Once the girls were in bed, Amanda found herself sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand and the laptop on her knee. She had googled Russell the night before, but she hadn’t truly taken in how insanely ridiculous his life had the potential to be.

She wanted to know if there was any information on any other office spaces that she could potentially be working in, and she was curious to know what the word on the street was about the warehouse development and if the media had reported anything recently about it.

She sipped her wine and rolled out her shoulders. There was a huge part of her that really didn’t want to be doing this, but she knew that if she was going to keep ahead of the game, then she was going to have to be as prepared as possible.

Instead of typing in Russell’s name, this time she entered, The Newport Family, and sat back and waited for the results to flood the screen in front of her.

As she clicked through various news stories, she saw updates on their charity works, the fact that the older and very elegant parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Newport were away living in Europe, and that since Russell had gotten himself clean, off the booze, and back into the city to work, he had lived a relatively quiet life. This was news she hadn’t found the previous day on her initial investigation. That he had been sober for almost a year and had been putting all his energy into the big projects he had been working on, but was yet to release any solid details of.

Speculation had crowded around the warehouses and the riverside development, but nothing was yet to be confirmed. And there was a blurry looking photograph of Russell wearing a cap and wandering around the city streets talking into his cellphone while smoking a cigarette.

He looked as if he was in hiding, and it was completely different to the man she had been with all day.

She bit her lip and browsed through more images, and suddenly, she saw another face that she recognized, and she stopped and zoomed in.

It was a family photograph, and there was Russell and his parents, a few other men who she could tell to be his brothers, and then… the girl. The one from the warehouse, the girl who had been sitting at the reception desk up near Russell’s office who had been rude to her and given her a once over.

She swallowed as she looked at the names underneath the picture and when she saw the girl’s name, she wanted the world to open and gobble her up.

Regina Newport.

The girl sitting in the warehouse when Amanda had gone for her interview hadn’t been a worker there at all. She was Russell’s sister.

Amanda put her head in her hands and cringed as she remembered how she had asked her for basic information about Russell and the family, and how the girl had coldly told her to look them up.

Now she felt like a total idiot.

And she was pretty sure Regina would have filled Russell in without question.

“Wonderful,” Amanda said to herself as she closed the laptop lid and slugged the rest of her wine.

On the nightstand, her cellphone buzzed, and she rolled over to pick it up. It was a message from Russell and her heart felt like it was going to stop.

 

R: While I remember, tomorrow I want to go through plans for the warehouse refurb. Can you make me some reservations for dinner at 8pm, somewhere not too flashy but somewhere hip? Surprise me! We’ll be over at the house in the morning because the warehouse plans are there. I’ve told the security guard you’re coming.

 

Amanda put the phone down and took a deep breath. So it was back to the mansion and the office in the woods. She didn’t even know if she could remember how to get there, but she was sure she would be able to find some kind of clue online if it escaped her. All she needed was a street name and then she would know exactly how to find him.

She pressed reply and typed a short but sweet answer.

 

A: Yes, boss! See you in the morning.

 

She was going to have to keep herself nice and relaxed and flowing along at his pace. Russell may have been a nightmare, but the more she looked into his past and the things that had been reported about him online, the more she realized he was probably just damaged goods. He clearly had been off the rails and was on the road to sorting himself out, but the struggle was still there. She almost felt sorry for him. Maybe the attitude and the fact he went through assistants like most people changed their underwear was just a byproduct of the tough times he had been through. It was clear, from some of the articles, that he and his family had had many differences over the years.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply when her phone went off again, but this time when she looked down expecting to see Russell’s name lighting up the screen, she saw that it was dark, and it was actually her personal cell that had chimed.

She picked it up and looked, and her heart sank when she saw Rob’s name shining back at her.

 

Rob: I want the girls this weekend. It’s not a question, it’s a demand. I haven’t seen them properly in for what feels like forever.

 

Amanda crumpled her brow and rubbed her temples.

“Here we go again,” she said to herself as she sighed and pressed reply.

