Chapter 10 Nearly everyone I passed gave me a wide berth . It made getting to the library a lot easier . I entered with a soft sight , breathing in the scent of book and the faint sterile scent in the air . The school had installed a bunch of UV air filters to keep the books in peak condition . The library was quiet , the kind of silence that felt almost oppressive as I sat at one of the computers , trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in my gut . I didn't have a lot of time to plot a way to get my things , at least the laptop I used for school . Philip's grip on my life had always been a bit suffocating , but now It felt like he had his hands around my throat . Part of me had always known I'd end up in a position like this one day . It was part of why I pursued a career in Finance , specifically a Master's in Accounting and a CPA license . The field was wide open in terms of opportunity because everyone needed someone to keep track of their money and keep them out of trouble with the government . If I could just get hired before the end of the semester , make enough money to pay down the loan I had just taken out and somehow scratch and crawl my way to my 25th birthday , I wouldn't have to use my last resort and I'd be free of Philip completely . It was months away but more had been done with less time . My mother said he was a great scholar with a quiet , thoughtful demeanor who all but worshipped the ground my great grandmother walked on . They'd been in love until the day they died , and though my great grandmother lived a full life after his death , she had never taken another lover . I remember thinking that … there was a chance that Tyler and I could have had a similar story . They thought felt insulting now , and I turned away from it . I logged in and opened my email , hoping that I'd heard back about a few more interviews . And I saw the senders I expected to see , but none of the messages brought me hope , We're sorry to inform you that you have not been selected . My stomach dropped . We've decided to go with another candidate . Your place in the next round of interviews of employment has been rescinded . I scrolled through , taking note of each company . One by one , I counted all the offers I'd worked so hard to secure as rescinded and all my applications rejected . It was … incomprehensible , really . I was a great student . I interviewed well , and I had a bit of experience that would push me ahead of the interviewee pool . Then , I clicked on the last email , knowing for certain that if my skill couldn't get me through nepotism certainly would . I had only applied as a safety net to the Finance department at my mother's company . It was in stewardship with Philip until I turned twenty - five , yet as I opened it , I realized that even my safe bet was worthless . It was a formal email, on the company letterhead signed off by one of the managers that worked in the company , something cold and condescending about the tone . In place of a letter , there was only one line . Are you prepared to be a decent daughter ? I snarled at the screen , glaring at the line before closing the message . Fury rolled through me , helplessness , the sense of knowing I was in a trap and slowly watching it close around me . I could almost feel my head slamming into the railing all over again , hear the wind and waves that would drag me to my death . I slammed my hand against the desk , hissing a breath between my teeth . What the hell was I supposed to do now ? I'd put in applications for places all over the city that I knew I could get to reliably with a chauffer , now that I had no car , I was limited to wherever the bus would take me . Mom , I could really use some guidance . My lips twitched . I hadn't let myself have a thought like that in a long time . As I had grown older and learned more about her and my family's legacy , it just hurt too much to want her guidance , know I wouldn't have it , and deal with the sense of letting down the family's legacy by not being industrious enough to figure things out on my own . And I could figure things out on my own … I just needed a little time . Philip had ensured that every easily opened door was slammed in my face . Then , I needed to look for other doors he couldn't influence , or were just too obscure for him to think about . Hlooked at the screen for a long time , turning over options . The school job board was on the list , the license's job board too , local listings , and social 1/2 Chapter 10 media if I had to . I scooted forward , and started looking . 0 +15 I was there for at least a few hours before the hunger headache started . I rubbed my temples , scrolling through another list of job postings , but the numbers weren't as big as I thought . I put in application after application , even with companies I knew Philip had some sort of tie to through and associate or otherwise . None of them would work , but he'd be expecting it . He'd probably get pleased thinking I was scrambling around . It would make it easier later if I had to carry out my last resort . Philip , like most , was more prone to get cocky he thought he was winning . The real problem was that he actually seemed to be winning to a degree . I clicked to the next page of listings , most of them I had already applied for in my earlier round of applications . Except one . I sat forward , hope hitting me as I opened the job posting . I didn't recognize the company , but based on the information about it in the posting , it was small . It had likely come up in my initial round of applications , but I had passed it up . This small company was actually a subsidiary of a much larger corporation I'd been planning to apply to as soon as a job opening but that company very rarely posted openings . I might have seen it as a foot in the door , something I could work with to ensure my upward movement . Right now , it was my best and only option because this company , like its parent company , only did blind applications through a third - party process run through the Judicial Panel's office . It was the highest standard of hiring practice , but very few people adhered to it . I had always thought that was a change I would make to my mother's company as soon as I took over . I quickly downloaded the application form , and started to fill it out . As soon as I was done , I stood , grabbed my bag , and logged out . The sense of urgency gnawed at me . It was nearing the afternoon . I had aleady lost too much time deal with nonsense . I needed access to my own money , and given Philip's disposition , there was only one reasonable way I was going to get it. I had to go over his head and put pressure on him . I had to talk with Dominic . Even on just a moral basis , Dominic would at least get my debit card unblocked . I didn't allow myself to hope or expect anything else from him for now . As I stood up and turned toward the exit , my heart leaped into my throat . From down the corridor , I could hear Tyler's voice - loud , unmistakable . He was talking to someone , his voice full of frustration , and I caught the words " looking for her , " followed by a frustrated sigh . There was only one her he could be talking about : me . Quickly , I ducked into the nearest hallway , praying I wouldn't be seen . I moved as quietly as possible , away from the area , and I hoped that he didn't catch my scent before I was too far away to chase . My pulse raced in my ears , and I kept my head low , and changed directions when I caught sight of one of his friends , making my way to the nearest exit as fast as I could without drawing attention . I caught sight of Vivian in the window and ducked around a corner , waiting until enough time had passed that I wouldn't run into her when I left . It wasn't until I was outside and heading toward the bus stop that I finally allowed myself to breathe again . Today really wasn't my day .