My Enemy's Daughter (Edited)

Chapter 9 (edited version)

Chapter 9
Sam's POV

"What were you thinking, Samuel Fox?!" I muttered under my breath for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

I was alone in my office, trying—and failing—to get any work done. My mind kept looping back to last night’s debacle. I couldn’t stop replaying every stupid thing I’d said. Burn that dress? I whispered to myself with a scornful scoff. You basically admitted you were staring at her all night and hated that other men saw what you did.

And that jealousy? Where had that come from?

Disgust twisted in my chest as I ran a hand through my hair. For those few hours last night, I’d completely forgotten my entire plan for revenge. Worse, I’d defended her against Jake. Jake, the man I was supposed to be getting close to. The man whose organization I needed to infiltrate. I clenched my fists, the memory biting at me.

“Stupid,” I muttered, “You’re just plain stupid.”

"Mr. Fox?" came the soft voice of my secretary, Dina, interrupting my self-scolding.

"What?!" I snapped, turning toward the door. Her head peeked cautiously through the frame, her face pale. She looked like she might bolt at the slightest wrong move.

"I'm very sorry for the intrusion, sir," she stammered.

I sighed, letting the tension ease out of my shoulders. "It’s fine. What do you need?"

"Miss Bruckner is here to—"

"Tell her I’m not available." My voice was firmer than intended, but the last thing I needed was to see Fiona so soon after making an absolute fool of myself.

"But she’s already—"

"I said I don’t want to see her!" I cut her off, louder this time.

"Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice." Fiona’s voice floated into the room just as she pushed open the door wider and walked in, her presence as commanding as ever. She marched to the seat opposite my desk and sat down without waiting for permission.

"What is she doing here?" I growled at Dina.

"That’s what I was trying to tell you," Dina explained, sounding exasperated. "She was already standing next to me when I came in."

"And you just let her follow you? Why?" My frustration was bubbling over.

"She insisted, and there was nothing I could do—"

"You could have called security." I glared at Dina before turning my attention to Fiona. "And it’s basic manners to stay quiet while the adults are talking."

Fiona shot me a look of pure indignation but stayed silent. For now.

I turned back to Dina. "One last thing."

"Yes, sir?" Dina was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, clearly nervous.

"Who has the power to fire you?"

"You do, Mr. Fox," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked like she might cry any second.

"And I have no intention of firing you." I softened my tone slightly. "But don’t forget who has that power. Next time, security first."

"Yes, sir." Dina gave a small, shaky nod and hurried out of the room, practically fleeing.

"You’re a mean person," Fiona finally spoke, her tone sharp with judgment.

I leaned back in my chair, smirking. "That’s an improvement from last night. I was ‘intolerable’ then, wasn’t I?"

"Oh, you’re still intolerable. And mean. You didn’t need to treat her like that." She leaned forward, her eyes sparking with frustration. "She already felt terrible about letting me in, and you made it worse."

"I don’t need her to feel bad, I need her to learn." I waved off Fiona’s indignation. "Her job is to stop people from wandering into my office. Last time, it was your father. Today, it’s you. Tomorrow? Who knows—an assassin, maybe. It’s a security risk. I needed her to understand how serious that is."

"Still, you didn’t have to—"

"And it’s not something little girls would understand, now is it?" I interrupted, throwing a verbal jab.

Her eyes flared in response. "I’m twenty-one, not a little girl," she snapped.

I blinked, processing her words. "Twenty-one?"

"Yes," she repeated, her voice louder, defiant. "I’ve been working in this business for a year now."

"One year?" I couldn't keep the incredulity from my voice. "And you wanted me to hand over one of the biggest contracts of my company to someone with one year of experience?"

"Yes!" she fired back without hesitation.

"And why would I do something that idiotic?" I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Because you promised." She leaned forward, matching my intensity. "And I may only be twenty-one, but I’ve been handling bigger contracts for years without getting credit for them. I’ve got more experience than you think."

I studied her face, trying to read if she truly believed what she was saying. "And why should I trust you?"

"Because I have the inside information you need to stop my father. You know, in case he tries to screw you over." Her eyes didn’t waver as she laid her cards on the table.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. "Go on."

"That’s why I’m here. My father is having a business dinner tomorrow with another tech company’s CEO. I think he suspects you’re onto him, so he’s planning to offer the deal to someone else." She leaned back in her chair, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. "But we can stop him. I have an invite, and I can get you in."

I stared at her, weighing my options. She was young, but she wasn’t a fool. "Alright," I said finally. "What time is this dinner?"

"Seven p.m." She stood up, clearly pleased with herself. "And I’ll be expecting my dress by four."

With that, she sauntered out of the office, leaving me staring after her.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. "What am I getting myself into?"

The answer echoed back in my mind: revenge. That was the plan. But as my pulse quickened at the thought of spending more time with Fiona, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was the one who’d end up getting destroyed.