Chapter 4: Tension and whispers
1163 Words
Sonia slammed her apartment door shut with a groan so deep it came from her bones. She kicked off her heels,one flying to the wall, the other landing somewhere near the couch,and dragged herself toward the living room like someone who had been beaten by life itself.
June looked up from the bowl of popcorn she was snacking on, eyebrows arching the moment she saw Sonia’s face.
“You look like you fought with a tornado,” June said.
“I did,” Sonia muttered, dropping her bag onto the couch and collapsing beside her. “A tall, arrogant, egotistical tornado who thinks he’s God because he owns a company.”
June blinked slowly. “Your boss?”
Sonia dragged a pillow over her face. “Don’t say his name. It might summon him.”
June snorted. “Wow. So the day didn’t go well?”
Sonia jerked the pillow down and sat up, her eyes wide with dramatic exhaustion. “June. This man is— is—” She threw up her hands. “He’s wicked. No, beyond wicked. He’s like a beautiful, well-dressed devil. He practically pinned me to a wall today.”
June choked on her popcorn. “Pinned you to a— wait, Sonia. Pause. Start again. Slowly.”
Sonia groaned. “Not like that! Okay… well… fine, kind of like that. But not for a good reason. He was angry, accusing me, insulting me. And then—”
She broke off, burying her face in her hands.
June smirked. “And then… what, sweetheart?”
Sonia peeked through her fingers. “He kissed me.”
Silence.
Then June’s voice pierced the air like a siren.
“HE WHAT?!”
Sonia clamped a hand over her mouth. “He kissed me! Okay? Happy now? He freaking kissed me!”
June stared at her, stunned, then slowly set her popcorn aside. “And… you didn’t slap him?”
“I tried,” Sonia muttered. “He caught my hand.”
June blinked. “And… you didn’t kick him?”
“He’s my boss!”
“That didn’t stop him!”
Sonia let out a tortured groan, letting her head fall back against the cushion. “I’m doomed, June. Absolutely doomed. There’s something wrong with him.”
June tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah. Sounds like he likes you.”
Sonia jerked upright. “ARE YOU MAD?!”
June lifted her shoulders. “Tell me why else he would kiss you after firing shots at you all day? Why else would he act jealous and angry? Why else would he bother tackling you in a meeting?”
“He didn’t tackle me.”
June narrowed her eyes.
“Okay, fine, he did,” Sonia admitted. “He made every sentence a jab. Every question felt like an interrogation. Every time I spoke, he stared at me like I was lying.”
“Sweetheart,” June said with a knowing smirk, “men like that are always emotionally constipated. When they like someone, they act stupid.”
Sonia threw a cushion at her. “I hate you.”
“Love you too.”
Sonia ran her hands through her hair, standing and pacing the living room. “June, don’t even think it. He doesn’t like me. He hates me. He thinks I’m—”
“A slut?” June supplied.
Sonia froze.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Exactly that.”
June’s face softened instantly. “Oh, honey…”
Sonia dropped onto the couch again, hugging her knees. “He doesn’t know the truth. He doesn’t care enough to hear it. He just sees me as… a mistake. A bad one.”
June wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Then prove him wrong. Show him you’re brilliant, professional, and better than his assumptions.”
Sonia sighed deeply. “I’ll try.”
“You will,” June said, squeezing her arm. “And one more thing.”
Sonia looked up.
“Don’t fall in love with him.”
Sonia laughed loudly, a sharp humorless sound.
“Trust me, June. That is one mistake I will never make again.”
Nelson Trump stepped into his mansion and immediately felt the shift in the air.
His mother was home.
Which meant trouble.
The maids greeted him as he moved through the grand foyer, loosening his tie. He had barely reached the base of the stairs when he saw her coming down,elegantly dressed, posture regal, expression filled with motherly pride he didn’t have the energy to deal with.
“Nelson,” Helen Trump beamed, stepping forward and kissing his cheek. “You’re back early.”
He gave her a stiff nod. “Early? It’s almost 9 p.m.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Time is relative, darling. The important thing is that I’m home.”
He exhaled slowly. “Exactly why I need to talk to you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “About?”
He crossed his arms, the irritation from his day rising again. “Why did you allow the employment of the lady you sent on that blind date with me?”
Helen blinked. Once. Twice. Then, she smiled.
“You mean the girl from the hotel?”
His jaw ticked. “Yes. Her. Sonia Branson.”
“Well,” Helen said, lifting her chin proudly, “I thought it was for the best.”
“For the best?” Nelson asked tightly. “I spent the entire day dealing with her. She’s completely unprofessional, disrespectful, stubborn—”
“And pretty,” Helen added casually.
Nelson stiffened. “Mother—”
“And smart,” Helen continued, walking past him to the living room.
“Mother.”
“And she handled the board’s questions better than half the new employees you’ve hired in the last year.”
Nelson dragged a hand down his face. “That’s not the point. The point is—you set this up.”
“I didn’t,” she said calmly. “I simply didn’t stop it.”
He stared at her. “Why?”
Helen turned to him with a softness he rarely saw. “Because, Nelson, you need someone who can challenge you. Someone who won’t let you bully her. Someone you can’t control.”
He blinked. “Mother—”
“And also,” Helen added lightly, “I sincerely hope she gets pregnant.”
Nelson choked on air. “WHAT?!”
Helen sighed melodramatically. “I’m not getting any younger. I want at least one grandchild before I die.”
Nelson shook his head sharply. “It won’t happen. Trust me.”
His mother watched him with a strange, unreadable expression.
“You sound too sure,” she said quietly.
“I am sure,” he snapped.
Helen smiled an unsettling, knowing smile. “Well. Time wi
ll tell.”
Nelson frowned deeply, something heavy curling in his stomach,a feeling he didn’t like, didn’t understand.
A feeling that felt like a warning.
- Writer
