Chapter 2

Carter completely lost it. He swiped the coffee off his face, his forehead veins popping.

"Rebecca, are you out of your mind?" he shouted.

I gave a mocking laugh and grabbed the office phone.

"Hey, security? Can you check the surveillance footage for me?" I began.

Carter slammed the phone down.

"Enough. Serena's just been working herself to the bone, and that's all. Tomorrow, you're taking her with you to the Horysun Group negotiation. Let her toughen up and get a taste of the real world," Carter snapped.

Horysun Group was the biggest client around. The company's fate for the rest of the year hung in the balance on this deal.

Serena's eyes sparkled instantly. She dropped the whole fragile act and, bursting with excitement, threw herself at Carter, clinging to his arm.

"Really? Mr. Sullivan, thank you so much for giving me this chance. I promise I'll work hard and won't let the company down," she exclaimed.

Then, she actually went up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Carter's cheek, making sure to glance over at me.

"Rebecca, don't take it the wrong way. I just want to get a little of Mr. Sullivan's good luck," she said with a smug smile.

I snorted in disdain.

Good luck?

That was just a flimsy cover for their dirty little affair. She learned a few cheap moves to seduce men and now actually thought she was hot stuff.

Did they call it good luck when they were hooking up in my previous life, too?

"Carter," I said, locking eyes with him. "You really want to send a secretary who's only been here three months to negotiate the Horysun Group contract? Are you trying to sink the company even faster?"

"Rebecca, admit it. You just can't stand the idea of Serena beating you at your own game. You started from the bottom, too, remember?

"Why are you so threatened by a young woman who's actually hustling to get ahead?" Carter snapped.

"I've seen how hard Serena pushes herself. Coming from a small town isn't easy for a girl like her, and that's exactly why we should give her a shot. I trust her drive and what she's capable of," he added.

I looked at him, so thick-headed and lovesick he couldn't see the truth if it hit him in the face, and it finally hit me.

One just couldn't wake someone up, no matter what one did.

I forced down the nausea and said flatly, "Whatever. If you're dead set on this, Mr. Sullivan, I won't stand in your way."

I called ahead and told the restaurant to keep it light cuisine and sugar-free snacks only.

Finn Murphy from Horysun Group was dealing with both diabetes and high blood pressure, so he watched what he ate like a hawk.

But the second I walked into the private room, the place reeked of grease and spice.

The table was loaded with golden, crispy fried chicken, skewers dripping with oil, and a stew swimming in chili oil.

All those sugar-free snacks I'd ordered were gone, replaced by cakes piled high with whipped cream and sugar.

Serena was grinning with satisfaction, ordering the waiters around like she owned the place.

"Rebecca, your menu was way too light. It doesn't really set the right mood for business, you know?

"I'm a straightforward kind of person. I think digging into hearty food and downing drinks is how you show real sincerity. Just helping you switch up the vibe a bit," Serena said.

When Finn and his execs walked in, their smiles instantly vanished, and their brows knitted in displeasure.

My heart sank. I whipped out my phone and fired off a text to Carter.

[Serena took it upon herself to change the entire menu. Now everything's loaded with oil and sugar. Mr. Murphy is clearly unhappy.]

Serena noticed right away as I hit send.

"Rebecca, Carter said I'm in charge of this negotiation. So don't mess things up," she said.

She completely ignored the awkward tension in the room, poured Finn a full glass of Whisky, knocked back her own drink first, then grabbed the mic and announced she'd perform a song.

She started swaying her hips and belting out a suggestive song, even trying to push the mic toward Finn, whose face was stone-cold.

"Finn, calling you my darling, so sweet the moon hides behind the clouds in embarrassment," she sang.

Finn's face turned livid with rage. He slammed his fork down.

"Ms. Brooks, is this how your company does business now? Is this really how you treat your partners? Let's just call off this deal," he snapped.

I shot up from my seat, apologizing nonstop and promising to fix everything right away.

But Serena blocked me at every turn, waving her hands and declaring, "We can't just throw out the whole business dinner drinking tradition. Mr. Murphy, you have to see how young people bring the party."

I couldn't take it anymore. I stepped outside and called Carter.

When he answered, I filled him in on the situation, but Carter sounded unexpectedly cold.

"Serena just talked to me. You should trust her. She's got energy, and maybe that's exactly what we need to shake things up.

"Young people need a chance, so quit looking at everything with those old eyes," Carter said, his tone dismissive.

"Carter, you're going to ruin everything," I shot back.

"Enough, I said she's handling it," he cut me off, then hung up. When I tried calling again, all I got was a busy signal.

My heart sank as I walked back into the private room. Finn and his team were already getting ready to leave.

Serena rushed to the door, calling out to Finn as he was leaving, "Mr. Murphy, the price is totally negotiable. I'll cut another ten percent off Rebecca's quote. Isn't that sincere enough for you?"

I sneered. It was just as I expected.