Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 78

Emily groaned.

Tara smiled at the other two as she followed, stopping long enough to say, “Tomorrow morning?”

“Jesus… you’re relentless,” I sighed. “We just got back.”

“You’re the boss,” she chided, “but if you want—”

“I just stepped out of a Jack London novel,” I said, cutting her off before she could finish. I already knew what she was going to say. “Give me tomorrow.”

“Fair enough, mate. See you the day after. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m taking a nap!” She trailed off after the others.

“Go on,” I said to Bobbi, jerking my head toward the others. “Go get settled.”

She only glanced at Helen for a heartbeat before obeying my orders. The tightening of her mouth as if she had just tasted something bitter was minuscule.

“Alright, lead the way,” I said.

Emiko quietly excused Camille and Jessica—neither of whom I’d even spoken to yet. They left without so much as a glance in my direction. Curious… Camille usually had some kind of flirty jab for me, and Jess was usually looking at me like I would change my mind and take her back as a girlfriend any moment.

I glanced at Emiko as she led us toward the elevator. Was the change in my staff’s behavior her doing?

“How was your flight?” Emiko asked.

“It was the best flight I’ve ever had, considering I slept in the woods for most of a week. That’d make most flights feel nice by comparison.”

Chloe was just behind me, and I chanced a look back at her. She was wearing her sunglasses, so I couldn’t tell if she was meeting my gaze. I imagined I felt something behind the mirrored lenses, but with Chloe, imagining was dangerous. I gave her a weak smile and turned back to Emiko.

I gave her a summary of the flight, leaving out the argument with Chloe and the encounter with Bobbi, of course. I told her about all the boring stuff—getting acquainted with my phone, enjoying the hot tub after a nap (post coitus), and watching a movie before falling asleep again.

I had a feeling that jet lag was going to hit me particularly hard.

“What about you?” I asked as we piled into the elevator. “You started Saturday, right? How are you settling in?”

“I arrived on Saturday and started my duties on Sunday,” Emiko said. “I’ve already assessed the available staff, audited the building, and taken inventory.”

“Miss Malik gave me a suggested list of things to start on that was quite helpful. I’ve designated guest rooms, and they have been prepared to be used at a moment’s notice. I understand you occasionally take in strays who need more than a guest room. I’ve prepared a few apartments, just in case.”

She smiled at Erin. “Thank you for your recommendations. They were invaluable.”

Erin’s smile shifted—less assistant and more daughter basking in quiet praise.

“Happy to help! Just let me know if you need anything else.”

Emiko turned her attention back to me. “One of the apartments has already proved useful. Phoebe Lucas is here. She was distraught when she arrived, so I thought it better to give her an apartment so she could grieve her situation without fear of bothering anyone. I’ve had Jessica deliver meals to her.”

“Phoebe’s here?” I asked. “Can I see her?”

“She isn’t available at the moment, I’m afraid. Mrs. Lucas left early this morning looking for work. Years as a housewife left her unprepared for this.”

I frowned at that. Phoebe’s husband ditched her and took her kid. The last thing she needed to be doing was looking for a job.

“Alright. Will you let me know when she gets back?” I asked.

Emiko nodded. “Of course.”

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into my apartment's living room. Before I left, it had started to feel like home, with clothes and other things lying around. It was so big that I didn’t think it would ever be cozy, but at least it had signs of being lived in.

I was wrong. New couches, fresh art on the walls, updated fixtures—every detail had shifted. My house hadn’t just changed. It had become a home.

It actually did feel cozy.

“Emiko,” I gasped. “Did you do all this?”

“It was a concerted effort,” Emiko said with a big, beautiful smile as she stepped into the middle of the living room. She spun on her heels to look back at me. “Erin, Helen, and Charity were instrumental in making this possible.”

“I don’t know what to say…”

“Hopefully, that we can keep her,” Erin said.

I looked from Erin to Emiko. “Yeah… you’re hired!”

Emiko’s smile turned playful. “Good. I’m relieved that my trip around the world wasn’t in vain.”

“I’d like to hear more about your first few days on the job,” I said.

“I would love to debrief you, but I would suggest doing it alone… possibly in the privacy of your study? It might be more appropriate.”

I looked back at Erin and said, “Sure. That makes sense, but Erin should probably come with.”

“No,” Erin said. “That’s okay. Emiko should have the chance to speak freely. Besides, I need to catch up with Chandler and a few others before the day’s over, so this will be a good time to get after it.”

“Speaking of Chandler,” Helen said. “He’s dying to talk to you about Carla Tanaka. You asked him to get her a job, and now he’s threatening to throw himself out of his office window.

“Fuck,” I said, remembering the conversation I had with Chandler. As a result of her help in maintaining my control of VistaVision, I’d promised Carla a position inside the company. Days before fucking off to Europe, I remember pawning that job off to Chandler, who had expressed doubts about her ability to fit in the company culture. Chandler was a team player, so if he was complaining, maybe she was a little more than he could handle.

“Alright. I’ll talk to him.”

I glanced down at the collar that graced her neck. “Let me speak to Emiko first, then I’d like to hear a bit more about Carla, VistaVIsion, and how you’re settling in at YPV.”

“Sounds good,” Helen said. Her gaze was steady and sharp. She hadn’t missed the way my eyes lingered on that collar.

“Before I forget,” I said. “I’d like to have a little get-together tomorrow night. Just some close friends. I guess that’s… you?” I pointed at Emiko.

“It depends,” Emiko said. “You’ll want to give Erin your guest list. I’ll take care of the arrangements for the party. Miss Manalo would handle any celebrities, sensitive invites, press releases, or publicity surrounding any events you throw.”

I blinked. “Oh.”

Emiko chuckled. “If you provide me with the details, I will make sure everyone is involved who needs to be.”

“Easy enough.”

“Before I let you go,” Charity chimed in, “I’m gonna need you at some point soon. We need to figure out how we want the news to break about what happened to you. We also need to discuss the next steps for your public image, and I want to talk to you about the movie production opportunity.”

“Yeah,” I said, already feeling slightly overwhelmed. I’d literally just stepped off a helicopter, but I guess this was my own doing. “Tomorrow?”

“Breakfast?” Charity asked.