THIRTY FIVE - RYDER

Ryder I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "No way, Mina!" I wasn’t trying to be rude, especially not to my assistant, who’d been by my side for the past ten years. She’d handled everything, both work and personal, without ever flinching, even when things got... weird. And in this job, weird was a regular occurrence. Mina wasn’t just an assistant. She was family. The sister I never had, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. But not this. She planted her hands on her hips, giving me that stubborn look she got when she was about to push back. "Ryder, I’ve never asked you for anything in my life, other than this one damn thing." I raised an eyebrow. "Not true. You’re always asking me for things." Mina paused, clearly thinking it over. I leaned back in my chair, starting to count off on my fingers. "Last year, you stayed at my place in Paris. A few months ago, I got you tickets to Charged Up—which, by the way, you didn’t even go to." "Okay, fine, yes." She swatted my hand away.