dangling forbidden fruit. I feel my breath hitch.
‘How?’ I ask.
He pauses for a moment, rolling his lip against his bottom teeth before revealing a sly, wicked smile. It sets off every warning signal inside my body, but I can’t look away.
‘I’m guessing Evie told you about the events job?’ he asks, his voice slower, focused and rife with an agenda. I nod.
‘Did she tell you about the board?’
‘She mentioned them.’
He shakes his head. ‘So, she didn’t tell you. It’s cool– she didn’t tell me either. I just get copied in on her emails.’
‘Tell me what?’ I ask softly.
I keep it as cool as I can, but it’s to no avail. He knows he’s got me hooked.
The delight dances across his features as he takes his sweet time to respond. ‘The board thinks you lack the experience– which, to be fair, you do. You can do the work for sure, but you’ve never been a manager.’
‘I know, that’s why they’re using the Summer Splash to determine—’
‘Even with the success of the Summer Splash, they want you with a partner. A co-head of department if you will. Someone who is good with numbers, budget, and has experience of business management.’
As much as it stings, I do get the board’s worry. It’s the same kind of worry Maxwell and Oliver should have had before they appointed Pippa. I’m not opposed to a partner– in fact, it would be quite nice to not have everything fall solely on my head. That is, however, depending entirely on who the partner is. And the devious look in Aiden’s eyes tells me the answer’s not good.
‘Evie didn’t think to put me forward for it– she knows I don’t do events and I’ve been grumbling about this one since she assigned it to me.’
My chest eases immediately, a relieved breath escaping my lungs.
‘That is, however, until I asked her to consider me. Which she did instantly, and quite enthusiastically, actually.’
And just like that the tightness returns and my breath falls short, brain muddying with the nightmare dropped upon me. A million thoughts run through my head, but one screams above the rest.
‘You don’t evenlikethrowing events!’
‘I like promotions.’ He shrugs, crushing my dream between his shoulders.
Of course, he’s made this happen– he has never let me be happy. But even at his cruellest, I did not believe that he was capable of something this low. And he doesn’t even care about the role! He’s doing it for what reason? To torment me? To one-up me? To finally win?
