Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“I can take care of myself.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. Good night, Yve. Goodbye, Cassian.”I ordered a ride and headed back to Oakwood.
There used to be just two guards at the front gate.
Now there were five.
All burly, all alert, and all apparently recognised me by the head tilt they gave me as I passed.
Sebastian had hired them after Daniel barged his way into the building last time.
Even though he was off on some last-minute business trip, he still made sure Cassian was keeping an eye on me at Yvaine’s party.
Still had security beefed up at the building.
He never said a word about it, though. Just did the thing.
I hadn’t drunk much, but by the time I got upstairs, the night hit me all at once.
Istripped, showered, and flopped straight into bed without setting an alarm.
It was the weekend, after all. 1
I woke up to the sun roasting my face and my phone shrieking like a banshee.
Squinting, I fumbled around until I saw the name on screen: Savannah Lane.
That sobered me up real fast.
Savannah never called me on weekends, not unless the building was on fire.
I swiped to answer.
“Savannah-
“Eleanor Vance! Where the hell are you?! I’ve called you three times. Don’t tell me you’re still in bed.”I glanced at the screen.
Two missed calls.
Shit.
“I mean… technically, yes. It’s Saturday, so-
“It’s bloody Sunday!” she shrieked.
“And in case your beauty sleep turned you into a goldfish, today is the day Eliza Black comes in to review the new jewellery pitch. You’re at home? In your pyjamas?!”I shot up so fast I nearly dislocated something.
My phone screen helpfully reminded me: Sunday, 10:42 a.m.
“I thought she was coming tomorrow, Monday”I told you they changed the date. Last week. She’s a global A-lister, Elean, and she-“
“More like B-lister,” I mumbled.
“Shut up and listen! She cleared her schedule for Nyx Collective. She’s here right now! You think she’s gonna wait around because you needed an extra lie-in?”
“No-I mean yes-I didn’t get the update, I swear-
“Save it.” Her voice cut clean through my panic.
“You want this project? You want your name on Eliza Black’s red carpet looks? Then get your arse in here now. You’re the best designer I’ve got Don’t blow this because you slept through a calendar change.”
Click. She was gone.
I sat there, stunned for about five seconds, then scrambled out of bed, tripped into my slippers, and raced to the bathroom.
I hadn’t seen any reschedule.
No email. No message. Nothing.
I’d sworn it was set for Monday.
Someone had screwed with me.
No way that update just magically skipped over me.
Someone-cough Violet bloody Lin cough-had made damn sure I was left out of the loop.
But I didn’t have time to sit around cursing her name and plotting her slow demise.
I’d pulled three all-nighters for that pitch.
Blood, sweat, and not nearly enough coffee went into that deck.
Missing this meeting wasn’t an option, not unless I wanted to kiss my shot at real industry cred goodbye.
By the time I barrelled into Nyx Collective, it was past eleven.
Every designer had already shown their proposals.
Eliza Black’s agent was halfway out the door, throwing Savannah look that said “wrap it up or I’m walking”.
Savannah had begged. Negotiated. Maybe offered up her soul.
Eventually, the agent had relented.
Ten minutes, no more.
I made it into the conference room on the final minute of that countdown.
I was a mess-sweaty from sprinting up five flights of stairs, hair wild like I’d just crawled out of a wind tunnel.
My blouse was sticking to my back, and I couldn’t feel my left leg.
Eliza Black was perched at the front of the room in head-to-toe black, a designer mask covering most of her face.
Just her eyes showing, sharp and watchful.
She looked exactly like she did on screen.
Only now, she wasn’t smiling.
Gone was the grinning, bubbly pop princess.
This Eliza was ice.
Still, silent, judgemental.
And probably five seconds away from standing up and walking the hell out.
I didn’t bother with a sob story. het apologised for the delay and launched straight into my pitch.
I mugged my shirt into place and let the projector warm up, using these precious seconds to steady my breathing and slow my heart down from hummingbird-on-espresso mode.
They weren’t looking at sketches yet, just raw concept.
I called mine BloomState.
Every piece was based on the fleeting moments flowers go through Istarted with the bud tiny stud earrings, twisted into a barely-there spiral.
Then came the open heart necklace. A stylised bloom, fully open.
The Seed Pod Ring was the show-off. All structure and sharp angles, but with a kind of quiet rhythm to it.
And finally, the Dewdrop Collar. Fine chain, light-catching stones that looked like drops of morning dew.
I’d studied Eliza Black’s whole catalogue, stalked every fan theory thread, and read every fashion blogger’s take. She was known for being playful, but this was going to rebrand her as a bloody icon.
Halfway through, I found my rhythm.
My voice evened out, and my words stopped tripping over each other.
Eliza didn’t react.
Not a blink, not a twitch, not even a polite nod.
She just sat there, still masked, legs crossed, arms folded, the human equivalent of a locked phone screen.
But at least she didn’t look like she was about to bolt anymore.
As soon as I wrapped, her agent stood up.
“She has a shoot. We’re already running late. Will let you know our decision soon.” And they were gone.
The second the door shut, Savannah rounded on me.
“Do you know how many people were sat here twiddling their thumbs waiting on you? If I hadn’t begged and bartered like a bloody hostage negotiator, they’d have walked!”I didn’t argue.
I didn’t need to.
Savannah had a mouth like a guillotine but a heart made of marshmallow.
She wasn’t mad at me.
She was mad at how close I’d come to flushing the opportunity of the year down the toilet.
I swigged an entire bottle of mineral water before I could speak.
Savannah, babe, I swear I didn’t know they changed the time. If I’d known the meeting was today, do you seriously think I’d have been at home passed out in my pyjamas?”She squinted at me.
I could see the gears grinding behind her smoky eyeliner.
She knew me.