 

A: The only reason you haven’t seen them is because you’ve been MIA, Rob. You canceled your last visit with them. We have plans this weekend, so we’ll have to arrange for you to see them another time.

Rob: I want to see them this weekend.

A: I’ve just told you, we have plans.

Rob: Cancel them. I’m going to be there and I’m taking them for the day on Saturday.

 

Even from a distance, he still managed to worm his way in and flaunt his control. Amanda had to fight back the tears. She didn’t want to rage war on him, and she didn’t want the negativity around her children. They didn’t really have plans, she had been debating taking them to the movies, but she hadn’t mentioned anything, and he was right, it had been a while since he had seen them. She braced herself and tried to stay strong.

The more she kicked against him, the worse he would end up becoming. Did she really want a huge court battle on her hands for the children? She knew how tricky and clever Rob was when he set his mind to something. The last thing she wanted was him orchestrating a case against her which may end up with her losing major access to her children.

She bit her lip and took another sip of wine before she started to write her reply.

 

A: Okay, you win, Rob. You can have them on Saturday. 

 

She hit send and then she turned both of the phones onto silent, clicked off the lamp on the nightstand and pulled the covers up around her. She felt a sag of disappointment and worry rumble through her as she tried not to cry. Who was she kidding? Her life was a total mess. She was about to get divorced, her ex was a complete nightmare, she was working for the biggest jerk in history, and now she was going to have to get up the next day and do it all over again.

“But the girls,” she reminded herself as she closed her eyes and willed herself to drop into a deep sleep. “They need you and you need this job to keep supporting them.”

She would be okay in the end, she knew that much. It was just going to be a long, hard road in the meantime.

 

“Good morning, new girl,” Russell said the second Amanda burst through the door to the cabin the following day.

He was standing there staring at her with his arms crossed over his chest and a look in his eye that let her know immediately he was in the mood for making her life hell. She smiled and tried not to bite.

“Sorry, I’m a little late,” she said as she slipped her jacket off and held it underneath her arm. “This place isn’t exactly easy to get into.”

Russell smirked and shrugged his shoulders before he turned and walked back into his office. The cabins were well heated and lit, and it felt much nicer than it had done the previous day.

Amanda followed Russell into his room and she stopped and waited for him to address her. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans, but his hair was clean and perfectly slicked, and his skin looked dewy and tanned, like he had just had a facial.

“The reservations, did you make them?” he asked her.

Amanda nodded her head.

She had gotten up extra early to ensure she had it done before she even attempted going anywhere near the office. She didn’t want to walk in unprepared, and she knew he was going to ask her the second she set foot through the door.

“Very good,” he said. “I like that you don’t let things wait.”

“Not my style,” she told him with a wry smile.

“So, today, I want us to go over the plans for phase one of the warehouse refurb. My sister Regina will be joining us, I believe you met at the site the other day.”

Amanda felt her ears burn pink and she tried not to let it show how obvious it was that she was blushing.

“Yes,” she smiled sweetly. “We did meet.”

Russell crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side while he studied her.

“Did Regina play with you?” he asked. “She’s good at that.”

Amanda shrugged her shoulders, she didn’t want to admit how she had made an epic fool of herself and had been so naive.

Russell’s eyes were focusing intently on hers, and she wanted to give him a cocky reply to match his attitude, but she didn’t have it in her. She wanted to keep the job, even if it was painful, not lose it by constantly letting her mouth run away with her.

He sighed and sat down at the desk before he swung his feet up onto it.

He looked at Amanda and she felt as if he were about to say something profound, but then his humor disappeared and a darker, much more broody version of himself began to appear.

“I don’t think I’m cut out to have an assistant,” he said with a half laugh. “I hire you people and then I’m the worst version of myself.”

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Amanda felt herself give a little, as if she too were done. He had been nothing but up and down and he had pushed her all over the place in the space of twenty-four hours. Sure, she wanted to do this for her girls, but he was literally making her life hell. Could she really spend another moment with this guy, never mind the next month, or year, or ten years?

