Chapter 5: She Was Starting to Regret It

When Liana Carver thought of Micah Baron, a pang of regret hit her. She regretted how harsh she'd been that day, telling him he would never measure up to Marshall Chambers as long as he lived. Looking back, those words felt like a punch to a man's pride. Especially bringing up another guy to compare him to. Who wouldn't be hurt by that? Liana fished her phone out from under the pillow. She'd thought Micah would send an apology, but her screen stayed silent. How could that be? Was his phone off? She checked her account-her service was fine. Micah really hadn't messaged her. He hadn't called either. A wave of hurt washed over her. Her nose stung, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She suddenly wanted to demand an explanation. How could he just walk away and leave her like this? He knew she was afraid of thunder, yet he didn't send even a single message to comfort her. Three years together, and he let go just like that. If it had been some other woman who bled him for money and made him spend more, would he have hesitated to leave? Her best friend was right, she thought. She'd asked too little of Micah, and because of that, she had no weight in his heart. She curled under the blanket, swiping at her tears, and finally couldn't help dialing that familiar number. The reply was a busy tone. Beep, beep, beep. Liana suddenly remembered that yesterday, right after the breakup, Micah had blocked her then and there. If she kept this up, she'd give herself stress-induced breast lumps, just like the older women always warned. Micah was going to be the death of her. She decided she wouldn't forgive him easily. Even if he showed up with expensive Jade Bliss Earrings, she wasn't going to turn back so easily. Rain pattered and thunder rumbled; she barely slept the second half of the night. The next morning, she showed up at the office with huge dark circles under her eyes. She had just opened her computer when the internal line from the CEO office lit up. Jolie, Ms. Eileen's executive assistant, was on the other end. "Liana Carver, what kind of garbage did you put together for Ms. Eileen's trip?" Liana blinked, at a loss. Had she messed up the files? "Jolie, is there a problem?" "You have the nerve to ask? Ms. Eileen is furious. Get yourself to the CEO office and explain." When the call ended, it felt as if a mountain dropped onto Liana's head. She hated going to the CEO office; every time she went, that she-devil of a boss skinned her alive. She replayed yesterday's tasks and couldn't find a single clue. With her heart thudding, she rode the elevator to the top floor, knocked lightly, and heard a curt, "Come in." The moment she stepped inside, a stack of files slammed into her chest. "Did you submit this trash?" came the icy voice. Liana crouched to gather the papers scattered across the floor, her voice small. "Yes." Eileen Brewsley, CEO of Brewsley Group, was the industry's infamous she-devil-ice-cold and ruthless in business. In just three years, she'd driven Brewsley Group into the top fifty of the Fortune Global 500. Executives in the industry feared her. A junior secretary like Liana didn't stand a chance. The pressure in that room bore down on Liana's shoulders. Eileen flipped through a file without lifting her head. "What's your name, and how much does the company pay you each month?" Liana's breath caught. "Liana Carver. Six hundred fifty a month after taxes." Eileen slanted a glance at Jolie, then said, crisp and to the point, "You get what you pay for. If you can even misprint a finished document, you'll mess up anything. Let her go. Hire someone competent. Pay what it takes. Don't pinch pennies on talent." Liana's chest tightened, tears pressing hot behind her eyes. In this job market, it wasn't easy to land anything, let alone a position at a big company. "Ms. Eileen, I'll get it right. Please give me one more chance." Eileen signed another document, still not looking up. "Why should I believe you?" Liana bit her lip. For a long moment she couldn't think of anything to claim as a strength and could only flick a pleading look toward Jolie. Jolie stepped in. "Ms. Eileen, the flight departs in an hour and a half. The drive to the airport is thirty-five minutes, and we should leave time for traffic. You have at most five minutes to handle work here." Eileen finally set down the file and looked up at the woman standing there. "Then we'll talk when I return. Put these proposals together so I can read them in the car. We're leaving now." Liana let out a long breath and went back to her desk, her pulse still racing. She silently prayed the she-devil would let this slide when she got back. The more she thought about it, the more her stomach knotted. If Jolie hadn't spoken up, she would've been fired on the spot. She needed to vent. She needed comfort, right now. She slipped into the stairwell and, by reflex, pulled up Micah's number. Catching herself, she found Marshall Chambers's contact instead and dialed. Once, twice, three times. Each time, an automated voice picked up. A fresh wave of hurt welled up. Micah never ignored her calls. When she needed him, he always made her feel heard. Thinking of that, she missed him a little. What was he doing? Was he so rattled by the breakup that he couldn't write a line of code? She opened her Messenger chat with Micah and, after a long hesitation, typed and sent, "Micah, could you pick me up after work today? And bring a milk tea from that place near your office?" The moment it went out, regret nipped at her. Had she just given him the upper hand? He hadn't even offered a proper apology. Her best friend's words rang in her head. If she bowed her head first, Micah would peg her as easy to manage. She'd be the weaker one forever, never truly valued. Too late to unsend it now. Fine. She'd ride in his car once. Let him have that one. Tonight he'd be on his knees by the bed, reciting the virtues. On the other side of town, Micah really was more anxious than usual, though not because of the breakup with Liana. There were eight days left until the wedding. Where on earth was he supposed to find a woman to marry? He combed through the single women in his contacts and analyzed them one by one. None of them was right for a spur-of-the-moment wedding. He couldn't conjure a fiancée out of thin air. His mom had called, telling him to come home after work and, very specifically, to bring his fiancée. His head throbbed. While he was waffling, a Messenger notification pinged. He opened it and saw Liana's message, brows knitting in puzzlement. What exactly was this princess expecting? He began typing in the chat. He needed to be clear with her.