SWNOVELS : Chapter 64
Fiona
I headed off to work early, bundled up against the cold dark of pre-dawn, pondering Alexander’s lies. It was clear that he was not planning to tell me the truth about secretly being my boss. At least not anytime soon.
I took my phone out of my pocket and texted Nina, asking if she was up. I was feeling like I could use a friend to talk to right about now, even if it was just a quick chat by text, and sometimes Nina stayed up pretty late.
She responded right away, making me do a double-take at the time before I opened the text. It was four a.m.
Nina: I’m actually in the city rn. wya?
Me: On my way to work. How far are you from the finance district?
Nina: Close. Wanna meet up for breakfast?
My brow furrowed as I re-read her messages. It was convenient that Nina was nearby and wanted to get together, but I did wonder why she was out here at this hour. My best friend lived in a dodgy area at the far edge of town, nowhere near where I worked. And it didn’t seem likely that she’d had a sleepover nearby, either. Nina liked to have her fun with men, but she never stayed the night with anyone.
I told her yes, I would love to meet up, and she suggested a place. I gave my driver the new destination and he nodded politely, changing course without question.
Nina was waiting for me just inside the brightly lit 24-
hour diner. Her hair was pale blue today, straightened and pulled up into a sleek high ponytail, and she had a light sheen of matching, ice-blue eyeshadow swept over her eyelids. Her lashes were dark, thick, and extra-long, making me think she had gotten extensions. Her outfit was casual, though – black leggings and an oversized white t-shirt.
“My god Nina, you look gorgeous,” I said as I gave her a hug.
She giggled, giving me a tight squeeze. “Thanks babe. You look beautiful yourself.” She stepped back and looked over my work outfit appraisingly. “Like a real boss bitch,” she concluded, nodding. “Mm-hmm.
I’d be scared if I had to report to you.”
“Thanks, that’s exactly what I was going for.” I grinned. This was why I needed Nina.
There were only three other patrons in the bar. One old man seated alone in a corner booth at the back, reading a newspaper and drinking black coffee, and two transit workers sitting side by side on barstools at the counter, eating greasy plates of eggs and bacon and watching a news program on a wall-mounted TV.
“I am starving,” Nina proclaimed as we tucked ourselves into a two-seater booth by the window.
“Sounds like you got something going on and I want to hear all about it, but just know that I am very happy to be here with you right now.” Her eyes flicked to an approaching waiter and she lifted a hand to flag him down, saying, “We’re ready to order over here.”
Once the business of selecting our meals was finished and the waiter disappeared back into the kitchen, I gave Nina a curious smile and asked,
“What’s with the appetite? You’re not pregnant too, are you?”
Once the business of selecting our meals was finished and the waiter disappeared back into the kitchen, I gave Nina a curious smile and asked,
“What’s with the appetite? You’re not pregnant too, are you?”
Her jaw dropped and she knocked her fist on the wooden table between us, then sprinkled salt into her palm and threw it over her shoulder. “God, no,” she said. “And don’t you go putting ideas like that out into the universe.”
“What’s going on then?” I asked, laughing at my friend’s superstitious compulsions. “Why are you here so early in the morning, all wide awake and dolled up like this? Your energy is wild right now. Were you with a guy?”
Nina chuckled and sighed. “In a way, yes.” She
cleared her throat, then looked me dead-on and said,
“Okay. Promise you won’t judge.”
“Promise.”
“I got a job dancing at a club near here.” She paused to let that sink in.
“Dancing? Like…”
“Yes, like stripping.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I got off my shift an hour ago and was just about to head home when you texted me. And that’s why I’m starving – been working the past six hours.”
I leaned back, squinting at Nina. She gave me a tired smile. This news did not feel too surprising, really.
Nina loved to dance, and she was good at it. Made sense to make some money off all the sex appeal she had, too. It was certainly something I could never do,
“Is it safe?” I asked. “Do you like it?”
“I do,” she said with a coy smile. “And safety-wise, so far it seems alright, though I won’t take anything for granted. The security guards are good, they walk us to our cars after shift and everything.”
I nodded cautiously. I knew Nina could take care of herself, but I still worried about her.
“But enough about me,” she said, waving a hand dismissively. “What’s going on with you?”
Just then our waiter reappeared, carrying a big tray with our steaming breakfasts, my hot tea and Nina’s light beer. I waited for him to walk away, drenching my pancakes in butter and syrup, before answering.
“Tell me how weird this is,” I started in a whisper once we were alone. “It turns out that Alexander, not his Uncle Conrad, is the majority owner of Crescent Ventures.”
Nina took a moment to process this information. Then her eyes went wide. She pressed a hand over her mouth, which was full of food, like she was trying to stop herself from spitting everything out.
“Right? I found out yesterday morning. I… happened upon some mail that turned out to be paperwork related to him buying out all the other shareholders.”
Nina finally managed to swallow her food. “I don’t understand. Conrad Knight owns Crescent Ventures, doesn’t he? He’s always on the cover of magazines and stuff for it.”
“That’s what I thought, too. But I guess Alexander has always been a part owner as well, ever since his mother passed. And now he is the sole controlling owner. I can’t understand why he’s letting someone else run the company as CEO. Or why and how the public has no idea who really owns this huge, influential company.”
Nina grimaced. “Or why he wouldn’t tell you that he owns the company you work for, at the very least.”
“Thank you. That’s what I thought, too.”
“Hm. Yeah, that’s weird,” she continued quietly, shaking her head. Her sparkly eyeshadow shimmered under the diner’s white fluorescent lights. “Keeping that from you, it’s shady. Explains why he involved himself with the Scarlet situation, though, and why he didn’t tell you about that.”
I nodded. “I tried to get him to come clean, too. I didn’t ask him about it directly, but I set him up with a few different opportunities to tell me what was going on.
But he just kept changing the subject.”
Nina bit a sausage link in half and chewed it thoughtfully. It seemed like maybe she was holding back from saying something that was on her mind.
“It looks bad, doesn’t it?” I asked. “I’ve been thinking about all the stuff that happened with Scarlet. He has been fighting with his stepmother for a long time, and I am starting to feel like he is using me as part of that fight.”
Nina sighed. “I didn’t really want to say that, but yeah, it could be.” She bit her bottom lip. That was something she did when she was nervous, which was not often.
“What am I going to do, Nina?” It was more of a rhetorical question than an earnest one, but I still needed to ask it.
“I dunno, Fi. But whatever happens, you know I’ll get your back. You call me anytime you need me and I’ll be there.”