“Listen,” she began as she took a step forward.

Before she had a chance to finish what she was going to say, the door to the office burst open behind them and Regina Newport swept in looking like the glamourous ice queen that she was. She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted her hip out to the side, before she smirked down at Russell and cast a disdainful glance in Amanda’s direction.

“Dearest darling sister,” Russell smirked. “You’re early.”

“And you’re fucking crazy,” Regina spat as she leaned in close to him and locked her eyes with his.

As Amanda watched them go head to head, she could see how truly alike they looked, and how their eyes were basically mirror images of each other’s.

“Mom and dad will be back at the end of the week and you still have all your crap here,” Regina said.

Russell shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll be gone by the time they’re back, don’t worry,” he said. “In fact, that’s exactly why I was so keen to track down a new assistant so soon.”

He looked in Amanda’s direction and flashed her a wicked smile.

“Because not only do I need some guidance with the warehouse refurb, but I also need someone to sort me out a new place to live.”

Oh brother… Amanda thought, and she had to physically stop herself from sighing and rolling her eyes. This just keeps getting worse.

Regina nodded her head and seemed to be considering what he was saying.

“If they come back and you’re anywhere near this house, they’re going to go mad,” she said. “You know that, don’t you? They don’t want you here, Russell, not after all the fights and disagreements. You hitting the gossip columns with all your crazy ways almost pushed them over the edge.”

He held up his hand and nodded as if he was admitting defeat.

“I know they don’t,” he said. “And trust me, I don’t want to be here either.”

As she was listening to them argue, Amanda’s head was spinning. What kind of crazy, dysfunctional family had she found herself amongst. For all they had wealth and most things other people would dream of, they all seemed bitter and twisted and completely screwed up. And now on top of all that, it also appeared that they hated each other too.

“I’m here for the plans,” Regina said. “And then I have to get back.”

Russell nodded his head at the same time his cellphone rang and this time, he looked at Amanda as if he was warning her not to answer it for him. Amanda took a step back and Russell took the call, while her and Regina looked at each other uncomfortably.

“Do you know where the plans are?” Regina asked her finally once it was clear that Russell wasn’t going to be ending his call anytime soon.

“Yes,” Amanda said as she stepped back toward the door.

Regina mouthed something to Russell and he flipped her the bird. Regina smirked and then she joined Amanda through the doorway and out into the rest of the cabin. Regina looked a lot more elegant than she had done the first time they had met. She was wearing a crisp and impeccable black skirt suit which Amanda was pretty sure was Chanel. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of long, skinny cigarettes, clamped one between her teeth and lit it.

“My brother’s a mess,” she said as she exhaled a long line of smoke out into the air between them. “I’m sure you’ve figured that out already.”

Amanda was stunned into silence and she wasn’t sure what to say in response.

“It’s okay,” Regina said, her demeanor softening slightly. “If you were going to walk out on him, you would have done it by now. I see these assistants, they come and go in a matter of hours.”

Amanda tried not to look uncomfortable, she didn’t want to let on that she had been about to do exactly that before Regina had burst through the door.

“He just needs someone to help him keep his focus, you know?” Regina said as she slipped her arm through Amanda’s and led her toward the very far end of the office, well out of ear shot of Russell should he choose to end his call and listen in on them.

“I just don’t know if this is for me,” Amanda admitted. “I mean, I’m trying my best but it’s so hard. He seems to want to torture me.”

Regina smirked and looked at her knowingly.

“It’s just something we all seem to do,” she said. “It’s a way to make the people who are close to us know we’re not to be fucked with.”

“I’m exhausted,” Amanda said.

“Russell likes you,” Regina said suddenly as she turned and took hold of her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I can tell because he told me you fucked up yesterday and he didn’t fire you.”

Amanda felt her cheeks burn.

“Are you sure?” she half laughed.

“He has fired people for a lot less,” Regina shrugged. “The messages would be enough to push him over the edge, trust me.”

