Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“Eyes on the road, Rusty,” Kylian cut in, sliding closer to me.
“Ignore him, boss. He hasn’t shut up since 1 told him. So, is it true?”Both pairs of eyes were on me.
“It’s true?
“You’re really married? No way!” Kylian’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull,
I showed him the ring He leaned in, squinting at it so closely I could feel his breath on my hand I shoved im off “Damn!” He grinned. Congrats, buss. When do we owe the missus?”I thought of Elean and of Fabrizio, coming out of his office when I dropped her off.
He hadn’t touched her, but the way he lingered, the way he matched her stride, it made my knuckles itch.
And she was having dinner with him tonight.
Sure, there’d be others present, but that didn’t make it sier And knowing Fabrizio, he’d offer to walk her home, and they’d be alone.
“Boss?”
“What?”
You alright?”
“Why?”Kylian shrugged.
“You had that look. Like you were ready to snap someone’s neck.”
“It’s nothing.”He didn’t look convinced.
“Lea’s in town,” he said after a pause.
“Figured you should know.”I frowned.
“What’s she doing here?”Titanova’s HQ was in Eindhoven. That’s where Lea belonged.
“She wants to see you. We all do. She flew in yesterday, would’ve greeted you herself, but she got pulled into some last-minute video call.”
“Shipment of semi-automatics got held up in Montenegro,” Olivier said.
“Seized?” I asked.
“No. Just flagged. Serial numbers didn’t match the bill of lading. Paperwork mess, I guess. I only caught bits of it. Lea’s handling it.”
“Speaking of rifles,” Kylian said, reaching for a silver briefcase on the passenger seat.
He flicked it open to reveal a tidy array of weapons-compact handguns, low recoil, slick matte finishes.
This one’s a Glock 43X. Lightweight, fires ten rounds, accurate at close range, and you can slip it into your jacket and no one’d know.”I looked at the gun in his giant palm. It looked like a toy No.”
“No?” He blinked, like I’d said something in a foreign language I’m not carrying Not anymore.”
It was a promise I’d made to Elean, not that she knew.
“You serious?” Kylian looked horrified.
“You can’t walk ound Paris without a gun. That’s like, like…” He snapped this fingers “Rusty, help me out here Like going out with no trousers on,” Olivier offered Kylian scowled. That’s not what I meant.”
“Still true though,” Olivier muttered.
Kylian turned to me.
“His metaphor’s shit, but the point stands. You’ve got enemies.”
“None of them know I’m here.”You sure about that?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not part of Titanova anymore. And Titanova’s clean. If someone starts spraying bullets in the middle of Paris, it means every effort I made to clean up the company was for nothing. That, or you’ve run it into the ground in my absence. Is that what’s happened?”
“Of course not!” Kylian threw his hands up and smacked the roof. The metal gave a small dent under the impact. I’m just worried about your safety.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Anyway,” Kylian said, shutting the case, smart enough to know when to quit.
“We’ll meet up with Lea. Go over the reports. Operations. Performance.”
“I trust you with all of it.” Kylian was Titanova’s CFO. Brains sharper than his fists-and those fists had taken down a man with a machete once.
“I can’t stay long. Just give me the highlights. Any issues?”
“Bialystok,” Olivier said.
“Our office is stuck in some ridiculous bureaucracy loop. Hidden fees, zoning disputes. And now every cousin and ex-owner within a hundred-mile radius is claiming they own the land. Someone’s blocking us.”I flicked through my mental contact list.
“I know a guy. He runs the local fixers. I’ll make a call.”
“This is why you’re the boss!” Olivier saluted me in the rear-view mirror.
The car pulled into a grim-looking building on Rue des C?vennes in the 15th arrondissement.
“We bought the place,” Kylian explained.
“Figured it’d be good forward base for our Paris expansion.”
I nodded, didn’t say anything.
Since I handed the reins over to Kylian, Olivier and Lea, d been easing myself out of Titanova.
The company would always be part of my history. But it didn’t need to be part of my and Elean’s future.
The lift took us to the eighth floor.
The doors opened straight into an office And standing right there in front of us was someone I hadn’t seen in years.
Their war tears in her eyes.
You seem distracted,” Fabrizio said.
“Is something wrong?”What? Huh? Oh, nothing.” I shook my head.
“Either that, or Rue des Barres has lost its charm. We just walked past the Fontaine Stravinsky, and you barely glanced at it.”I looked around.
It really was beautiful.
Paris and romance were practically synonyms, and in early spring, the city was absurdly pretty.
The chestnut trees lining the street were just starting to leaf, spilling soft green over the cream-coloured fa?ades.
Bright awnings flapped above bakery doors, caf? tables spilt onto the pavements, and the breeze smelled of flowers and warm bread.
I pictured walking here with Sebastian, hand in hand.
The thought made me smile-then frown.
I knew he was jealous of Fabrizio.
The look on his face this morning when he dropped me off said so.
But he had no reason to be.
I was engaged to him. I didn’t break promises. Not unless someone gave me a damn good reason-like Daniel had, when he slapped me. It was only once, sure. But once is all it takes.
“There it is again,” Fabrizio’s voice snapped me back.
“That look. I don’t mean to pry, but if there’s anything I can do, just say the word. You’re important to the company. I know I’ve piled a lot on you lately, but I don’t want you feeling like you’re stranded in a foreign city with no support.”I’m not alone. Sebastian’s here.” The words came out on topilot.
Right Forgot about that.”Up ahead, Louis-Fran?ois and Peter Carl were locked in full-body debate, arms flailing like they were conducting an invisible orchestra. I half expected somene to get smacked in the face.
The breeze shifted, bringing the scent of lilac and fresh guettes.
Paris was gorgeous. My job was picking up speed, I was working with great people, and I was engaged to the best man I knew.
So why did it feel like something was about to go sideways?
“Thanks for your concern. I’m fine, really.” I smiled at Fabrizio.
He gave me one back, then nodded towards some nearby tables.
“Let’s sit. Caf? L”Oiseau Bleu, just there. We’ll get some lunch and go over your sketches. This afternoon, I’ll take you to Square des Peupliers. You were after the perfect pearl tone, weren’t you? There’s a Haussmann building with the exact creamy-white you need,”That pulled me back into work mode.
“Actually, I’ve changed my mind about the necklace.”
“Oh?”I’m leaning towards South Sea pearls. I know they’re expensive, but the size-10mm at least-is just awesome, and that colour…” I let out a little sigh, already picturing it.
When I moved into his house, Sebastian had filled my new wardrobe with designer clothes, shoes, and basically every jeweller’s wet dream.
Including a South Sea Pearl necklace. I’d actually slept hugging it. For several nights. With zero shame.
Fabrizio nodded. He got it.
“That golden hue is one-of-a-kind.”
“Right? It’s better than actual gold. And the lustre… God, it’s like velvet.”
“I know a few pearl farms in Broome. Sourcing them wouldn’t be hard. But the cost…” He hesitated.
“You know the budget’s tight right now.”I sighed.
“Yeah. Maybe we stick with Akoyas. Can’t go wrong with the classics.”
“Your fianc?’s an investor, isn’t he?”
“I think so?” I said, a bit vague. With all Sebastian’s businesses, it was hard to keep track.
Although… he’d bought Nyx Collective for me. Did that count?
“Any chance he’d be interested in Valmont & Cie?” Fabrizio’s tone was light, casual.