Chapter 27
The next morning, Anastasia had barely stepped into the office when Jasper stormed over, his face red with fury.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he shouted loud enough for half the floor to hear. “Did you deliberately piss off Parker? Why did you bail on the dinner? You just abandoned a crucial client!”
Facing his accusations, Anastasia remained completely composed, meeting his glare with calm indifference. “Since when do you know what happened? Were you there, Jasper? Because if not, shut the fuck up.”
Jasper’s frown deepened, his voice dripping with rage. “Don’t try to bullshit your way out of this, Ana. We had a deal—no signed contract, no buyout papers. You can kiss that money goodbye.”
Looking at his twisted expression, Anastasia felt nothing but disgust. This was the man she’d wasted three years of her life on. Thank God she’d finally seen his true colors.
Before she could respond, Valeria sashayed over with that fake-sweet smile plastered on her surgically enhanced face.
“Ana, you should probably call Mr. Parker and apologize. Maybe if you grovel enough, he’ll give you another chance.”
Anastasia’s laugh was pure ice as she looked between them. “You two can relax. Parker already signed the contract.” She pulled the signed agreement from her purse and held it up.
Valeria’s eyes went wide with shock. “That’s impossible! You left before dinner was even over—when could he have signed anything?”
“How I got it signed is none of your fucking business,” Anastasia replied with undisguised contempt.
Valeria snatched the contract and flipped to the signature page. Seeing Parker’s name there in black ink, she blurted out, “This has to be fake. You weren’t even there!”
Anastasia had clearly anticipated this reaction. “Not everyone is as fake as you are, Valeria. Some of us don’t need to fabricate everything.” She was referring to Valeria’s extensive plastic surgery—nose job, breast augmentation, lip fillers. The girl thought she’d hidden it well, but Anastasia had connections in Manhattan’s cosmetic surgery circles.
Valeria’s face went ghost-white, panic flashing in her eyes. She instinctively touched her face, her voice trembling. “You’re… you’re talking nonsense! Stop spreading lies!”
“If you think the signature’s fake, call Parker and verify it yourself,” Anastasia challenged, completely unfazed.
Before Valeria could respond, Jasper’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and answered. “Mr. Parker, good morning.”
“Jasper! The contract’s all signed and ready to go. Make sure implementation starts ASAP. And I want Ms. Kingsley handling all my future orders personally.” Parker’s enthusiasm was obvious even through the speaker.
Sucking up to Anastasia meant staying in Cassian Rhodes’ good graces—a connection that would pay dividends for years.
Jasper frowned in confusion but forced his voice to remain professional. “Absolutely, Mr. Parker. Pleasure doing business.”
After hanging up, he stared at his phone in bewilderment. Parker had completely changed his tune—the demanding, perverted client was now bending over backward to accommodate them. And specifically requesting Anastasia for future projects? Something didn’t add up.
Suddenly, an ugly suspicion crossed his mind. “Ana, what exactly did you do to get that signature? Did you… compromise yourself somehow?”
That was the final straw. Anastasia’s hand cracked across his face before he could finish the accusation.
“You’re the only one with a dirty mind here, Jasper. Stop projecting your moral bankruptcy onto everyone else.”
“How dare you hit me!” Jasper’s face darkened with rage.
Valeria rushed to his side with fake concern. “Ana, violence is never the answer!”
“Enough bullshit,” Anastasia snapped, pulling out the buyout agreement. “Sign the papers. We had a deal.”
“I want this over with cleanly, Jasper. Don’t make this uglier than it already is.”