Maddox could be bluffing, Mila thought as she walked out of his office.
He could be. But she doubted it. She had no trouble picturing him stooping to that level.
And no one could help. She could try and contact Jackson but what was the point? He likely got her fired. He might care about the rumors–or he might not. It would probably hurt her more than him.
Mila could ask Savannah for advice. But then she’d have to explain about Jackson, and she’d rather keep that quiet.
She had nothing to hold over Maddox. And he would probably dare her to anyway.
But working with him…maybe she should take her chances with the rumors. Except it would affect her mother too. And she didn’t want anything to happen to her or hurt things with Danny.
Mila sighed. How would she explain moving to San Francisco though? Working as some executive’s secondary assistant would also embarrass her mother. Especially when her mother wanted her to date said executive.
Maddox was at least right about one thing. Getting away from her pseudo siblings might be for the best. If Mila was nowhere to be found in their social circles, it might ease their suspicions. Maybe not eradicate them. But it could help.
And she did need a job.
Maddox had planned this well. It put her in a corner, and he knew it.
“You have an aunt in San Francisco.”
Mila almost jumped. She spun around on the gray and white marble tile in the foyer and found Maddox.
He sauntered closer with his hands in his pockets. “Just tell your mom you’re staying with her for a while.”
Mila stared at him. How did he manage to learn all this stuff? Or even bother? Was he that desperate? “This doesn’t change what you want me to do in return.”
She started to walk to the door again when he added, “I’ll refute the rumors. I’ll make sure it’s known that nothing is going on between us.”
Mila wasn’t sure how much that would help. But there was something else. She hesitated but said, “You have to promise to back my mother and me if Jeff and Tiffany come after us. You have to make it part of the contract.”
Maddox watched her carefully. “That’s what you want? Protection?”
It’s what she knew they needed after talking to Meg and Savannah. Mila held her head up. “Yes. If you expect me to help you with Danny, then you’ll help us if needed. I won’t work for you otherwise.” She would still plan how to deal with rumors about Jackson, but that was another matter.
Maddox crept closer.
“Don’t even think about reneging,” Mila said firmly.
A smile touched his lips. “I wouldn’t dare.”
Mila knew she couldn’t trust his word even in writing. But she didn’t have much choice. This might be easier to clean up than a scandal.
“I can provide that,” Maddox told her. “So do we have an agreement?” He stretched out a hand.
Mila’s head raced. Even if this was a terrible idea, she couldn’t sort out any other options. After hesitating, she finally took his hand firmly. “Yes, we do.”
Mila didn’t like the glimmer in his eyes. “I’ll have my assistant contact you and we’ll iron out the details. But unofficially, welcome aboard.”
In some cases, that was exciting. Like when she got the job at the fashion house. But when Maddox said it, it made her stomach twist up.
Mila returned home in a daze. How had everything flipped upside down so quickly? When her mother told her about Danny, Mila never assumed it would affect her life this much.
The next day, she had more clarity even if she still felt ill about her decision. She started to plan for the move, including calling her aunt to see if she could stay with her. She gave her aunt vague details with a promise to explain when she got there.
There was still a lot to do and when she finally said good-bye to her mother at the airport mere days later, Mila hadn’t really had much of a chance to process what she was doing. Or how she felt about it.
On some level, it was too late.