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A   S T O N E ' S   T H R O W   A W A Y

(part one)

IN BETWEEN THE wedding, cleaning up and sending the newly-wed couple off to their honeymoon, I'd barely had the time to catch my breath. So much had happened within the past forty-eight hours that I just wanted to crawl home and sleep. But I'd promised Jessa that we'd talk about the rival buyer when the wedding was over.

So, reluctantly, I dragged myself back to Sereinn.

Big mistake.

Sleep deprivation and lack of caffeine had me utterly unprepared for the chaos that had become Sereinn's headquarters. Several of the seniors had left for an early Christmas break, since most of the staff were required to work through the most festive time of the year. That left the remaining senior staff, the juniors, interns and a complete lack of an authority figure.

The office was abuzz with a tension that almost palpable. All around, employees were gathered in small groups, deep in hushed conversation. I could sense their nervousness even from the front desk, where one of the interns bolted up as soon as she saw me.

"Ms Evers, is it true?"

I raised an eyebrow. "It's just Darcy, Morgan. And is what true?"

"That Sereinn's going bust and we're all going to be out of a job by Christmas?"

"What?" I gaped at her. "Where did you even hear-" The answer dawned on me as quickly as the question came, and I shut my eyes with a groan.

Heather.

Self-proclaimed fashionista and notorious office gossip. Of course, no one could beat Brielle Winters (now Flores) when it came to fashion sense, but I could admit that Heather came close. On several occasions, I'd even considered asking her where she'd bought her shoes from. Then she opened her big mouth and I changed my mind.

"It's all anyone can talk about," Morgan was saying. "They're saying it's the reason the new Mrs Flores went on an extended honeymoon-to get away from all this."

I pinched the bridge of my nose as the beginnings of a headache started to form. "No, Carson and Brielle's honeymoon will last for a week. The rest of it is to be spent for work purposes at her mom's company."

"So we're not getting canned?"

"Of course not. Look, nothing bad's going to happen, alright?" I assured her. "Trust me, I can handle this."

Leaving Morgan to her work, I strode through the office with purpose and stopped in front of the biggest crowd. My eyes scanned the group until I found the two people I was looking for.

"You-" I said in a voice that booked no argument, pointing first to Jessa, then Heather. "-and you. In Brielle's office, now."

I spun on my heels and went ahead. Inwardly, however, I was fuming. Not a day had passed since Brielle went on her break, and already this place was going to shit. Why couldn't the employees here trust that I'd put my best foot forward and fix this mess?

Although, admittedly, even I had doubts about myself.

As soon as the door was shut, I turned to Heather. "Why're you going around telling everyone that they're getting fired?"

"Aren't we?" Her eyes widened in faux innocence. "I mean, Hale & Co. is impressive from what I've seen. Did you see their website? They've only been on the market for two or three years, and they've accomplished many things."

"So has Sereinn. We've been open for less than a year, business is great, this town is flourishing because of it. Let me set you straight on one thing-Sereinn isn't going to shut down, and no one will get fired. Although I can think of at least one person I'd like to see gone," I couldn't help but add.

Heather's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Who?"

Good grief. The problem with town-localized businesses like Sereinn was that nepotism was a rampant thing. Heather's mom was an employee under operations, which meant that her daughter probably had an easy way in.

"No one," I said to Heather, with a sigh. "Just get back to work, okay?"

"Of course." She tossed her fluffy hair over her shoulder and turned to go.

I watched her leave through narrowed eyes. No doubt she'd be out there spreading a plethora of lies again. Maybe about how I yelled at her and threatened to take her year-end bonus away.

Ooh, that was a good idea...

I almost smiled at the thought, only to be brought out of my musings when Jessa turned to me. "I'm so sorry," she said, wringing her hands anxiously. "I didn't tell anyone, I swear, but Heather looked over my shoulder while I was doing research on Hale & Co. and..."

"It's alright. When Sereinn's headquarters expands, you'll get your own office and then her days of peeping over your shoulder are gone. Of course, she'll peep into your office, so that's just as terrifying," I added, and leaned back against the desk. "She's right on one count though. I've read the file you gave me, and they are impressive."

"Aren't they? Do you think they'll infiltrate Caverly next?"

I bit my lip and mulled over her words. If Jessa's research was to be believed, then Hale & Co. only had its eyes on Caverly View. Those apartments were located at the very edge of Caverly, sprawling into the next city. But should Hale & Co. set foot into Caverly, then there would be cause for worry.

My jaw set with grim determination. I didn't know how I would resolve this, but Brielle had put me in charge of Sereinn. And I was going to do whatever it took to keep Sereinn safe.

"I don't know," I said at last. "But I'm going to find out."