"Miss, are you coming in today?" Zara asked over the phone.
"In the afternoon, Zara. I have to settle some things at Nick's place first.
"Understood. Should I come along?"
"No, stay at the office and handle the reports. I'll be with Celia or Julian."
Phoebe ended the call, but a split second later, two names popped up on her screen simultaneously. She couldn't help but smirk. "Speak of the devil. Both at once?"
She declined both and merged them into a conference call. "Hello, you two! I assume you're both dying to know when I'm heading to Nick's office?"
"Exactly!" Celia shot back instantly. "And don't you dare go with just Julian. I'm in or better yet, leave the chauffeur at home and take me."
"Hey! Since when am I the one being sidelined?" Julian's voice was laced with mock offense, making Phoebe laugh.
"Don't you two have jobs? Lives?" Phoebe teased.
"My best friend is a superstar, I just resigned, and my credits are cleared. I have nothing but a life," Celia countered. "Julian is the one who's supposed to be busy."
"I've already cleared my schedule for her," Julian replied smoothly.
"Stop it!" Phoebe interrupted, her eyes sparking with amusement. "We'll go together. We'll make it look like a raid. Just be ready, we'll meet there."
"Fine, but you're picking me up," Celia demanded before the line went dead.
As the silence returned, Phoebe's smile vanished. She took a slow, deep breath, her gaze hardening. "I won't let you climb any higher, Nick! But I won't play the part of the hysterical ex-lover. I'll show you how a graceful ruin looks."
She grabbed her files, but her hand paused as she spotted a pen on the desk. Her mind suddenly drifted away from Nick and back to the shadow. "He should have the note by now. Will he show his face today, or will he wait until the last second?"
****
"Tell me, Honey … what makes it so easy for you to throw this all away? Is it another man? Have you already found someone to replace me?"
"Shut up! You have no right to say that to me!" Phoebe's voice cut through the room, sharp with fury.
"Why won't you just admit it?"
"Because I'm not a pathetic coward like you!"
Nick let out a dry, cynical breath. "Liar! Then tell me why. Give me one real reason why you're sending this."
"Check your private email! My assistant already sent over every single detail. I'm done wasting a single second of my life on a man like you!" Phoebe turned to leave, but Nick's hand clamped around her wrist. Phoebe snatched it back as if his touch were acid.
"Don't you dare touch me!"
Her glare was lethal, filled with a visceral disgust that made him flinch. "What now?!"
"I just wanted to remind you of something, Honey." Nick's face twisted, his ego bruised. "Don't you dare regret this. Don't come crawling back to me once you realize exactly what you've thrown away."
Phoebe froze, then a sharp, mocking laugh erupted from her, growing louder until it filled the office. She took a deliberate step toward him, invading his space until they were inches apart.
"Regret? You think I'll regret taking out the trash?" She leaned in, her voice cold as steel. "The only person who will spend the rest of his life in regret is you! Go ahead! Stay with whatever woman you've chosen. But I promise you this, your life from here on out will be a nightmare you never saw coming!"
Phoebe turned toward the door, but Nick snapped. In a blur of desperate rage, he lunged forward and slammed his body against the door, blocking her exit.
"You don't get to discard me!" he hissed, his face contorting. "You don't have that right!"
"Move, Nick! I'm done listening."
"No. I'm not going anywhere."
"Get out of my way, Nicholas Dawson!"
The silence that followed was deafening. Nick's heart practically stopped. In all their time together, Phoebe had never raised her voice like that, and she had never, not once, used his full name with such chilling venom.
"What's going on? Is there a problem?"
Julian had been waiting outside, but he pushed the door open, unable to ignore Phoebe's shout any longer. He stepped in, his eyes immediately locking onto Phoebe to ensure she was unharmed.
"No," Phoebe said, her voice like ice. "We're leaving. Now."
She marched past Nick without a second glance. As she brushed by, Julian and Nick's eyes met. Nick's gaze was riddled with unspoken questions and suspicion, while Julian's look was one of pure, silent disdain.
"Dammit!" Nick hissed under his breath, his fist slamming into the air as they disappeared down the hallway.
****
After finishing with Nick, phoebe didn't leave immediately. She sought out a senior manager she had personally placed in the company, a strategic move she'd made years ago to ensure Nick's business actually thrived. Everything Nick owned was built on the foundation Phoebe had laid.
As she made her way toward the exit, Celia stopped in her track, her expression darkening. "Wait, did you hear that? I think they're talking about you."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes, following Celia's gaze toward three employees whispering by the hallway.
"I'm telling you, she's gotten so arrogant lately," one of them hissed. "Did you see her billboards everywhere? No wonder she's dumping Mr. Nick. She thinks she's too good for him now."
"She was never friendly to begin with," another added, scoffing. "Being a CEO and a model clearly went to her head. She always talks down to people. Her arrogance is on a whole different level."
"Exactly! I've always felt like she stands way too high for anyone's good."
"Oh, absolutely!" Phoebe's voice cut through their conversation like a blade, cold and mocking. "I've always been tall, but today, I'm standing even higher, mostly because I'm wearing eleven-centimeter heels."
The three employees froze, the blood draining from their faces as they slowly turned to see Phoebe standing there. "Ms … Miss Phoebe?"
"Don't get nervous now," Phoebe said, her voice smooth but lethal. 'By all means, keep going. Speak a little louder so everyone can hear just how 'high' or 'arrogant' I am. Because you're right, I am tall. But while you're busy measuring my height, try to remember exactly who it was that gave you these jobs in the first place."
Phoebe didn't give them a second look. She adjusted her chin, her eyes fixed forward with the unshakeable aura of a Queen. She walked away with a confident, rhythmic click of her stilettos, followed by Celia and a silent, imposing Julian. Behind them, the hallway remained in a deafening, terrified silence.
*****
"Miss, someone is here to see you. They're already in the waiting room." Zara's words made Phoebe pause, her mind racing with questions. She looked at Zara intently.
"Someone wants to see me?"
Zara nodded. "Yes, Miss. I actually sent you a message earlier, but I suppose you haven't had a chance to check it."
Phoebe offered a faint, fleeting smile. "I haven't checked my phone yet, but that's fine. I'll meet them now. Did they mention what this is about? Is it business?"
"No, Miss. They only said they wanted to meet you personally."
"Where is he from?' Phoebe's curiosity piqued, her instincts on high alert.
"Italy, Miss."
The moment Italy was mentioned, Phoebe's heart skipped a beat. A memory flickered in the back of her mind. She hadn't expected any sudden international meetings, but for someone to show up today … out of nowhere …
Could it be him? The one who has been sending me those gifts?
"Fine. I'll see him now."
Without another word, Phoebe turned and walked toward the lounge. Her curiosity had reached its breaking point, she was finally going to find out who had been playing this game of shadows with her.