A Billionaire's Mistake

56|Paranoid

Sienna

One week after Lincoln's mother dropped the bomb of Jett's potential plan to use one of my best friends, I invited Carmen to have lunch with me. It took a lot of thought on whether or not I would investigate, but if my friend's heart is on the line right after ending things with Archer? I'm not going to take the chance—especially if she broke things off with Archer for Jett.

It's noon when she enters the tiny cafe I love so much. It overlooks Central Park, and sometimes, if I feel too cooped up in my office, I'll work from here. Folders are scattered around the booth, littering the table. I scoop them up quickly as Carmen waves excitedly, her braids now dangling with beads swinging side to side. "Hi, lovely! You look gorgeous, as always."

I scoot out of the booth to hold my friend at arm's length, noting a new pink designer bag slung over her shoulder. Carmen has always loved luxury, but she's never been able to afford it. I'm not an idiot as I piece two and two together. The Balmain dress she wore at Thanksgiving, and now a new designer purse?

Fucking Jett.

"I could say the same," I reply, arching a brow at said purse. "How in the hell can you afford a Birkin?" The sentence slips off my tongue sounding more hurtful than I intended it to, but Carmen doesn't seem offended as she slides into the chair across the booth. She and Riley have filled me in on the recent sales of the shop, and although they've dipped in numbers, they're still bringing in more than decent revenue, but it's not enough to afford a damn Birkin.

"I didn't buy it," she says with a smile that lights up her whole face. "It was a gift."

"A gift from who?"

It's only been two weeks since she and Archer broke things off. Is she really going to jump into things so quickly with Jett? Is Jett even the person she's seeing? So many questions need to be asked, but I don't want to push her too far. Plus, if she is seeing Jett, how am I supposed to break the news to her that she's the pawn in some sick game he's playing to gain his share of his father's company? I don't want to be the one who gives her the news and breaks her heart again. Not when she seems happier than ever.

"You're asking a lot of questions before I've even ordered my drink, but I'm not telling anyone who gave me this. Not even Riley. For now, nobody needs to know."

Because it's Jett.

Because she knows we'll both disapprove of this relationship.

"What's with all the papers?" She asks, changing the subject.

Deciding to end my interrogation, I frown at the mess surrounding me. "I'm researching for the Le Beaute deal. I'm supposed to show Camille locations next month, but anything available around here isn't right. It's too small, or it's not in the right section of town. I'm stumped."

"Are you adding being a realtor to your list of responsibilities?"

"No. Well, not typically, but Camille requested this from me, and the contract I landed with her company is huge, Carm. I'll do whatever the hell I need for this woman. Although, if I can't find some places soon, I'll have to get a realtor, anyway. Camille doesn't want to deal with anyone else, so when she's up here, I'll be pitching marketing strategies and locations for a warehouse as well."

Carmen blows out a long breath. "I don't know how you do it, Sienna. You're the definition of a fucking girl boss."

Rolling my eyes, we give our drink orders to the waitress who approaches, and when she's gone, I add, "I wouldn't be able to do what you do either, you know. If someone came up to me asking what type of flower was right for a specific occasion, I'd die on the spot. We're both girl bosses, just trained in different subjects."