My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132

A frantic energy vibrating through me as the clock ticked toward ten. I sat at my desk, my spine stiff and my fingers flying over the keys.

I hadn’t slept last night, not even the two-hour nap I usually allowed myself. I had spent the night in a chair, my face red from the cold water of the sink and my knuckles throbbing from the ruler, but I didn’t care. I had the data. I had the projections. I had built a presentation that was airtight.

Around me, the team started to move. Chairs scraped against the floor. Men in suits straightened their ties and grabbed their tablets. This was the big meeting. This was it. The meeting. The one Raphael had been obsessing over all week.

I stayed where I was for a second longer than everyone else, my fingers resting on the edge of the table. Raphael didn’t even look at me. After he handed me the ledgers, that was it. No follow-ups. No corrections. No clipped remarks. Nothing.

No work either, not really.

I still did what I was supposed to do checked numbers, fixed errors and stayed late when I had to.

I stood up, my legs feeling shaky but my head held high. I smoothed out my black trousers and grabbed my files.

“Ready?” I asked, turning toward Aileen.

Aileen was standing by her desk, clutching a stack of agendas. She didn’t look at me. She was staring at a spot on the wall just behind my shoulder. Her face was pale, and her mouth was pulled into a thin, tight line.

“Gianna,” she said, “You… you might need to sit this one out.”

I froze, “What do you mean? The logistics report is in here. I have the sector breakdowns.”

“I know,” Aileen whispered, finally meeting my eyes. There was a look of pure pity in her gaze that made my stomach turn, “But the meeting is starting. You should stay here and keep working on the digital migration. There’s still a lot of filing to do.”

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