The Devoted Winter: BWWM Billionaire Romance Novel (Her Winter Love Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

“No it doesn’t sound fun at all. Nadiyya, you can’t go with him.”
     
    The room got so silent that you could have heard a pin drop. Even Lucian was totally taken by surprise. Nadiyya had no trouble breaking the silence. What the hell was Slade thinking talking to her like that?
     
    “Excuse me?” she said. Her voice was low and deadly.
     
    “He’s obviously just trying to get into your pants. Don’t fall for it,” Slade said. He rapidly tried to shit Nadiyya’s attention from his blatant fuck up over to Lucian.
     
    Lucian smirked. He knew that idiot would eventually show his true colors. Perhaps his little problem with Slade would take care of itself.
     
    “Slade, you don’t control me,” Nadiyya replied with an eerily calm voice as if she were holding back a tidal wave of anger.
     
    Slade snapped. “Why are you being such a bitch? This guy is clearly just trying to fuck you! I’m the one who has your goddamn back! Or maybe you’re such a dumb whore that you can’t see past it,” he yelled.
     
    This time, Nadiyya couldn’t hold back her rage. What Lucian had tried to discuss earlier flooded into her head. She realized that he was right all along. What on earth was Slade thinking talking to her that way? Nadiyya didn’t care what was wrong with him. She just wanted him out. She had never let anyone talk to her that way before and she certainly wouldn’t start now.
     
    “Get out! You’re fucking fired Slade! Don’t you dare come back here!” Nadiyya screamed. He wasn’t sure if she was serious.
     
    “I said get the fuck out! Take all your shit too!” Nadiyya screamed. Her dark brown face took on a reddish hue as anger pumped through her veins. She stood up to let Slade know she meant business. Slade was taken aback but once he saw that Nadiyya was serious, he knew he had to get moving. He’d never seen her quite this angry and although he was trying to save face he was terrified of what she could do.
     
    “You heard the lady,” Lucian replied, standing up to take Nadiyya’s side. He wasn’t so much trying to be a gentleman as ensuring that Slade didn’t hurt her. He had always known there was something off about the little creep. Slade was furious. He packed up his possessions in a huff and stormed out the door. 
     
    Nadiyya was shaking with anger and tears were pouring down her face as Slade left. She hadn’t felt so emotional in years. This was it, the end of a friendship and a partnership. It had all happened almost too fast for her to really understand but it was most certainly over. She could never let someone who had called her a ‘dumb whore’ back into her life. Nadiyya had clear boundaries and they’d been violated. She just hadn’t expected this from Slade.
     
    He had pretended to be her friend and Nadiyya felt totally betrayed. These weren’t just words misspoken due to anger. There was clear, violent intent about them. That was just too much for her to handle. The quiet flow of tears quickly turned into loud sobs that echoed through the small office space.
     
    Lucian pulled Nadiyya close, extending his hand in genuine friendship for the first time. He let down his arrogant, know it all persona and just held her in his arms. Even Lucian realized that what had just happened had wounded Nadiyya deeply. Nadiyya rested her head on Lucian’s chest, noticing the fresh smell of his aftershave. The smell comforted her. He knew he had to offer her a few words of reassurance. This was his chance to redeem himself for his earlier faux pas.
     
    “What am I going to do about this company? Slade was everything,” Nadiyya squeaked out between sobs.
     
    “Nadiyya, Slade wasn’t what was holding this company together. It was you. And I’m willing to go through with this no matter what. He wasn’t what intrigued me and attracted me to working here. It was you,” Lucian said. Nadiyya pulled away and looked into his eyes. She saw that Lucian was dead