Georgia’s POV
After days of social events, chaos, back-to-back dramas, and unfortunate events, it felt oddly nostalgic to finally be back at my desk.
The familiar sound in the office, the soft tapping of keyboards outside my door, and the sll of freshly brewed coffee brought a quiet sense of normalcy I didn’t realize I’d missed.
It had been a long day, though. Bella and I had spent hours interviewing candidates for the operations manager position she’d posted last week. By the ti we wrapped up, my voice was hoarse and my brain was running on caffeine fus.
Now, we sat across from each other in my office, surrounded by a ss of folders, notes, and evaluation sheets.
"You don’t seem happy," Bella suddenly said, watching with that knowing look of hers.
I slumped into my chair, exhaling a tired laugh. "Is it that obvious?"
"Sort of," she replied, resting her chin on her palm. "But it’s not just you. I feel the sa. They were all great on paper, strong credentials, confident answers, but... I don’t know. Sothing’s missing. I’m just not feeling it."
I nodded slowly. "Wow. You just said what I’ve been thinking all afternoon. I kept waiting for soone to click, but nothing did. Maybe I’m just being too cautious after what happened with Irene and Frank."
Bella shook her head. "No, you’re not. It’s smart to trust your gut. We can’t afford another—"
She didn’t get to finish. The door suddenly swung open and lanie burst in, breathless and wide-eyed.
"Georgia!" she exclaid, making both of us jump. "Is it true that your house burned down?!"
My heart skipped, and Bella’s jaw dropped as she scrambled to her feet.
"What?" Bella blurted. "Burned down?!"
I blinked at lanie, trying to process her words. "Who told you that?" I asked carefully.
"Your boyfriend..." she said, catching her breath. "He’s in the lobby right now. We talked for a bit, and he ntioned it—that we need to find an operations manager fast so you can focus on rebuilding your house."
For a mont, I just sat there, speechless. It’s sothing I don’t want to discuss with others yet, but I am fine with them knowing about it.
I sighed softly, pressing a hand against my temple. Bella and lanie exchanged glances, both waiting for to say sothing.
"Yeah," I admitted with a small sigh, "it burned down last Monday night. He’s right though—we really do need to hire soone soon. Not just because I’ll need to focus on rebuilding the house, but also because..."
I lifted my hand and showed them my engagent ring.
Both Bella and lanie gasped in unison before grabbing my hand, eyes wide with excitent.
"You’re getting married?!" Bella squealed.
I couldn’t help but smile and nod. The next second, they were practically screaming as they threw their arms around .
"Oh my gosh, congratulations!" lanie exclaid. "I hope this one ends in an I do—unlike the last one."
We all burst out laughing. If only they knew that Nick and I were already legally married—they’d probably faint on the spot for keeping it a secret. Still, I was grateful that my engagent news had distracted them from asking about the fire. I wasn’t ready to talk about that. Not yet.
"Don’t worry, it will," I said with a confident grin. "And that’s why we need to find the right person for the job, fast. Bella, let’s reject all these and open new slots."
"Got it," Bella said, already stacking the resus into a neat pile.
I glanced at lanie, who was still staring at the docunts on the table with a thoughtful frown. "What’s on your mind?" I asked gently.
"Uh, just sothing I’ve been wondering," she began. "You ntioned this morning that we’ll be rging with Knight Fleet Mariti. What happens to the operations manager we’re hiring once the rger goes through? That role won’t exist anymore since the company’s shifting to an in-house recruitnt structure, right?"
"Good question," I said, impressed by her foresight. "The role will stay, just under a new title—Talent Acquisition Operations Manager. I actually offered that role to Bella first since she’s already the recruitnt manager. It’s technically a promotion."
Bella smiled sheepishly. "And I turned it down. I’ve got a baby at ho. A promotion ans more work, and honestly, I want to enjoy this stage of my life."
"Then... can I apply for it?" lanie asked suddenly.
Bella and I looked at each other, both surprised—then we smiled.
"Yes, absolutely!" I said, leaning forward. "But I have to ask—why the sudden interest?"
"Wait," she laughed. "Is this an interview already?"
We all chuckled before she continued more seriously. "I guess it’s ti I stop playing it safe. I regretted not saying yes to David back then when he offered the sa role. Maybe if I did, things with Irene and Frank wouldn’t have gone downhill."
"Hey," I said softly, shaking my head, "don’t bla yourself. Everything that happened led us here for a reason. And because of that—congratulations, you’re hired."
Her eyes widened as I raised my hands in celebration before pulling her into a playful hug. Bella joined in, wrapping her arms around both of us.
"Congratulations!" Bella laughed. "And thank you for saving from having to sort through another hundred resus."
"Seriously, lanie, I couldn’t be happier," I said sincerely. "You’ve been with this company longer than I have. You know every corner of this place. You deserve this promotion. And once we rge with Nick’s company, you’ll get a raise and better benefits—everyone will. It’s a relief knowing I can offer him a team I completely trust."
lanie smiled, her eyes glistening slightly. "Thank you, Georgia. Now go—your Prince Charming’s waiting outside. We’ll lock up."
I grabbed my bag, still smiling as I left the office. And there he was, Nick, my man, leaning casually by the lobby, his eyes lighting up the mont he saw .
"Why are you early?" I asked as I walked up to him.
"Dad called," he said, slipping his arm around my waist. "He wants everyone at the mansion tonight. Says he has an important announcent to make."
My steps faltered slightly. That house and Violet always made uneasy.
Still, I smiled faintly, trying to mask the twist in my stomach. "An announcent, huh? This should be interesting."
********
Author’s Note: 10/4/2025
From Oct. 5-14 I will only publish 2 Chapters per day since I will be out of the country. But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you after that. I will be mass-releasing daily from Oct. 15 until the end of the month (3-4 Chapters daily or more).
Thank you all for your support!
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