SWNOVELS Chapter My CEO 303
303 Another Hen's Night? No Thanks (Winona)
"Oh my God, you're going to kill me, but I was thinking about another hen's night," Lisa says, leaning forward with that devilish grin she always gets when she's up to something. I freeze, blinking at her. "No. Absolutely not."
Lisa's grin falters. "What? Come on,
I shake my head, feeling the tension in my neck already building. "I don't need another hen's night, okay? I just want to focus on getting through this wedding without any more drama."
Lisa gives me a mock pout, but I can tell she's not ready to drop it. "You're seriously telling me you don't want another night out with your girls? Come on. You're killing me."
I set my glass down a little harder than necessary. I'm serious, Lisa. No hen's night. And definitely no more clubs. I'm done with that."
Lisa sighs, sitting back in her chair, but I can see her mind working. "Fine."
1 groan, "Good. It's done and dusted."
Lisa just shrugs, clearly not convinced. "Alright, fine, we'll skip the party. But how are things between and Jayden? A lot has gone down since then."
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I take a deep breath, not wanting to dive into the mess of emotions that comes with thinking about the wedding... or Jayden... or anything else.
"Jayden's been super busy with all the Nexus Global stuff," I say, changing the subject before Lisa can get any deeper into my brain. "And he got home late the other night. I'm... not sure how I feel about all of it." Lisa raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know. It just feels like Nexus Global is swallowing him up. He was supposed to be done with that life, you know? Now Gus hands him this empire."
Lisa nods.
"What does that mean for us? For the kids?" I sigh, swirling the melting ice in my drink. "I have no clue really."
Lisa studies me, her expression softening. "You're worried he's going to change."
"Exactly," I admit, finally letting the words out. "I don't want to lose him to that world. I've seen what power like that does to people."
"Yeah, I'm hearing you, but Jayden is pretty dedicated."
"Judy's been planting all these seeds of doubt, telling me that love always comes second to power with guys like Jayden."
Lisa rolls her eyes. "Of course, she did. That woman's like poison. You know better than to listen to her."
"I do," I say, but the doubt is there. "It's just... it feels like everything is spiraling sometimes. And with the
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kids, and Henry still in the hospital... I just don't know how to balance it all."
Lisa reaches across the table, giving my hand a squeeze. "You've got this, Winona, Jayden loves you. He's not going to get lost in that world. And if he does, well, you'll drag him right back out."
I nod, but my mind's still a mess. "I hope so. I don't want to lose him."
Lisa takes a sip of her drink and leans forward again, hier expression shifting to something a bit more... mischievous. "Speaking of things getting weird... What's going on with Phillip?"
I practically choke on my coffee. "What do you mean?"
Lisa gives me a knowing look. "Every time Phillip's name comes up, you look like you're about to jump out of your skin. Spill it."
I groan, rubbing my temples. "It's nothing. It's just... I don't know how to act normal around him anymore. I mean, nothing happened," I lie, knowing full well that we had a moment or two. "But it's like he's always flirting or making these comments at work, and it's just... awkward."
Lisa raises an eyebrow. "If nothing happened, then what's there to feel weird about?"
"I don't know!" I throw my hands up, feeling more frustrated with myself than anything. "It just feels wrong. Like, I want to focus on work. Is it even possible?"
Lisa snorts, crossing her arms. "Well, of course, he's not going to let it go. It's Phillip. He's been in love with you for years."
I bite my lip, feeling the guilt settle in my stomach, "Yeah, but... I can't deal with this right now. I need things to be professional again."
Lisa leans back, her arms still crossed. "Look, if you want to clear the air with him, just be straight about it. Tell him how you feel, tell him what you want. You don't owe him anything."
"I know," I say, but the pit in my stomach is still there. The truth is, I don't know how to move past what happened. Or how to act like it never did.
Lisa gives me a look like she's reading my mind. "If nothing happened, Win, then act like nothing happened. Simple as that."
"You make it sound simple."
"It is. Just don't take any bullshit." She shrugs.
I force a smile, but Lisa's words don't do much to ease the tension I'm carrying. "Yeah. Simple." I mutter, picking at the napkin in front of me.
Lisa sighs, waving down the waiter for the check. "Come on. You're overthinking everything. Just take it one step at a time. Jayden. The kids. The wedding. Let everything else fall into place." "I'll try," I say, but deep down, I know it's not going to be that easy.
Nothing ever is.
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304 Our Forever
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