Page 8 of For I Have Sinned

I wore a long, flowy black skirt paired with a tight, long-sleeved black shirt. I usually wear a ring on each finger, but since I was in such a rush, I didn’t get to put any on.

I was out of my apartment within five minutes and hit very little traffic on my way downtown, but I still ended up being late.

Five minutes, to be exact.

To some companies, five minutes isn’t much. They wouldn’t care if one of their employees was a little bit late because life happens. At Stanley Publishing? They will freak out if you are even a minute late.

Once I swipe my badge to unlock the final door to the office, I rush to my desk and toss my purse and phone on it. My purse tumbles over, the contents spilling out all over my desk. An irritated sigh leaves me because, of course, that just happened, but it will be a problem I will have to deal with after the meeting.

I pick up my laptop, tucking it against my chest, and turn around to head to the boardroom. Everyone is already seated at the wooden table, and Monica is in her position at the head of it. The stare she gives me as I sit in my seat beside her is a lethal one. I could literally feel the fire inside her spewing out at me.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologize to the author and her team, “traffic.”

“Life happens!” Catherine, the author, responds sweetly. “You can’t control traffic.”

Yeah, tell my boss that.

“Now that Celine is here, let’s get started,” Monica says with a kind voice. Well, somewhat kind. She is never rude to the authors, only to her staff. “As we know, your first book has already been signed with Stanley, but we have it written down that you were ready to sign the full five-book deal with us.”

“Yes, but—” Catherine begins to say, but goes quiet when Monica starts talking again.

“We heard that the first book is looking at a movie deal, which is amazing—” She really means how amazing it would be for herself, but she catches what she is about to say and adds, “for you.”

“Thank you,” Catherine responds with a tight smile. I can tell from her demeanor that this meeting is not going the way Monica wants.

“With a five-book deal, we will need you to sign some contracts. Celine.” That was her way of telling me to lay out the contracts.

I stare down at my laptop sitting in front of me, and my eyes slowly fall to my lap. “The contracts are sitting on my desk. I can go grab them.”

Monica glares at me, and as I’m about to stand to get the papers, Catherine stops me. “No, Celine, it’s okay. We aren’t here to sign any contracts.”

My brows dip in confusion, and Monica snaps her attention back to Catherine and her team.

“What do you mean you aren’t here to sign contracts? There will be no deal if no contracts are signed.” Monica reminds her.

“I understand that,” Catherine says, looking to her agent.

“We have decided to take another route with Miss Harper’s books.” The agent informs us.

I sink back into my seat, wishing I were a turtle so I could hide in a shell as Monica’s mouth falls into a flat line. Her jaw is tense while she tries to make sense of what is going on.

On the inside, Monica is panicking and wanting to blow up, but for the sake of a client being in the boardroom, she remains calm on the outside.

“I see,” she finally says after the awkward silence has floated around the room. “And may I ask why?”

Catherine’s agent then explains that another publisher, one that Stanley Publishing competes with, has shown interest in Catherine’s books and has extended an offer they couldn’t refuse. We sit in another silence. I begin chewing the inside of my cheek as the tension builds.

This news is huge… in a bad way. Catherine’s books were supposed to be our top deal of the year, and now it is being pulled out from under the company’s rug.

My eyes leave Monica’s infuriated stare to Catherine and her team. The author gives me an apologetic smile, and I return it because I am afraid Monica is going to lose it on them.

“Did they offer you more money?” Monica asks, which is very unprofessional.

The agent clears his throat. “That is something we are not able to discuss.”

Monica nods curtly. “I see. Well, if your mind is made up, then there is no reason to continue this meeting.”

She stands and leaves the room without saying goodbye. The door slams behind her, making me flinch.