<b>Chapter </b><b>88 </b>
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When the elevator finally arrived, I stepped inside and pressed the button for the twentieth floor. I’d eat in the general cafeteria after all.
<b>63 </b>
The cafeteria was bustling with employees enjoying their lunch breaks. I found a quiet corner table and picked at my sd, my appetite diminished by the sight of Elizabeth heading to Dominic’s office and the whisperedments. that followed.
I pulled out my phone, seeking distraction, and found a text from Sophia.
[First day at the fancy new job! How’s it going? Went to the police station this morning to file a report about Dn. Thank you again for you and Dominic’s help with the evidence.]
I smiled, grateful for the reminder that at least one thing in my life was going right. Sophia and I had repaired our friendship, and she was safe from Dn’s maniptions. I typed a brief reply, not wanting to burden her with my insecurities about Elizabeth.
[Going okay. Learning lots of new systems. d you filed the report. Talkter?]
I set my phone down and pushed my sd around the te, my appetitepletely gone. The image of Elizabeth walking toward Dominic’s office reyed in my mind like a cruel film loop. My shoulders slumped as I stabbed at a cherry tomato, watching it roll across the te.
Who was <b>I </b>kidding? Elizabeth was everything I wasn’t–wealthy, sophisticated, pure–blooded. The perfect match for someone like Dominic. I nced down at my simple white shirt, already slightly wrinkled from the day’s activities, and felt hopelessly inadequate. The whisperedments from those women had struck a nerve I didn’t even know was exposed.
My throat tightened. I’d been a fool to think I could belong in this world. No amount of training or professional clothing would change the fact that I was an outsider–a human intruder in their carefully structured hierarchy.
‘Ms. Brown?”
I jumped at Marcus’s voice, nearly knocking over my water ss. “Sorry, I was…” I trailed off, not wanting to admit where my thoughts had wandered.
“I apologize for interrupting your lunch,” he said, standing beside my table with perfect posture.
<b>I </b>straightened, trying topose myself. “It’s fine. Is something wrong?” My heart raced with sudden worry–had I made some terrible mistake already?
“Not at <b>all</b>. Mr. Sterling asked me to check on you when he noticed the lunch delivery but couldn’t locate you.”
“Oh.” The words hit me with unexpected force. My chest, which had felt hollow moments before, suddenly filled with warmth. Dominic had noticed my absence. He’d been expecting me. He’d sent someone to find me. I felt my face flush, a strange mix of embarrassment and pleasure washing over me.
“I was going to surprise him,” I admitted, my voice unsteady. “But he seemed to be in a meeting with Elizabeth, so 1…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
Marcus’s expression remained impassive, but something in his eyes softened almost imperceptibly. “Mr. Sterling has asked me to schedule a daily lunch period for you two in his calendar moving forward.”
The knot in my chest loosened. Daily lunches? Reserved specifically for me? I bit my lower lip to stop a ridiculous smile from spreading across my face. Just minutes ago I’d been wallowing in insecurity, and now–because of a simple lunch invitation–I felt foolishly, ridiculously hopeful again.
“That’s… thoughtful of him,” I managed, trying to sound professional while my pulse hammered in my ears. Was this Dominic’s way of iming me publicly? Of ensuring I didn’t retreat if I saw Elizabeth again? The thought made me both nervous and strangely exhrated.
“Shall we continue your training?” Marcus asked. “I’ve prepared some important documents for you to practice
processing.”
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Mated by Contract to the Alpha
<b>Chapter </b><b>89 </b>
Reba’s POV