Chapter 10

Brynn couldn’t even piece together how she’d bolted from the house. All she knew was that the second Dominic hopped in the shower, she’d thrown on some clothes and peeled out—no breakfast, no nothing. It was too mortifying. Facing him? Not happening.

She drove straight to the Everett Group’s downtown office, and only then did her cheeks start cooling off. She stopped outside, staring up at the huge building, her head a jumbled mess. “Time to call it quits,” she muttered to herself. With a sharp breath, she hopped out of the car and stormed into the Everett Group’s slick lobby.

The office had a solid vibe—there was a chill spot for employees to hang out, and every floor had a break room loaded with free coffee, drinks, and snacks. Brynn’s office sat just past the break room on her floor. She wasn’t planning to stop, but as she got close, she heard her name slip out from the chatter inside.

Her feet slowed. She held her breath, ears perked up, trying to catch every word.

“…Did you hear about Brynn, the VP?” one employee whispered, leaning over the break room counter.

“Hell yeah, it’s everywhere. They’re saying she crashed a wedding—hunting a new groom right there. Crazy stuff,” another said, stirring her coffee.

“Word is she was switched at birth, not even a real Everett. Now that the legit Miss Everett’s back, she’s mad and pulled that wedding stunt to make the family look bad,” a third guy added, popping a donut hole in his mouth.

“What? That’s messed up. The Everetts raised her all this time, and she does this?” the first one said, eyes bugging out. The three of them traded grossed-out looks, shaking their heads like something stank.

Brynn, catching every word, felt her face tighten, her eyes going cold as ice. Her assistant, walking behind her, got ticked off and started to step up to shut them down, but Brynn threw up a hand to stop her.

Nah, she wanted to hear it all—let these backstabbing jokers keep burying themselves.

“Seriously, she’s even talking about ditching the Everetts. Ugh, what an ungrateful jerk. Miss Kylie Everett’s the real one—hot, classy. Not like Brynn, always stomping around with that grumpy look,” one of them sneered.

“Right? A fake’s a fake—no match for the real heiress. Bet Kylie snags Brynn’s spot any day now,” another jumped in.

Brynn let out a short, sour laugh under her breath. ‘Same old gutless suck-ups,’ she thought. “Click, click, click.” She slow-clapped as she walked into the break room, heels smacking the floor.

The gossip crew spun around, faces going white. One guy fumbled his coffee, splashing it all over the counter.

15:13 Tue, 8 Apr NAS.

Chapter 101

“Miss…Ms. Everett,” they greeted her.

She hit them with a frosty stare and smirked. “What’s wrong? Tongues tied up?”

They shrank back, heads down, not even trying to talk.

“Guess you’re not swamped if you’ve got time to talk smack behind my back.” Her smile dropped, swapped for a hard glare. “Don’t you have jobs to do?”

The three of them bolted like spooked mice, practically tripping over each other to get out.

“Bunch of bootlickers,” her assistant grumbled, shooting a dirty look after them. She turned to Brynn and continued. “You’ve busted your butt for the Everett Group—made it what it is. They don’t even say thanks, and now they’re sucking up to Kylie? She’s done nothing for this place except steal your spotlight, and these losers still kiss her feet.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore,” Brynn said with a quiet, worn-out sigh.

Her assistant frowned, worry all over her face. “You good?”

“I’m fine. Don’t stress about me.” Brynn forced a little smile. “And keep that kind of talk on the down-low from now on; don’t give anybody a reason to come at you.”

“But—” the assistant started.

“No buts. I’ve got this handled,” Brynn said, her voice calm and firm.

Right now, the Everett Group’s conference room was buzzing with a big signing ceremony. The Suncrest Group reps sat across the table, wearing crisp, tailored suits. These guys were top-tier—Suncrest didn’t mess around with anything less. Both sides flipped through their files, but honestly, the project’s details were locked in weeks ago. This meeting was basically just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s—signing the contract, shaking hands, calling it a day. Still, something in the room felt…weird. A little too tense for a done deal.

“Wasn’t Miss Brynn Everett the one handling this project? It’s signing day—where’s she at?” the Suncrest Group’s main guy asked, frowning as he looked over at Kylie and Randy. From what he’d seen before, Brynn was on the ball, solid—someone who wouldn’t ditch a deal this huge. So this felt off.

Randy started to answer, but Kylie butted in, practically bouncing with excitement. “Oh, you mean my sister? She’s stepping back from the Everett Group. I’m taking her spot now, so she didn’t bother showing.”

The Suncrest rep’s frown deepened. This Kylie girl was loud, in-your-face—zero chill. Not the operator he was used to. Still, the contract was about to get locked in, and for the sake of future deals, he kept his mouth shut and stayed sharp.

Kylie, meanwhile, was grinning like she’d hit the jackpot, eyes sparkling with cocky glee. Who cares if Brynn busted her ass on this project? In Kylie’s head, the glory was hers to snag.

(The following text appears to be garbled and unrelated to the narrative. It has been omitted.)

“Where you doing her?” be barked, his face twisting with annoyance. Forgot how to behave. Hedbeabip. He’d never been big on Brynn. Always saw her as a nobody, no matter how good—couldn’t carry the Everett name.

Brynn didn’t blink.

“This project’s been mine since day one. Signing day comes up—of course I’m here,” she said, her voice solid as a rock. She leaned back, crossing her legs all relaxed and sure.

“So,” she started, “Kylie—what’s your deal with this? You’ve got no stake in it. How do you even sit there without squirming?” She then locked eyes with Kylie, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Kylie’s face balled up, her face going white. “I—uh—”

The room got quiet, the air heavy with awkward vibes. The Suncrest folks across the table swapped nervous looks, brows creasing. This was getting messy. Clearly, the Everett Group had some major drama cooking—and it reeked of family baggage too. The whole scene was turning into a trainwreck fast. The lead rep wasn’t here for this reality TV crap. He didn’t sign up to play mediator.

He turned to Randy, cutting through the nonsense. “Mr. Everett, I don’t care about your team’s drama. Who’s running this project? Who’s signing?”