Chapter 196

Anastasia had zero interest in wasting another second with Narissa. “I’ve got the receipt,” she said flatly. “Already sent it to your work email. Check it yourself.”

Narissa rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. One look at the screen and her face went pale.

“What’s wrong, Narissa? You can afford that fancy Porsche but can’t cough up ten grand?” Anastasia’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Narissa’s eyes darted around nervously. That Porsche wasn’t even hers.

“Fine, whatever. You’ll get your money,” she snapped.

Within minutes, the payment notification popped up on Anastasia’s phone.

Narissa huffed, stomped back to her desk like a petulant child, and started frantically texting someone.

Anastasia couldn’t care less who Narissa was venting to.

Sharlene flashed her a huge grin and gave her a thumbs-up. “Damn, Ana! That was epic!”

“Wait, did you know she was gonna pull that crap? Is that why you wore the scarf?” Sharlene asked, genuinely curious.

Anastasia shook her head. “I’m not a mind reader. She walked straight into that one—not my fault she’s an idiot.”

She glanced down at her ruined silk scarf with genuine annoyance. “Still sucks that I lost a perfectly good Hermès over it.”

“Oh, right! What were you trying to tell me before all that drama?”

Sharlene blinked, looking totally blank. “Uh… honestly? I completely forgot.”

“Hang on, let me think…” She actually closed her eyes, concentrating hard.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open. “Oh my God, I remember!”

Her outburst made half the office turn and stare.

Sharlene’s cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Ana… are you and Mr. Rhodes, like, together?”

Now it was Anastasia’s turn to freak out. Her hand jerked, sending her coffee mug flying. “Shit!” She scrambled to clean up the mess, her cheeks burning.

“Don’t—just don’t say stuff like that,” she mumbled, grabbing napkins.

This girl was way too observant for her own good.

Sharlene grinned knowingly. “Come on, it’s so obvious! The way he looks at you? His eyes practically turn into heart emojis. It’s kinda gross, actually.”

She went on to describe how she’d seen Cassian at the country club, watching Anastasia like she was the only person in the room.

Anastasia felt her stomach do a little flip. She’d never really noticed how Cassian looked at her from someone else’s perspective.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” Sharlene said. “Your love life isn’t anyone else’s business anyway.”

Anastasia trusted Sharlene completely. “Thanks. I mean it.”

“Girl, please. We’re friends.” Sharlene winked.

Later that afternoon, Anastasia headed to Vincent’s office to request time off. “Hey Vincent, I need to step out for a client meeting.”

Vincent didn’t even look up from his paperwork. “Where?”

“Orlando Corp. Following up on the collaboration deal.”

Vincent’s head snapped up, his expression suddenly sharp. “Actually, I’ll be handling that from now on.”

Anastasia’s blood ran cold as she stared at him.

Vincent met her gaze without flinching. He’d done this song and dance plenty of times before.

“Look, Anastasia, you’re still pretty green. A project this big? That’s a lot of responsibility for someone with your… limited experience.”

His tone was all fake concern. “I’m just looking out for you here.”

Anastasia wanted to laugh. Vincent’s nerve was absolutely mind-blowing. How did he sleep at night, stealing credit from his own team?

“You’re young, you’ve got time to learn the ropes,” Vincent continued, his smile cold as ice. “You get what I’m saying?”

The threat was crystal clear.

“Yeah, whatever,” Anastasia said through gritted teeth.

She turned on her heel and walked out, slamming the door harder than necessary.

Vincent actually chuckled. The slam told him everything he needed to know—she was pissed, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

He straightened his tie, grabbed his jacket, and strolled out of his office. “Narissa!” he called out loudly. “You’re coming with me to meet with Orlando. We’ve got business to discuss.”

Narissa practically bounced out of her chair, shooting a smug look in Anastasia’s direction. “Absolutely! I’m so ready for this.”

They walked out together, Narissa’s heels clicking triumphantly on the marble floor.

Sharlene looked like she was about to explode. “Are you kidding me right now? How do these people even look at themselves in the mirror?”

Anastasia’s voice was ice-cold. “Do they even own mirrors?”

Sharlene snorted despite her anger. “Fair point.”

“Don’t let trash like them get under your skin,” Anastasia said.

“Easy for you to say! There goes my bonus…” Sharlene groaned dramatically. “I was gonna get my nails done this weekend!”