Chapter 137
Chapter 137:
“Cash up front,” he grunted.
Seraphina dug into the lining of her purse and found a stash of cash—three hundred dollars she had stolen from Liam’s wallet months ago “just in case.” She paid for two nights.
The room was small. It smelled of stale cigarette smoke and bleach. The carpet was sticky.
Seraphina sat on the sagging bed and stared at the peeling wallpaper.
She didn’t cry. The shock had burned away her tears. In their place, a cold, hard stone of hatred was forming.
It was Skye. It was all Skye. Skye had turned Liam against her. Skye had ruined her life.
She pulled out her phone. She needed a job. She needed money. She needed a way back into the world where she could hurt them.
She scrolled through job boards.
Trinity Media.
The name popped up—a subsidiary of a larger holding company, hiring interns for their PR department.
A twisted smile formed on Seraphina’s face. Trinity Media handled entertainment. It was close to the spotlight. If she could get in there, she could find dirt. She could climb. She had no idea who really owned it—only that it was a powerful, independent agency.
“If I can’t be a queen,” Seraphina whispered to the empty, dirty room, “I’ll be a nightmare p>
Skye sat in the executive office on the top floor of the Oracle Building. The walls were floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a panoramic view of the city she was slowly conquering. She wasn’t looking at the view. She was looking at her tablet.
Her right leg was propped on a small ottoman under the desk, her ankle wrapped in a compression brace that throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
“Are you sure?” she asked, tapping the screen.
𝖮𝗇𝗅𝘺 c𝘰𝗆𝘱𝗅е𝗍e𝖽 n𝗼𝗏𝘦𝘭𝘴 о𝘯 𝗯𝗲.𝘤𝗈𝗺
Harper Quinn stood by the desk, holding a cup of herbal tea. “Positive. The application came in twenty minutes ago. Seraphina Miller. Applying for the Junior PR Intern position at Trinity Media p>
Skye leaned back in her chair. A slow, incredulous smile spread across her face.
“She doesn’t know,” Skye realized. “She thinks Trinity is just another agency. She has no idea it’s one of our shadow subsidiaries p>
“Shell companies within shell companies,” Harper grinned. “To the public, Trinity is independent. To us, it’s a useful tool p>
Skye tapped the desk rhythmically with her fingernail. “She’s desperate. Liam must have actually cut her off p>
“Do we reject her?” Harper asked.
“No,” Skye said. Her eyes gleamed with a cold light. “Hire her p>
Harper choked on her tea. “What p>
“Hire her,” Skye repeated. “Put her in the lowest position possible. The coffee runner. The copy machine girl. I want her scrubbing the break room floor. I want her to see what real work looks like p>