32: Don’t forget our plan

XAVIER

“Lillian will be working with us from now on,” I said.

I watched Sarah’s reaction closely, knowing that she won’t take this likely. Her eyes darted between me and Lillian, who wore a smug smile.

“Working with us?” Sarah repeated, as if she didn't hear correctly.

Before I could respond, Lillian jumped in and I fought the urge not to facepalm, knowing she would just escalate whatever this is.

“Actually, I’m not working with you,” she said, emphasizing the word with a mischievous glint in her eye. “I’m working with Xavier.”

“Oh,” That was all Sarah could muster, and I could see the fury flickering in her eyes.

“And between us girls,” Lillian continued, her tone light and playful. “I think he just brought me here so he could spend more time with me.” She giggled, the sound light and carefree.

But I knew better.

Sarah forced a giggle in response, her eyes meeting mine with a look that I chose to ignore.

“Of course,” she said, her voice strained. Then she cleared her throat and stretched her hand out for a shake. “Welcome aboard, Lillian.”

“Thank you, Sarah,” Lillian replied with that condescendingly sweet smile playing on her lips, shaking Sarah’s hand.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” I cleared my throat, trying to steer the conversation back to business. “Sarah, we’ll discuss the investors later. Right now, I need to get Lillian settled in.”

“Of course,” she nodded, but the tension in the air was very evident and it was obvious that she was far from pleased.

I just knew I’d be getting an earful later.

Sarah flashed another faux polite smile and turned on her heel, walking away briskly. I watched her go, then turned to Lillian, whose lips were tugged in a smirk as she stared at Sarah’s retreating figure.

“What was that about?” I asked, my voice low.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Of course she was feigning ignorance, her eyes widening in confusion like she actually didn’t know what she just did.

“I know you were trying to provoke Sarah.” I folded my hands across my chest.

“I guess she just needed a little shake-up,” Lillian shrugged, her smirk growing more pronounced. “She seems so uptight, like a stick is stuck up her ass. Don’t you think?” She pouted at me.

I chuckled darkly, shaking my head.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Lillian.”

“Isn’t that what you like?” she shot back, her tone teasing and confident.

I knew what she was doing. She was pushing my buttons on purpose because she knew I couldn’t do anything here. I sighed and shook my bead, not letting her ruffle my composure.

“Castor, get Lillian settled in,” I instructed with a dismissive wave, walking towards my office.

“I thought you were going to get me settled in.” Lillian called after me, a hint of challenge in her voice.

“Changed my mind,” I responded coolly, not looking back. I strode into my office and slammed the door.

It’s not even a day yet and bringing Lillian here was already proving to be more complicated than I thought it would be.

****

“What the hell do you think you are doing!” Sarah stormed into my office, her eyes blazing with fury.

It’s been three hours since I brought Lillian in and told Sarah that she would be working with us. I expected her to have shown up sooner but when I didn’t see her, I thought she had gotten over it and started to work.

I should have known better because Sarah doesn’t get over things, especially this and now, she’s here.

But I wasn’t ready for whatever raving she had to do now and I certainly wasn’t in the mood.

“I’m busy, Sarah,” I said without looking up from my laptop. “We’ll talk about whatever this is later.”

“You know what this is,” she said, adding a bit of emphasis. “And no, we are not going to talk about it later, we are going to talk about it right now, Xavier,” she demanded, slamming her hand in the table.

I knew Sarah well enough to know that she won’t take no for an answer at this point, so it was pretty much in my best interest to do what she says.

“Fine,” I shut my laptop with a snap. “You want us to talk. Let’s talk!” I added, leaning back against my seat.

“Why the hell is Lillian here?” She asked without taking a breath, her evident anger simmering just beneath the surface.

“Lillian is here because I want her to be here,” I responded, keeping my tone measured and calm.

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Sarah snapped back.

“What more do you want me to tell you?” I shrugged.

“At this point, I don’t know because you are making decisions that make me question if you are still on board with our plan or not!”

“Our plan,” I repeated with a chuckle, shaking my head.

“Yes, our plan,” she maintained adamantly and I looked on. “The plan that we both had to destroy the Wrights and now, you’re screwing up. Why the fuck would you bring the enemy into our house, Xavier? And why won’t you even run it by me first to check if it’s a good idea!”

Excuse me? I felt my temper flare at that last statement.

“Run it by you?” I echoed, my voice low and dangerous. “Last I checked, I didn’t need your permission to employ a staff member, let alone my wife.”

Sarah laughed humorlessly, pointing a finger at me.

“There it is, your wife,” she mocked. “You’re regarding Lillian with respect when you should be making her life a living hell, especially after everything she and her family did to you and your mother. She’s a fucking pawn, not your wife. Stop treating her like one.”

“I’ll treat Lillian however I damn well please,” I stood up, the anger boiling over. “I don’t need you hovering around trying to take control. This fight with the Wrights is my fight, not yours, and I’ll handle it how I see fit.”

Sarah opened her mouth to interject, but I cut her off.

“And, I don’t appreciate you barging into my office and raising your voice at me,” I stated matter-of-factly. “You’re the COO, but I’m the CEO of this company. Whatever past we might have had as lovers, you still owe me some damn respect.”

“You’re playing with fire, Xavier,” Sarah scoffed, her frustration clear as crystal. “And it’s not just you that will get burned if things go wrong.”

“I appreciate your concern, Sarah,” I responded, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “But, Lillian is staying whether you like it or not. End of discussion.”

She opened her mouth to argue again, but I held up a hand to silence her.

“If there’s nothing else, I have work to do.”

Sarah glared at me for a moment, then turned on her heel and marched out of the office, closing the door behind her with a bit more force than necessary. I watched her go, then returned to my desk, reopening my laptop.

Bringing Lillian here was a gamble, but it was one I was willing to take. Now, all that was left was being able to keep everything under control.

And control was something I excelled at.