at her reflection. Shit. She looked like she’d just spent the night fucking.
With a moue of disgust, she tunneled her fingers through her dark hair and tried to comb some semblance of order into it so she didn’t look so freshly fucked. After several fruitless moments, she gritted her teeth. To hell with it. She scowled and shoved the heavy strands back over her shoulder. She couldn’t do anything about—
Her eyes narrowed and then widened in horror as she stared at her neck—her bare neck. The delicate gold chain and pendant with a tiny crown etched into its surface. To my princess. The jewelry and the loving message engraved in Korean on the back of the ornament were the only legacy she had from her dead father besides her almond-shaped eyes and nearly black, dense hair.
Dammit! She dropped her hands away from her hair, whipped around, and dashed back down the hall, the spiky heels of her stiletto boots clacking out an agitated cadence on the hardwood floor. Where is it? She conducted a circuit of the living room, jerking pillows and cushions of the couch and love seat and ghosting her palm over the glass surface of the coffee table. Finally, after long, frustrating minutes with her heart lodged in her throat, she stood in the middle of the room, one hand cupping her forehead and the other resting on her collarbone. She felt naked—bereft—without the jewelry. She couldn’t leave without it—
A short toot of a horn sounded from outside. The taxi had arrived.
With one last desperate glance down the darkened hall, she turned and retraced her steps toward the front door.
And felt as if she had left a part of her heart behind.
Chapter Two
“Once upon a time, there was a widower who married a proud and haughty woman as his second wife… By his first wife he’d had a beautiful daughter, who was a girl of unparalleled goodness and sweet temper.”— Cinderella
“Nobody’s that damn nice.”—Rowyn Jeong
“New assistant not working out?”
Rowyn glanced up from her computer and met the dark brown gaze of her coworker and friend, Wanda Dixon.
“Hmm?” Rowyn asked, returning her attention to the report on her monitor. A surge of satisfaction rose up in her chest as she studied the budget. The second-quarter numbers were right on target… She shifted her gaze from the quarterly financial statement and realized Wanda had entered the office and closed the door behind her. “What did you say?”
Wanda shook her head and crossed the room. As she sank down onto the chair in front of the desk, Rowyn couldn’t help but notice the elegant fit of her friend’s lilac wraparound dress. The soft color complemented the woman’s smooth, brown skin, and the silk glided over her tall, lithe body. Rowyn tapped a fingertip against her lip. That style might be just the thing they needed to complete the fall collection for the store…
“I said, the new assistant must not be working out.”
Rowyn frowned as she picked up a pen and jotted down a note about looking into that dress. “What are you talking about?”
“I just passed by your secretary of one week, her purse over her shoulder and a cardboard box under an arm.” Wanda arched an eyebrow. “Crying.”
“What the hell?” Rowyn demanded. “Did she say anything?”
“Yeah.” The other woman snorted. “’That bitch is crazy’.”
“Funny,” Rowyn drawled. She dropped her pen on the desk and fell back in her chair, irritated. “Well, damn. This is an inconvenient time to quit. She could’ve at least waited until the end of the day. I have a conference call at three, and I needed her to take notes.” She reached for the phone. “You think Human Resources will send up a temporary replacement?”
“Doubtful.” Wanda smirked. “After three—well, four, counting the one that just left—different assistants in seven months, you’ve earned a bit of a reputation.”
“Reputation, my ass,” Rowyn growled and jabbed a
With a moue of disgust, she tunneled her fingers through her dark hair and tried to comb some semblance of order into it so she didn’t look so freshly fucked. After several fruitless moments, she gritted her teeth. To hell with it. She scowled and shoved the heavy strands back over her shoulder. She couldn’t do anything about—
Her eyes narrowed and then widened in horror as she stared at her neck—her bare neck. The delicate gold chain and pendant with a tiny crown etched into its surface. To my princess. The jewelry and the loving message engraved in Korean on the back of the ornament were the only legacy she had from her dead father besides her almond-shaped eyes and nearly black, dense hair.
Dammit! She dropped her hands away from her hair, whipped around, and dashed back down the hall, the spiky heels of her stiletto boots clacking out an agitated cadence on the hardwood floor. Where is it? She conducted a circuit of the living room, jerking pillows and cushions of the couch and love seat and ghosting her palm over the glass surface of the coffee table. Finally, after long, frustrating minutes with her heart lodged in her throat, she stood in the middle of the room, one hand cupping her forehead and the other resting on her collarbone. She felt naked—bereft—without the jewelry. She couldn’t leave without it—
A short toot of a horn sounded from outside. The taxi had arrived.
With one last desperate glance down the darkened hall, she turned and retraced her steps toward the front door.
And felt as if she had left a part of her heart behind.
Chapter Two
“Once upon a time, there was a widower who married a proud and haughty woman as his second wife… By his first wife he’d had a beautiful daughter, who was a girl of unparalleled goodness and sweet temper.”— Cinderella
“Nobody’s that damn nice.”—Rowyn Jeong
“New assistant not working out?”
Rowyn glanced up from her computer and met the dark brown gaze of her coworker and friend, Wanda Dixon.
“Hmm?” Rowyn asked, returning her attention to the report on her monitor. A surge of satisfaction rose up in her chest as she studied the budget. The second-quarter numbers were right on target… She shifted her gaze from the quarterly financial statement and realized Wanda had entered the office and closed the door behind her. “What did you say?”
Wanda shook her head and crossed the room. As she sank down onto the chair in front of the desk, Rowyn couldn’t help but notice the elegant fit of her friend’s lilac wraparound dress. The soft color complemented the woman’s smooth, brown skin, and the silk glided over her tall, lithe body. Rowyn tapped a fingertip against her lip. That style might be just the thing they needed to complete the fall collection for the store…
“I said, the new assistant must not be working out.”
Rowyn frowned as she picked up a pen and jotted down a note about looking into that dress. “What are you talking about?”
“I just passed by your secretary of one week, her purse over her shoulder and a cardboard box under an arm.” Wanda arched an eyebrow. “Crying.”
“What the hell?” Rowyn demanded. “Did she say anything?”
“Yeah.” The other woman snorted. “’That bitch is crazy’.”
“Funny,” Rowyn drawled. She dropped her pen on the desk and fell back in her chair, irritated. “Well, damn. This is an inconvenient time to quit. She could’ve at least waited until the end of the day. I have a conference call at three, and I needed her to take notes.” She reached for the phone. “You think Human Resources will send up a temporary replacement?”
“Doubtful.” Wanda smirked. “After three—well, four, counting the one that just left—different assistants in seven months, you’ve earned a bit of a reputation.”
“Reputation, my ass,” Rowyn growled and jabbed a
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