Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Aria’s POV

I showered. Dressed. Changed outfits three times. Settled on a navy blazer and white blouse—professional but not trying too hard. Applied minimal makeup with shaking hands.

"Mommy?"

Lina appeared in my doorway. Rubbing her eyes. Unicorn pajamas rumpled from sleep.

"Hey, baby." I crouched down. Opened my arms. "What are you doing up so early?"

She shuffled over. Climbed into my lap.

"You look fancy," she mumbled against my shoulder.

"Mommy has her first day at work today. Remember?"

"Mmhmm." She yawned hugely. "Will you come back?"

My heart squeezed.

"Of course I’ll come back. I’ll always come back."

"Promise?"

"Promise." I kissed the top of her head. "Uncle Cassius is going to take you to school today. And I’ll pick you up this afternoon. Okay?"

"Okay." Another yawn. "Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"You’re gonna do great."

God. This kid.

"Thank you, sweetheart." I hugged her tighter. "Thank you."

---

The Blood Crown Industries building looked even more intimidating in the early morning light.

I stood on the sidewalk. Same spot as yesterday. Same view. Same terror clawing at my chest.

I squared my shoulders. Lifted my chin. Pushed through the glass doors.

The lobby was already buzzing with activity. People in suits rushing past. Coffee cups in hand. Important conversations happening in hushed tones.

I found the elevator. Pressed the button for the thirty-second floor. Watched the numbers climb.

Fifteen. Twenty. Twenty-five.

My stomach dropped with each ding.

Thirty-two.

The doors slid open.

A woman stood waiting. Middle-aged. Warm smile. Clipboard pressed against her chest.

"You must be Aria!" She extended her hand. "I’m Patricia. I’ll be showing you around today."

"Nice to meet you." I shook her hand. Tried to match her energy.

"Follow me. We’ve got a lot to cover."

She led me through the maze of offices and cubicles. Pointing things out as we walked.

"That’s the break room—coffee’s free but the good creamer disappears fast, so get there early. Bathrooms are around that corner. Copy room is down the hall. And this—" She stopped in front of a desk near a wall of windows. "This is you."

It wasn’t huge. Just a standard workstation with a computer, phone, and small potted plant someone had left as a welcome gift.

But it was mine.

"Your supervisor is Director Black—she’s the one who interviewed you." Patricia lowered her voice. "Fair warning? She’s tough. But she’s fair. Do your job well and she’ll respect you. Screw up and she’ll let you know."

"Got it."

"You’ll be handling administrative support for the executive floor. Scheduling, correspondence, document management, that kind of thing." She handed me a thick folder. "This is everything you need to know. Policies. Procedures. Contact lists."

I took the folder. It weighed approximately a thousand pounds.

"Any questions?"

About a million.

"I think I’m good for now."

"Great!" She patted my shoulder. "I’ll check on you in a few hours. Just dive in. You’ll figure it out."

She left.

I sat down at my desk. Opened the folder. Stared at the wall of text.

Okay, Aria. You can do this.

I started reading.

---

By 10 AM, I was drowning.

The executive floor was chaos. Apparently, the previous assistant had quit without notice two weeks ago. In that time, emails had piled up. Schedules had conflicted. Documents had disappeared into the void of "someone was supposed to file that."

Director Black appeared at my desk at 10:15.

"Ms. Moon." Her voice was clipped. "I need the Henderson contract on my desk by noon. It should have been filed last week. No one can find it."

"I’ll locate it, ma’am."

"See that you do."

She walked away. I stared at the mountain of unfiled paperwork with something approaching despair.

Okay. Okay. Think, Aria.

I grabbed a notepad. Started listing priorities.

Henderson contract—URGENT.

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