Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
No signs of collapse.
She scrubbed the counters, ordered bulk flour, bossed the contractors around.
She stopped mentioning Cassian entirely.
Just talked business. Equipment. Packaging. Rent.
When the gold foil signage went up, I finally stopped checking up on her every five minutes.
***
That afternoon, Sebastian rang.
“Dinner tonight,” he said.
“I want you to meet a client.”
“Yeah, alright.”
Octavia Grey had sent me a steady stream of C-list actors and thirsty influencers, all sniffing around for custom pieces. I’d done mock-ups for three of them, but none had pulled the trigger. No contracts yet. My calendar was so empty it was starting to insult me.
I met Sebastian at The Rookery, a private club tucked behind a bland grey fa?ade on West 48th. When I got there, he was leaning against a stone column by the entrance, buttoned up in a charcoal coat with the collar turned up.
“I just got here,” he said, his breath showing in the air.
“You’ll freeze out here. Let’s go in.”
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder.
“What’s this client like?”
“I don’t really know,” Sebastian said.
“Cassian sent them my way. Said it’s a friend of his.”
“What kind of friend?”
He kept walking.
I didn’t.
I should’ve stayed home.
If I’d known this was one of Cassian’s people, I wouldn’t have touched it with a ten-foot pole. I didn’t care if my studio never turned a profit again; Cassian Langford could keep his damn referrals.
Sebastian didn’t notice the shift. He pushed open the club door.
“Apparently, she’s some actress. Just did a drama that blew up. Her name’s all over right now.”
“An actress?”
Sebastian glanced back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Let’s just get this over with.”
He stepped aside and held the door open. I walked in, shoulders squared.
Cassian Langford was sitting on a velvet sofa. His legs were stretched out, one arm resting along the backrest, looking right at home. Next to him sat a girl with a high ponytail and a pale green jumper. Her face was small, round, softly lit by the chandelier overhead. She looked fresh-scrubbed and polished, like she’d just stepped off a morning show set.
I recognised her. Barely.
That was the rising star Yvaine had warned me about.
Harper Foster.
She’d had a breakthrough playing the scheming younger sister in some Regency drama. She looked less filtered in person-narrower jaw, sharper eyes. Still recognisable, if you squinted.
I stared at her.
“You’re Harper Foster, right?”
She stood, her meet-the-fans smile ready.
“Yes. That’s me.”
I ignored her outstretched hand and just pulled out my phone, scrolling fast.
She glanced at Cassian like a puppy waiting for a command.
“Don’t just stand there,” he said casually.
“I already ordered. Check the menu, see if there’s anything else you want.”
I didn’t respond. My thumbs moved across the screen. When I looked up, I aimed the phone screen straight at her.
“I’m pulling up your photos. You look completely different in real life. Honestly? Bit rough.”
I tilted the phone so she and Cassian both got a nice, clear look.
Harper’s face froze. Her lips parted, then shut again. She didn’t speak. She clutched her jumper sleeves and peeked up at Cassian like she expected him to rescue her.
He hesitated, jaw tightening. His voice was both confused and offended.
“What’s your problem? You’ve just met her and you’re already being hostile. I brought her here because I thought you could design something for her. She’s got a huge following right now. Working with her helps you, not the other way around.”
Sebastian gave him a hard look that should’ve seared a hole through his smug suit. Then he leaned towards me and muttered, “Do you know her? Is there history I’m missing? Maybe we go in and talk it through-“
I didn’t budge.
“I’m not going in. This dinner’s not happening.”
Harper’s face immediately flushed red.
“Did I do something wrong? I don’t think we’ve met before, but if I’ve upset you in any way, I’m happy to apologise.”
Cassian touched her shoulder.
“Don’t cry, let me figure out what’s going on,” he said, then turned to me.
“I’m honestly trying to introduce you to a client. What’s going on? Why are we getting into this before we even eat?”
I’d aimed my snark at Harper to stand up for Yvaine, but Cassian? He was the one who really made me sick.
I stared him down.
“Drop the act. You think I don’t know what you two are up to?”
Cassian, being an old friend of Sebastian’s and a few years older than me, had always gotten my respect in the past. But not today.
“I’ve known Yvaine forever-you know we’re close. Yet here you are bringing this woman here. What’s your play, Cassian? You trying to rub it in Yvaine’s face? Or maybe you want me to sit here with Harper and stir up some drama between me and Yvaine?”
The room went deathly quiet. The look on Cassian’s face shifted from confusion to something like guilt. He didn’t say anything for a long moment.
Finally, he let out a breath and tried to explain.
“I didn’t mean anything like that. It’s just-Harper mentioned wanting a custom piece of jewellery, so I thought of you. I really just wanted to set you up with a potential client.”
He glanced awkwardly at Sebastian.
“I swear, there’s nothing more to it than that.”
Sebastian shot Cassian a sharp look.
“This is really low, Cassian. Did you bring her here just to screw with me?”
Cassian sighed.
“Look, this whole thing is a misunderstanding. I swear, business is business, no hard feelings. Let’s just talk about the jewellery.”
“Talk about what?” I scoffed.
“I don’t talk business with assholes. Do you think I’m going to sit down and have a meal with you?”
I turned to Harper.
“And you. You do know Cassian has a girlfriend, right? Yet here you are, willing to play the side piece. I’d rather grind my diamonds into dust and snort them than design a single piece for you.”
I spun towards the door.
“I’m done.”
If it weren’t for Sebastian’s presence, I’d have said something far snarkier. He fell into step beside me.
Cassian came rushing after us.
“Sebastian, hold on! Please, let me explain! This is all a misunderstanding!”
He caught up with Sebastian, grabbing his arm.
“I’m serious, I didn’t mean for this to go down like this. Don’t let this one little thing ruin our friendship.”
Sebastian yanked his arm away, his tone as cold as ice.
“You betrayed Yvaine, and then you bring that woman here? In front of my wife? What the hell were you thinking?”
Cassian quickly held up his hands.
“Look, I didn’t mean for all this to happen. I just wanted to arrange a jewellery order. Simple as that. Yvaine and I broke up weeks ago-“
“It’s not even been a week!” I cut in.
Sebastian flung out an arm to stop Cassian.