Trista’s POVAs soon as I removed my contact lens - instant relief. I rubbed them and squinted into the mirror. I’ve had my eyes checked several times by optometrists. I even went to see a renowned specialist in Italy. He said it was strange because there was nothing wrong with my optic nerves or my actual eyes. But for some reason, my vision is still really poor. I got contacts when I moved to Italy so I didn’t have to wear my ugly, clunky glasses anymore.My face was blurry in the mirror now because my contacts were gone.“Sorry,” my wolf, Salina, whispered. I don’t hear from her very often. Because of her disability, she’s really quiet and shy, much quieter than other wolves. I could feel her pacing around, though. She’d been a little restless since we landed, and even more so since we got to the restaurant. She can sense the familiarity of this place, and the unease that comes with it.“It’s okay,” I whispered back to her. “It’s not your fault.”For a moment, my nerves got the bet
Trista’s POV“Let’s go check out the JL store,” Liam said, as he took a final swig of his drink. “I’d like you to take a look around. You know, so you can get a sense for the branding.”The mention of the store sent my stomach lurching. My mind flashed back to Lucy. Her mocking laugh. My manager firing me. The embarrassment of being forced out of the store by a security guard.“I…I don’t know,” I stammered. “Is that..is that necessary?” I REALLY didn’t want to go back to that store.“I think it might be a good idea,” Jonhson said. “I personally have never seen a JL store in this area, and I wouldn’t mind checking it out.” He looked to me. My hands were wrapped around my drink and my head was down. “I mean, if that’s okay with you, Trista?” His voice was kind and gentle. He knew something was off. I lifted my head and gave him a confident nod. I was here on business, and part of that meant checking out the store.“Sure, sounds good to me,” I lied through my teeth.“Great. Let me just c
Trista’s POVI quelled Salina. She was upset. She didn’t want to be here. And quite frankly, neither did I. Liam called the manager over. I recognized him immediately. He was the same manager that had thrown me out five years ago! I pushed down the nervous feeling in my stomach.“Mr. Stonewood,” the manager said in a humble tone. “Will you be needing my assistance today?”I squinted at him, but he didn’t recognize me. Fair enough. I was older now, and much prettier. Plus, I didn’t have those awful thick-rimmed glasses anymore.“As a matter of fact, you can,” Liam said. Was it just me or did he look nervous? “I brought a ‘special’ guest to the store.” He emphasized the word ‘special’. Liam pushed me forward. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize her!”The manager studied my face for a moment, and then realization washed over him.“Of course,” he said, clasping my hands and smiling.“I brought her here to see the…the gift?” Liam was acting strange. He was definitely nervous. He kept wiping
“This isn’t necessary,” I said, helping the manager up off the floor. I didn’t need him to apologize to me! I didn’t care about any of this. I don’t know what Liam THOUGHT he was doing, but this was ridiculous. So I decided to turn the whole thing around on Liam. “In fact, I should be thanking you,” I said to the manager.That rattled Liam. “Thanking him?” His eyes grew wide. “He FIRED you!”“Yes,” I replied, lifting my chin. “But if he hadn’t fired me, I never would have gone to Milan. And then I never would have started my OWN jewelry line. So, I owe him my gratitude.” I smiled at the manager. I wanted Liam to see that whatever he was trying to do, whatever ‘plan’ he had, it wasn’t going to work on me.I was still mad at Liam and I wanted him to know it. I didn’t care about this stupid manager anymore. LIAM was the one who had caused me pain.I turned to Johnson then. “I don’t want any of this,” I said, waving my hand dismissively at the display counter. “If Liam doesn’t want it, ca
“I truly am sorry,” the manager said humbly. “I never should have fired you. Not like that.” His eyes were sincere. Maybe I should forgive him?Nope. Johnson didn’t even give me a chance.“You’re fired,” Johnson said dryly.“What?” the manager asked. His shocked eyes flitted from my face, to Liam’s, then back to Johnson’s.“You heard me. Pack your things. You’re fired effective immediately.”“Well I hardly think that’s appropriate,” the manager scoffed, clearly annoyed. “Who are you to fire me? What right do you have?”“Every right,” Johnson shrugged. “I’m the CEO. I can fire whoever I want.”“The CEO?” the manager’s eyes widened.“Yes. So you’re fired. Get your stuff and go.” Johnson’s voice had a hint of anger in it now. This was odd behaviour from Johnson. He was usually really kind to his employees. Patience and generous. He always forgave them whenever they made mistakes. At least, that’s how he’d always treated me. I’d never seen Johnson get upset with an employee before.The ma
“You lied,” Johnson said.“I did,” Liam confirmed. I expected Liam to erupt like a volcano, but he surprised me. He was honest and calm. Johnson pressed his lips together. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. He was mad, I could tell. But he was a professional business man so he would remain tactful.“I regret to hear that, Mr. Stonewood,” Jonhson finally said. “It appears that we have been brought here on a ruse. Trista is my employee, but she is also a very dear friend of mine. You are doing her a disservice by not taking her talents seriously.”Liam scowled at Johnson. I flushed at the compliment. Johnson was clearly protecting me, and I adored him for it. “Trista has many opportunities,” Johnson continued. “Her designs are top notch. She’s worthy of her own independent line. However…” he paused and fixed his eyes on Liam, “if you CANNOT keep this meeting professional, then I will abort this negotiation without hesitation.”Whoa. Johnson meant business now. That was a warning.
Liam’s POVA baby? Trista had a baby?That’s what the man had said – Johnson, the CEO.He fired the manager for firing her…while she was pregnant.Five years…That meant?God, she was beautiful. Way more beautiful than I remembered. I was gobsmacked when I saw her. She was so mature now. She finally ditched those ugly thick glasses. I never knew how lovely her eyes were, the way they sparkled when she smiled. She had an elegance about her, a gracefulness. She was successful and confident.And her designs! They were extraordinary. I’d be an idiot. A complete asshole to Trista. I had thought Lucy and I were in love. She was my mate after all. But the only thing Lucy was in love with was money. That became clear pretty fast.“Liam,” she would coo, batting her eyelashes. “Take me to the jewelry store. I need a new piece for our dinner tomorrow night.” And then, when we got there, she would beeline right for the most expensive piece in the store! She wouldn’t even ask me; she’d just tell
Trista’s POV Just as I sat back to relax – ping. It was my phone. ‘Strange,’ I thought. Who would be calling me on the plane?’ It was Johnson’s mom. Her words came out in a frantic slur. “I’m so sorry, Trista. It was an accident. Billy and Belle. They’re hurt.” “What?” I asked her to slow down. My heart clenched. Hurt? My babies? She explained that they’d been injured while they were playing with some other kids. She assured me that they were okay. This didn’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach. I told Johnson and he said would go directly to his parents’ house when we landed. The kids were supposed to stay with them for another week while we had some business meetings. “We’ll cancel the meetings.” Johnson took my hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry about work. Let’s go see the kids.” I nodded. The rest of the flight felt like it took a million years! But finally, we landed in Paris. We rented a car and went straight to his parents’ house