Walter let out a chuckle, took a step, and strolled out of the office like he owned the ce.


    Kyle burst in, all jittery, "If he jumps ship to anotherpany and starts messing with us, we''re screwed. Plus, he knows about Alexander''s vanishing act. If he spills the beans, we''re in deep trouble." Quinn''s face was a storm cloud; she got the drift of Walter''s words.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Do we really have to let him work here?" Quinn asked, clearly annoyed.


    Kyle mulled it over and then said, "How about we stick him with some grunt work? Better than him turning into our enemy. Besides, with Alexander MIA, he probably won''t mess with you like he did with him." Thispany was Quinn''s baby; Walter had no beef with her.


    If he really wanted to stir the pot, he wouldn''t havee looking for a job. He''d just waltz over to a rivalpany.


    Quinn didn''t want Walter around, but Kyle had a point. The idea of Walter being her assistant made her skin crawl.


    She looked at Kyle and ordered, "Find him another spot. I don''t want to see his face."


    "I''ll give it a shot," Kyle replied.


    He couldn''t promise Walter would go for it. But if Walter was cool with another gig, why would he show up just when they needed a presidential assistant?


    Quinn was already on edge, and seeing Walter only made it worse.


    Kyle filled her in on some bigpany stuff: the structure, top execs, current projects, and the game n for the next quarter.


    Quinn was new to this whole scene. She listened, took notes, and was dead set on not letting the Mellon Group tank on her watch.


    The Mellon Group had a solid foundation, but she was still freaked out.


    She decided to hit the books and bust her butt to keep things rolling and avoid any future mess-ups.


    Kyle talked her ear off until after 8 PM. Checking the time, he said, "Mrs. Kennedy, it''ste. Let me drive you home. You can''t learn all this overnight. We''ll take it one step at a time."


    Quinn shut herptop, saved her notes, and packed up to leave.


    Honestly, she wasn''t thrilled about going back to Regal Riverside. The cold vibe that hit her when she walked in reminded her of her years with Alexander.


    She went to her room, pulled out the wooden carving from the drawer, and ran her fingers over the marks Alexander had made. She suddenly thought of the leaf picture Alexander had carved in the forest. Did he switch to wood because she didn''t like the leaf one?


    Too bad this one was also half-done. She suddenly stood up, asked Olivia for a carving knife, and sat in her room for half a day without making a move.


    She had no clue how to finish it. The only thing missing was the facial features. She remembered Alexander''s face clearly but still didn''t dare to mess it up. After thinking it over, she decided to practice on a couple of pieces of wood first.


    Another sleepless night.


    Early the next morning, Kyle called Quinn. She opened her eyes and found herself passed out on the desk again.


    Her fingers throbbed from the cuts she got while practicingst night.


    "I called Walter. He doesn''t want another position. What now?" Kyle asked.


    Quinn''s already bad mood took a nosedive because of Kyle''s call.


    "Fine, give him the assistant job!" Quinn snapped.


    ''It''s not like only other positions can do grunt work. Just give him the presidential assistant gig and let him rot in some corner of thepany,'' Quinn thought.