The Billionaire's Widow

14

Hailey's POV

Nine-thirty in the freaking morning, and my assistant was still a no-show. I called her phone again—for what felt like the hundredth time. Still no answer.

I tolerated many things. Lateness wasn’t one of them.

I was beyond pissed. But then a thought hit me—what if she wasn’t okay? An accident? Something serious? This wasn’t like Paige. She was always punctual, always prepared. Always reliable.

Just as I was about to spiral deeper into worry, my office door burst open.

Paige.

She looked drained—dark circles under her eyes, no makeup, but still somehow put-together in that sleek dress and heels. Right. I’d bought those for her. The dress. The shoes.

"Mrs. An—Hailey, I am so sorry. I—" she began, voice soft, nervous. She closed the door gently behind her and walked in like a student reporting to the principal’s office.

I raised a hand to silence her before she could continue.

"Sit down."

She obeyed quickly, her hands shaking slightly.

"I know you want to apologize, but I don’t want to hear it right now. Why are you late?"

"I... um... last night, I—my—"

"Paige!" I snapped, making her jump. "You’ve already wasted my morning. Don’t waste my entire day. I had a meeting and nearly embarrassed myself because you’re the only one who knows where last month’s accounts are. You know I hate repeating myself."

She swallowed hard. "The truth is... I got super drunk last night and slept through my alarm. I swear it was my first and last time. I shouldn’t have listened to Stephen. Please don’t fire me, Hailey. I promise it won’t happen again."

Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked completely ashamed, and honestly, I believed her. She didn’t seem like the partying type. It had probably been a one-off—and clearly, one she regretted.

I sighed and glanced at my watch.

"We have a meeting in ten minutes. Get ready."

She stood up quickly. "Thank you."

I turned my attention back to the laptop.

Since when did I get soft? Or is it just Paige?

Ugh. I need a drink.

Later that day

Hailey's POV

"Hailey?" I turned around. Paige stood there, hesitant.

I was about to head home to the kids and had spent the entire day avoiding her, trying to cool off.

"I just wanted to apologize again... for this morning. It won’t happen again. I swear."

"Don’t make promises you can’t keep. It’s obvious you can’t handle alcohol."

"It’s not even that. I’ve just... not been in the right state of mind lately. But that’s not an excuse. I know that."

I studied her for a second. "Listen, Paige. I understand people go through things. We all do. But if your problems are going to interfere with your work, let me know. I’ll find a replacement. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma’am."

I scanned my palm, and the elevator doors slid open.

Paige's POV

I threw myself onto the couch the second I got home. The whole day had been a nightmare. I couldn’t believe I’d messed up so badly.

One stupid night. That’s all it took.

"Paige!" Jason called out, entering the room. "Are you okay?"

I groaned. "Yeah, just tired."

He smirked. "I know why. It’s because of that girl you brought home last night, isn’t it?"

I sat up, eyes wide. "You saw her? Oh God."

"I thought you were asleep!" I said, face in my hands.

"I was. But you two were loud—laughing, stumbling in. Relax. I didn’t hear anything nasty."

I let out a breath. "I’m sorry."

"So... who was she?"

"An ex," I said flatly.

"Whoa. Wasn’t expecting that. So... still an ex, or did something change?"

I gave a tired laugh. "Still an ex. I don’t even know why I brought her here. We slept together. It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone out with Stephen in the first place."

"You’re not stupid, Paige," he said, taking my hand.

"You have no idea how much I hate myself right now. I hooked up with my ex, showed up late for work, nearly got fired, and now Hailey won’t even look at me. Everything was going well. She was warming up to me, even bought me clothes. Then I went and ruined it."

"Paige, it’s okay. She’ll come around. She can’t be mad forever."

"You don’t know what it’s like working for her when she’s angry. It’s terrifying. Darsie was right—making Hailey Anders angry is career suicide."

"Stop that. You just need to show her you’re serious about fixing it." He sat up straighter. "Does she like anything specific? Something you could get her as a peace offering?"

I thought for a second. "White wine. She loves white wine."

"Perfect. Buy her a nice bottle and give it to her as an apology gift."

"You think that’ll work?"

"It’s worth a try," he said with a grin.

I exhaled slowly. "Okay."

"Great. Now go shower. I ordered your favorite."

I smiled, getting up. "You’re the best."

______________________

Any clue on how the wine apology will go? Lols. Stick around to find out.

Please vote. Xoxo.