CHAPTER SIX
Aria’s POV
Staying calm under pressure was not something that was new to me.
I was used to being in situations where it felt like I had lost complete control of my emotions, and I had mastered the art of always keeping cool no matter the pressure.
Right now, however, I was on the verge of completely crashing out.
“Mr. Knox?” I managed to scoff despite my internal panic. “I thought you said you preferred Kael.”
He looked mildly amused at my response.
“I can see that you remain ever defiant, even in the face of trouble,” he said while walking slowly to where I was standing.
“You can’t exactly expect me to just walk away without a fight.” I squared my shoulders for confidence as we now stood face to face.
“There’s nothing else you can do, love. I suggest you accept defeat and begin adjusting to your new reality!”
He was right; there was nothing else that I could do at this point.
With a deadly look of determination on my face, I stayed silent, knowing I had no choice but to back down.
He noticed the expression on my face, and his annoyingly perfect lips turned up into a self-satisfied smirk.
“When do I get my new office?” I finally asked in concession.
I still couldn’t believe that this was my new reality. What a mess!
“You’ll get your new space in a bit,” he replied, and I swear I could hear the mockery in his voice. “I just need you to do one assignment for me.”
My eyebrows furrowed at the sound of that, and I hoped with everything in me that he was not about to say something I was not comfortable with.
It had been a while since anyone had told me what to do.
After my family passed, I had been the one calling the shots around here.
I was seriously not cool with this new arrangement.
“What assignment?” I asked, turning to face him.
“What assignment, sir?” he corrected me, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes but nodded instead.
“You have an hour to check your records and collect all the expense reports filed by your brother for the last two years. The auditors and I will be waiting for you in the boardroom.”
I almost complained out loud about how that work was for an assistant, but the lethal look on his face made me not to.
I internally concluded to just ask Tiana to get the job done for me.
I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of thinking that he could get to me.
On the way to Tiana’s station, I could not help but notice all the changes that had occurred overnight.
The art on the walls that Mother and I had picked out years ago was all gone, leaving everywhere looking bare and stark white.
“That jerk,” I muttered under my breath as I felt my blood boil.
I walked around like a complete stranger in my own surroundings.
For some reason, Tiana was not at her usual station when I passed, and I needed her to get on this errand already.
Ten minutes had passed, and I didn’t want to risk incurring Kael’s wrath.
I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, and she picked up after a few rings.
“Hey.” Her voice came down the line.
“Where did you run off to? I need your help, like, right now.”
“I’m sorry, but I was told to cut the call when I was talking to you earlier. How did your meeting with him go?” she asked. “I hope you freaked out sexily like I told you.”
“Tiana… I yielded, okay? I had no choice, but it’s fine,” I told her. “I actually need your help with something else.”
“Okay, but there’s something you—” I didn’t let her finish talking as I started telling her what to do.
“Go to the records and collect all of the reports from…”
This time around, I was the one that was cut short.
“Aria, I’m not your assistant anymore!”
“What? That’s not possible!” I said in disbelief.
“I’m afraid it is… I’m now under the head of the finance department, and he is actually calling me right now. I have to go, but I will text you as soon as I am free. Good luck.”
He changed my assistant.
I was still trying to process everything when I realized that another ten minutes had gone by and I had not even gotten started on the assignment.
“If I’m going to do this, then I need to get more comfortable… these shoes aren’t going to cut it.” I muttered to myself.
Reluctantly, I walked over to the storage room where each employee usually had a designated locker.
Thankfully, Kael had not moved things around in here. I found my own locker easily and unlocked it before bringing out a pair of abandoned flats that I rarely wore.
I quickly kicked off my stiletto heels and changed into the more comfortable flats before leaving for the records room.
Forty-five minutes later, I was on my way to deliver the records Kael requested to him when I got a notification on my phone.
It was an emergency all-staff meeting that he had scheduled in the main boardroom.
Of course.
Just what I needed.
I made my way there, document in hand, not sure of what to expect from the meeting.
I got there and tried my hardest to ignore the looks that I was attracting from all the other staff.
It made me mad that I had changed my shoes earlier, because I would usually tower over the staff in my six-inch heels.
Feigning confidence, I walked past them into the room, and I saw Kael motioning for me to come stand by his side.
I didn’t want to, but I knew better than to act smart with him, especially now that we had company.
“Thank you all for gathering on such short notice. I will do my best to keep it brief, but as you are aware, significant changes have been underway.” His deep voice boomed across the room, and everyone listened with rapt attention.
“I am pleased to announce that the Knox Conglomerate has officially acquired the Vale Firm, effective immediately.”
Applause was heard from all around the room, and I felt lightheaded from being faced with the reality of it all.