Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Not to mention for someone who had experienced the horrendous shit she had, she is one of the happiest people I have ever met. I have to remember to ask her one day how she did it because I know people who have suffered less and still can’t bounce back.
I kissed my babies goodbye, but they hardly paid me any mind because their Aunty Mo-Mo had brought a new Mickey Mouse waffle maker, and they were losing their shit. I barely got a hand wave as I walked out the door.
I was about to get into my car when Monique ran out the door behind me and stopped me. “Where are you going?”
“To the company, I guess.”
“In that piece of shit?” She pointed at my ten-year-old Equinox with distaste.
“Well, yeah, how else am I supposed to get there?”
“The same way I got here, a driver. Yours should be here any minute.”
“A car and driver?”
“Oh, you really don’t know Marcus.”
A car pulled onto my driveway, and I almost swallowed my tongue. “Is that a Phantom?”
“Yeah, that’s a Phantom, but not thee Phantom. Your asshole boyfriend drives that one.”
There was a driver in uniform who opened the door with a smile. I didn’t know how to act, but Justice was way ahead of me. ‘this is the life I was meant to live. Yes bitch, I have arrived.’
I knew shit was about to pop off as soon as I walked into the conference room with Marcus as soon as I arrived. First, let me go back to the beginning. After the car ride that was about twenty minutes long, there was someone waiting to meet me at the door and lead me to Marcus’ office.
“Good morning, Ms. Justine, I’m sorry, Mr. Devereaux said your last name won’t be yours for long, so I don’t need to know it, but if you’d prefer…”
“No, it’s fine, or you can just call me Justine.”
“No, ma’am, I cannot.”
Why did she look like she was about to crap herself? I followed her through the lobby that was as big as the first floor of my house to the bank of elevators. I’d been here many years ago but hadn’t needed to visit my husband at his job since his first year here when we were so in love and I would meet him after work to go to dinner or the movies.
The first thing I saw when I walked into Marcus’ office that looked and smelled as if it had new everything, was the plaque on the wall behind his head. “One mark of a great soldier is that he fights on his own terms or fights not at all.” Sun Tzu.
If he’s reading Sun Tzu, he’s a real one, first and foremost. Most crazy geniuses are into his shit. But it was the man himself that made my insides quiver. I’d seen him in a Tuxedo, then slacks and dress shirts that Carl had bought him when he bought my stuff, but there was a difference between both those things and the dark-colored suit he wore with the pale blue shirt with a gold pin through his tie.
What the hell would this paragon of sexiness want with me? “You look gorgeous. Are you ready?” He got up from his chair, grabbed a leather folder, and passed it to me. “Take notes.”
We walked down a long carpeted hallway to the doors at the end, and someone rushed to open them for him. I noticed that he took the time to say thank you to the gentleman, which I did as well, before we walked into a room full of people already seated around the big ass table in the middle of the room.
One of those people was Paul, and the other was Melanie. There was a hush and then a lot of murmurs as we walked to the head of the table. A door opened behind us, and an elderly gentleman with a shock of white hair and Marcus’ face came strolling in.
“Morning, everyone, remain seated.” He motioned for them to sit down with his hand, then walked over and placed his hand on Marcus’ shoulder. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my grandson, the new CEO of Deveraux Incorporated.”
That set off a maelstrom of whispers and surprised looks, which both Marcus and his grandfather ignored. “I’m handing over the reins, son. Your grandmother and I will be on the yacht for the next month or so, so I won’t be reachable.”
A man who I later recognized as Marcus’ dad called after his father and was ignored. “Hello, everyone. Marcus Devereaux iii, you’re fired. Your office should’ve been packed up by now. Security will see you out. Everyone else, we’ll meet back here later in the week. If anyone wants to see me or contact me in any way, you must go through her.” He pointed at me, and Paul and Melanie looked as if they were ready to commit murder.