“I want to make this work,” Amanda admitted. “It just seems to me like there is a lot going on here.”

“There is a lot going on here,” Regina said in a hushed tone.

She pulled Amanda down into a chair in the break area and she leaned back on one of her own, crossed her leg and smoked her cigarette as if she were Cruella Deville.

“My parents and Russell have barely spoken in years,” she whispered. “Our father got sick of his philandering ways, the squandering of money, the incessant partying. He was making a mockery of all of us, and I’m sure you’ve seen in the press how much of a talking point Russell became at various points?”

Amanda nodded her head.

“I didn’t know, until I took this job,” she admitted.

Regina smiled at her warmly.

“Another reason we liked you,” she said as she leaned forward. “Your innocence, and the fact you clearly didn’t have any prior misconceptions.”

Behind them, Amanda heard Russell let out a roar of laughter as he continued his conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line.

“Him and dad will be on good terms again, especially if this warehouse project down by the river all goes to plan,” Regina said. “There’s a big deal in the offing with a leisure company that could potentially mean he’s already onto a winner, but we need to wait and see.”

Amanda nodded.

“All highly confidential, of course,” Regina eyeballed her.

“Of course,” Amanda confirmed.

“Find him somewhere to live in the next two days and help him get moved in and I’ll give you a bonus,” Regina said. “I need him sorted and settled before my parents arrive back in town on Friday… and I don’t need another headache with more family rows. Trust me, I’ve seen enough to last me a lifetime.”

Amanda looked at the pleading in Regina’s eyes. She knew she owed neither of these people anything, but it was clear they were looking to her for help, and that Russell had clicked with Amanda more than he had done with any assistant before her. If he was truly getting his life back on track, working away on big projects that involved a lot of money, and he was trying to prove his father wrong, then it made sense that he was so highly strung.

“Okay,” Amanda said, hoping that she wasn’t going to regret the words as they came flying out of her mouth. “I’ll do it.”

“Fabulous,” Regina said as she exhaled smoke and ground out the cigarette into an ashtray on the table. “I have every faith in you.”

Amanda’s head was spinning. She had gone into work that morning feeling completely worked up and embarrassed about Regina, and now it appeared as if the two could even end up being friends. Regina swept the plans up into her hands and started to flick through them as, behind them, Russell continued his rant on the phone to whoever it was he was speaking with. Regina occasionally rolled her eyes as she looked up from the plans, and then she went back to them, flicking through and musing over whatever it was Russell was putting together and had in the offing for the space down at the docks.

“If he pulls this off,” Regina said with a wry smile on her lips. “He’s going to make so much fucking money my dad’s head is going to spin.”

Amanda felt her heart beat nervously for Russell and she looked into Regina’s eyes.

“He needs to prove the old bastard wrong,” Regina whispered. “He’s been controlling us all for years, and now Russell is the only one who has the vision to pull us out of it and do something of our own.”

Amanda certainly knew how that felt.

“I better go,” Regina said as she rose to her feet and put the plans back down on the table in front of her. “Tell him I’ve looked through everything briefly and I like what I see. But don’t tell him we had this conversation.”

Amanda nodded and watched as Regina swept toward the doors, her short, black hair swishing with her as she went.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said as she reached the exit and turned back to look at Amanda. “But, I promise you, being with us is worth it.”

The door closed behind Regina and Amanda didn’t know where to look or what to think. She was so confused and all she knew was that it was clear Russell was the black sheep of the Newports and that Regina wasn’t far behind.

He was out of his breakdown and he was kicking ass in business. And if he succeeded, then it looked as if his father was going to be put well in his place.

“Amanda!” Russell’s voice cut through the silence as he summoned her to the office. She took a deep breath and started to make her way toward him. If she was in, she was in… and she was going to have to commit to them now.

“I have an idea of where we can find you somewhere to live,” she said as she walked into the room, not giving him the opportunity to say anything else.

He looked up at her with wide eyes and he slapped his hands together.

“Come on then, new girl,” he grinned. “Give me everything you’ve got.”