7 Kills + An Apple

Twenty: Nerve-wreaking Day

Kalypso Queen

Grayson Matthews is dead.

A board member dead will require a little bit of mourning period. But I'm not the one who will grieve, because Grayson Matthews is my father's friend. Any friend and ally of my father is my enemy, and I will not let a little loss hinder me. I will keep moving forward.

This time, it is a good loss. I have a chance to put someone who is much more acquainted with me on the Board. My father will try to put someone like Grayson on the Board, but I need an ally of my own. I need someone like the ones I already have the Board.

I wish I have my grandmother. She has influence, and she can kill my enemies with a simple word. I don't have that. I don't have that kind of power, and I'm not that strong.

He died in the middle of a surgery, and though the news has brought some members of the press, no one really cares. An eighty-three year old man who dies? No one really notices anything.

"Helen!" I shriek, my voice high. My sister is on my very nerves. Any errors my employees make will set me off the edge and into rehab. "Helen! I need those papers!"

Tanya is already there. She hands me a large stack of portfolios. Calmly, she asks, "Is there anything else, Miss Queen?"

I quickly skip to the end and then look into the list of past purchases. Nope, nope, nope. "Who the hell sold this case to Charlotte?"

"The name should be—"

"I got it," I interrupt, finding it. Her neat penmanship inspires my next order for Tanya. "Tawny, I need you to find Daniela Zeller. Now."

"Yes, Miss Queen."

"What is going on?" asks Helen, looking at Tanya running to find Daniela Zeller and then sitting down across from me. "You look worse than usual."

"I need Earl Grey."

Helen pales. "That bad?"

"I need it," I plea, already tasting that tea in my mouth. "I need it badly. It isn't a good day."

"Is it ever a good day?" Her haunting words fill my mind, long after she's gone.

***

"Do you have it?" I ask, not looking up from the heavy footsteps. "I need my tea!"

"I have it," says Mekal, holding it in a dainty white tea cup. "But why Earl Grey? Why this tea? What happened to your usual green tea?"

I snap. "Do I pay you to ask questions?"

"No." Quick, he counters, "But your father plans to."

"Yes, I know," I snarl, not needing to be reminded of that fact. I flip through the pages, ignoring the stings of my paper cuts. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"What is going on?" His soft voice makes me look up at him, and I pause to blink. His tie is surprisingly thicker than usual, and its black color fits him perfectly. It isn't made from a designer, but his suit looks good on him. It highlights his muscles. "Why are you snapping at all of the staff and scaring away all of the interns? What is going on?"

"I'm too busy."

"Then make time," he suggests. "One minute. Just one minute and then I won't bother you for the rest of the day."

"I'm not giving you a minute."

"Then I'll sit here," he says, moving to my couch. "Wow, this is really comfortable. How much did you pay for it? I think I want to buy it."