Alexa turned as if she was going to bite the head off of the person talking to her. When she saw it was Kathryn, her eyes lowered.
“Your team was responsible for this disaster, and we've had to work around the clock to fix your mistake. You've done nothing but create extra work for Lena, and I'm tired of it. You've never done a damn thing around here, and nobody's going to notice when you get fired at the end of the week anyway.”
Alexa lifted her eyes. “Ms. McDonald, I-”
Kathryn laughed an obviously fake laugh. “This debacle has given this firm so much bad press, you'll be lucky to ever get even a paralegal job again.”
My jaw should have dropped at the way Alexa was being treated, but I knew she had it coming. Karma had a way of coming for us all.
I stepped forward, and with a new self confidence. “Looks like you're not better than me after all.” I took another step forward. “So get your hands off him.”
Alexa's hand dropped instinctively to the authority in my voice. Her eyes darted to the observing crowd and she paled. There wasn't a sympathetic face among them.
“You have no idea the mistake you just made,” she hissed.
I smiled slowly. She had nothing and we both knew it. For the first time ever, I wasn't afraid of her. I had found my inner strength, and no one, not Alexa and not even Aiden was going to take it away from me.
My smile made her pale more than looking at the crowd had. She had no power over me anymore and now she knew it. I didn't even bother watch as wiggled her way back downstairs through the crowd.
I took a deep breath. It came in shaky and wasn't at all calming. Just because I had inner strength didn't mean my heart couldn't be broken.
“Hello, Mr. Hayes,” I said politely, turning slightly to face him directly. My voice shook at his name. “I wasn't expecting you. Please, let me show you to my office.”
I didn't wait to hear his answer as I spun and started walking back toward my desk. Kathryn could handle the other Mr. Hayes and the crowd on her own.
From the corner of my eye I could see Darcie giving me a huge thumb's up from the library. I had told her everything about my trip. Her confidence in me made it easier to believe that I could do this. I grinned nervously at her and kept walking.
I could hear him behind me as well as the murmurs of people returning to their offices. Alexa liked a crowd, but I didn't. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I held open the door to the small space I called my own. As he passed I could smell his shampoo and it made me go weak in the knees with the memory of my hair tangled in his fingers.
I took another deep breath that still did nothing to calm my nerves, holding onto the door handle for an extra moment trying to steady myself before I had to turn around and face him. I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I closed the door anyway.
“Lena....” His voice was as soft as the hand he placed on my shoulder. I couldn't help but stiffen at his touch. It felt so wonderful, yet so far from what I could have. I couldn't turn from the door to look at him because I knew if I did, I would burst into tears.
He pulled gently. “Lena, look at me.”
I took a deep breath in, hoping that eventually these breaths would become calming, and reluctantly turned to face him.
He was so damn handsome he took my breath away. Every inch of him was perfect. I wanted to reach out and touch him, to kiss him again, but was terrified at the same time. My new found courage had completely deserted me when faced with the thing I wanted and feared most. The last few days of being alone tugged at my mind, telling me I needed to run before he could hurt me again.
But my feet wouldn't move. Couldn't move. I didn't want to leave him. It broke my heart to be near him and know that it was all going to officially end. He was here to tell me that he didn't want a paralegal. He had wanted a lawyer and someone who didn't lie or not know about his money. He wanted someone befitting a billionaire.
He let go of my shoulder and put his finger and thumb to my chin. The movement was gentle, but he tipped my chin up so I would look at his face instead of staring at his tie. I didn't want to look into his eyes because I knew I would just fall in love with him all over again.
“You left this,” he said, pulling something out from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. It was the shoe I had lost in his room on our last day. He held it out in front of him like a rope to a drowning man. I gasped, looking up into his hazel eyes. Suddenly, I wasn't sure which one of us needed the lifeline more.
I raised my hand out to touch the shoe, but didn't take it. I wasn't sure if I could. I needed to know if this was what I thought and hoped it was. I needed to know I would be enough for a billionaire.
“I'm not a lawyer,” I whispered. There. I said it. I just hoped it wasn't too little to late.
“I know.” Aiden's voice shook but the hand holding the shoe was steady.
“I'm sorry you had to find out from Alexa,” I said softly, looking at the shoe. “I just didn't know how to tell you.”
“I knew before she announced it to your office.”
I looked up from the shoe into his face. “What?”
“I knew you weren't a lawyer the day you arrived on the island.”