Chained To Me: A Billionaire Enemies To Lovers Romance

Chapter 18 -Everly

On the flight back to Seattle, I feel like a failure.

I've never walked out on a job before. But working with Aston was impossible. He's the most arrogant, rude, egotistical man I've ever met. It's a wonder I held on as long as I did.

I cinch my pashmina around my shoulders and sigh. A huge part of me feels like I'm losing something big, and it's not just the paycheck. I know there are layers to Aston, parts of him that he wasn't showing me. And if only I could've gotten him to open up, I might've been able to complete the job.

The stewardess comes around, and I order a vodka neat. I need some liquid courage right now to help me relax, to remind myself that I'm not a complete and utter disappointment.

I take a long, heady drink of the clear liquid that feels like fire going down my throat as I look over at my neighbor, the man sitting next to me. He's reading Portrait Digest. And guess who's on the cover? Aston himself. The spread features a layout of Aston and all his sinful ways. It details his rise to the top and his debaucherous fall to the bottom. I know because I have the same magazine in my bag. I've made it my mission to buy every piece of journalism on the man, to stay ahead of things.

I sigh and lean back into my seat.

I no longer have to care what happens to him.

—

We arrive in Seattle on time, and Julie's there to meet me as I emerge from the airport. She has a massive smile on her face.

"You're back!" She pulls me into a hug.

I can't help but to feel a little disappointed at being home. I love seeing Julie, but it's only because I didn't accomplish my mission in New York that I'm here.

"I missed you," I say to her.

"Mr. Stripper got the best of you, huh?" she asks as she helps me lift my suitcase into her trunk.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Well, you're home now, and you don't have to worry about his smug face ever again."

"Thanks. I guess you could say it was pretty brutal working for him."

"Let's go to our place, and I'll help you look for another job."

"Okay. I'll call Kaley on the way and tell her I'm back."

On the drive to our apartment, I check in with my sister, who doesn't seem to care that I've returned. She doesn't seem to care about anything at all. Her voice is flat and lifeless, which concerns me.

"I'm back in Seattle," I tell her. "Things didn't work out in New York."

My gut wrenches as I imagine Aston's handsome face. I wonder how he'll handle the fallout from his image problem now.

"Yeah, so?" Kaley says. "Why would I care that you're back?"

I clear my throat, irritated. "Well, I thought I might come visit you?"

"Don't bother," she says. "I'm going to bust out of here soon anyway."

A lump lodges in my throat as I think of Kaley alone in the world, with no roof over her head, no safety.

"Please don't do that. When you turn eighteen, please stay in treatment. It's for your own good, for your health."

"You won't be able to keep me here, Everly. You're not in charge of me."

A tear slips down my cheek as I realize she's right. I might be Kaley's guardian, but I can't control her. I've done the best that I can. I've put here in Seattle's most renowned rehab. But I can't force her to stay. That's on her.

"I guess I have to say goodbye then." I grip the phone, hoping she'll say anything to change our conversation's tone. But she just hangs up.

My heart sinks as I realize there's nothing I can do to change her mind.

Kaley's my responsibility.

I need to protect her.

Julie and I arrive at our apartment building. It looks so familiar, like home. I should feel happy to be here, but instead, all I feel is a sense of loss, a sinking feeling that I, for once, didn't accomplish what I set out to do.

I failed in New York.

How is Aston going to manage without me? Will he hire another crisis manager? Probably not. How will he survive the mess that's become his life?

Considering how he treated me, I know I shouldn't care what happens to him. But there's a small part of me that does care. He won't be able to mitigate the mess that's become his life without outside help.

We get out of the car, grab my bag, walk up the stairs, and into the familiar apartment that's been home to me for so long. I should be happy to see it. But all this means is that I still don't have a job. I'm at square one again.

"Well, here we are," Julie says brightly. "I must admit, things were pretty lonely here without you."

"Yeah, it was for me, too, in New York. It was awful working for Aston and not having you to come home to."

"Give me the details," she says. "Is Mr. Stripper as bad as people say he is?"

"Worse." I run my hand down my long, wavy hair and relay to her what he said to me.

"I don't give a flying fuck about your track record, Everly. I don't care about your sister or her problems. What I care about is getting you out of my life."

"I can't believe he's like that. What a jerk!" she says, horrified.

"Yeah, he is. But I believe there's some part of him that he's hiding. He must've gone to that strip club for a reason. He won't tell me what it is."

"And you think if you knew what that reason was, you could help him?" she asks.

"Definitely. People crave the truth. If I had that to work with, I could've put this disaster to rest."

She reaches her hand out to mine, squeezing. "It's going to be okay. You'll find an even better job. I'm sure of it."

"I don't know, Julie. Remember how long I was looking before Aston's crisis fell into my lap?"

She nods. "I know. Things might be tough for a while, but remember, you can always go to L.A."

"I hate that option," I say. "It would mean leaving Kaley indefinitely."

"Yeah, and with her birthday coming up, you don't know how things will go with her."

My heart cinches painfully in my chest as I'm reminded that Kaley might leave treatment once she turns eighteen. There's nothing I can do to stop her.

And in the meantime, I need to find a job to afford her rehab. This month's payment is due soon.

But, most of all, as I stand in my old apartment's kitchen, I try to stop thinking about him.

Aston doesn't deserve my thoughts. He doesn't deserve anything from me anymore. But for some reason, his face is etched into my brain.

His deep blue eyes...

His muscular body...

The way he looks in a suit...

And, the way he was with me, the few times he was nice...

It's all there, swimming around in my brain, reminding me of what I left behind. But I push those thoughts aside, focusing instead on my new life back home. I will never see Aston Thomas again, and that's an excellent thing.