The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 94

The subway to work is crowded as usual, even at this early hour the smell and noise are overwhelming. I’m overly fragile, nausea plaguing me all the time these days; the stress of moving offices and away from Jake making me physically ill.

I check my watch for the fiftieth time this morning.

I’m late again … What the hell is wrong with me lately?

I groan inwardly. I can’t seem to get my head together or get back on track with anything. Giovanni Carrero has yelled at me so many times these last three weeks, I feel like resigning. He’s demoted me to coffee bearer for now and I’m slowly losing everything I’ve worked for. My reputation as an efficient PA is shot and I’ve heard the rumors circulating the building.

Jake Carrero dismissed me for my incompetence and moved me to his father’s building, because he felt sorry for me.

That stung. The lies upset me, but I push them down into the depths of my mind along with everything else about Jake Carrero. It’s better than people knowing the truth; that the stupid, naive PA fell in love with her boss and he didn’t feel the same way.

That truth hurts more than rumors and lies ever could.

His father has more assistants than he needs but he likes to be surrounded by a swarm of servants, yet still, I am surplus to requirements it seems. So, instead, I've become a glorified receptionist without a desk or any actual tasks or responsibility. I am that person who is asked to do the menial things, like hauling files to the library, making trips to Starbucks, and serving hot drinks to stuffed shirts when a meeting is in full swing. It just adds to the rumors that I am useless.

My life is over.

I've thought about leaving so many times, scanning the classifieds in the paper almost every chance I get, but something always holds me back.

More like someone!

Somehow, still working for the Carrero Corporation is my link to Jake and I’m not ready to let him go just yet if I ever will be. The pain is still too raw even though I haven’t seen him or heard from him. This is the true definition of being frozen out and even the office gossips don’t seem to know about anything going on in Jake’s life since he dismissed me.

That’s the whole point of him keeping his staff small and in his trust, I guess. Unlike his father, who has an army of minions and everyone seems to know Senior Carrero’s business. He’s so public about a lot of things, and loud, and commanding.

He yells at staff frequently and isn’t shy about his movements or dragging an entourage with him wherever he goes. He has a mix of security, assistants, and god knows what else, always crowded around him pandering to his every whim. I miss Jake’s less inflated, uncomplicated character. He’s only ever needed me … as ironic as that is.

I walk the last block to my new office building; it stands tall and blindingly bright, another column of pointy glass and harsh edges—just like Executive House. A sharp knife looking column amid the Manhattan corporates, standing as tall as most. I shudder. I hate working here. I hate everything about this place. I miss what I had at Executive House in so many ways, beyond Jake.

The sterile interior is uninviting, and the staff at Carrero Tower are always so afraid to step out of line under the command of Senior. The relaxed aura of Executive House is completely absent in this building and I never thought I’d see the day where I missed Jake’s laxness and personal touch. The whole atmosphere between the two is so different.

The receptionist casts me a disapproving look as I shuffle past in a hurry, knowing for a fact I look disheveled. I slept in, rushed about, and practically got dressed while running out the door. This shorter wavy style in my hair is always doing its own thing nowadays but I simply don’t care anymore. I glare back at her icily to cut off her stare.

Yes, I’m late … I don’t fucking care.

She glances away fast. She’s met my anger before; during the first three days I was here. She spilled coffee down my cream pencil skirt when passing, so I unleashed teen Emma in a rather grand fashion. I’d been a touchy, aggressive, nightmare those first few days and one wrong word got her a tongue lashing from hell. My face twists into a snarl, thinking of the calm and controlled Emma of the past who was always so poised.

Where is she now?

She’s jumped off a goddamn bridge! I can’t seem to muster her of late, no matter what. I miss her. Jake Carrero killed her; weeks of tears can do that to a person.