Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“As for you.” He turned to Rowan next.
“You couldn’t make a dent overseas, that’s why you crawled back here. Guess what, I’ll make sure Skyline slams the door on you even faster.”
Rowan blanched.
“Sebastian-“
“Don’t “Sebastian” me. I’m not your friend. I’ve deleted your number, and I suggest you do the same with mine. We’re done.”
He turned and reached for my wrist.
“Let’s go.”
I left with him, now that the show was over.
“Is it really over, though?” I asked as we came out of the hospital.
“Will they back off for good now that you’ve exposed their evil machinations?”
“They know better than to try again,” Sebastian said.
He looked thoughtful.
“Though, just to make sure…”
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
He was on the phone with Dominic for less than five minutes.
“What did you ask him to do?” I asked once he hung up.
“Just make a few calls.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant until later that afternoon, when he sent me screenshots.
Dominic had sent him an update:
(Rowan just lost her spot on StarSignal, the variety show she was supposed to debut on. Brand deal with Zaphir Skincare’s gone too. The others are falling through one by one.)
I scrolled.
There were eight canceled projects.
Even when her agency offered to cut her rate, nobody accepted.
Then another update came through.
[Rowan posted a vague brag about performing at the Skyline Gala, tagged it and everything. A minute ago, gala organizers replied to her post directly: “No such invite was issued to Miss Hale.”)
I pictured Rowan reading this merciless disclaimer, watching it all fall apart, losing everything in ten minutes.
I didn’t feel sorry for her.
Priya’s name lit up on my phone.
I picked up.
“Eleanor! Daniel Granger just stormed into the studio. He found out Presco’s his brother or something, and now he’s screaming you and Presco tricked him. He’s demanding you show up and explain. Shit, now they’re fighting!”
Behind her voice, I could hear loud crashing, metal scraping tile, and something heavy thudding against a wall.
My first reaction on hearing Daniel’s name was-why couldn’t he take his family drama elsewhere? Why my studio?
If this had happened a year ago, I might’ve called Louisa to check in.
But ever since the engagement ended, we barely exchanged pleasantries, let alone sympathy.
“They won’t stop.” Priya sounded more concerned than scared.
“Presco won’t back down; Daniel looks ready to kill him. I can’t get between them, Eleanor, please-“
More smashing. Glass and furniture.
I could hear fists landing.
“I’m not coming back. I don’t care what they’re fighting about. And you need to stay the hell out of it. I don’t want you catching an elbow because they can’t manage their daddy issues.”
“But-“
“There’s nothing valuable in the studio. No jewelry. Let them break whatever they want. They’ll pay for it. Call the police. And if one of them ends up bleeding, call an ambulance. Just don’t get in the middle.”
“Okay,”
Thung up.
I’d meant to swing by Yvaine’s new shop, but now I just wanted to get home and pass out.
My lower back still ached.
Priya called again minutes later.
“Police came,” Priya said.
“They’re handling it. Daniel and Presco both got hurt. Presco’s worse. They’ve been taken to the hospital.” She paused.
“The studio’s a wreck. Again.”
I sighed.
“I’m on my way.”
I couldn’t leave Priya to deal with the mess alone.
When I got there, the street was empty, and the police were gone.
Inside, the door was still half-open, the metal frame bent slightly at the hinge.
The place looked like it had been trashed by a lunatic with a baseball bat.
Computers were smashed, monitors on the floor with cracked screens.
Tables were overturned; chairs were scattered, some snapped in half, stuffing spilling out.
Blood streaked the white tiles in two directions, thick and dark, already drying at the edges.
I didn’t want to know who had left it.
I got to work clearing glass, dragging chairs into a pile, picking up splintered wood.
Priya helped silently.
We filled two bin bags before I finally dropped into one of the few intact chairs.
My shoulders were tight, and my palms were burning from the cuts.
The bell at the door jingled once.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
His shirt was half-buttoned, one sleeve rolled up sloppily.
His lip was split.
There was a fresh bandage stretched across his neck, another around his wrist.
His jaw looked swollen, turning a sickly shade of grey-green.
Priya shot up.
“Are you insane? You just left the hospital and already back for round two? I swear-“
He ignored her, his eyes locking on mine.
He stepped in, limping slightly.
“Just tell me one thing. You knew he was my father’s bastard all along. You kept seeing him anyway. Were you trying to get back at me?”
I stood, moved three steps away from him.
“No,” I said coldly.
“I didn’t know. And it’s not my problem. Your family mess has nothing to do with me.”
Daniel glared like he was trying to burn a hole through my skull.
“Do you know what my dad just told me? Thirty percent. He’s giving that bastard thirty percent of the company. I’ve been breaking my back at Granger Development for five years and I don’t even have thirty. And he just hands it to some nobody who showed up out of nowhere.”
He didn’t give me a chance to say “Don’t care, didn’t ask ” and barreled on.
“He came straight to your studio the moment he got back to Skyline. You two must’ve been talking behind my back for months. What is this, some plan to cut me out and split my inheritance between you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said.
“You’re not that important.”
He let out a low, complacent, smug laugh, and I knew he was about to say something stupid.
“You don’t have to play games. If it’s money you want, just tell me. Whatever you’re scheming for, I’ll give it to you.
I looked him dead in the eye.
“I wouldn’t take a cent from you, even if you got on your knees and begged me.”
I stepped past the broken table and started moving around him.