AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Val shakes her head. “No. The opposite actually.”
Now my confusion is real. “What?”
“Ever since Ms. Fields came to work for us, there’s been a spark in you that I’ve never seen before. Whenever you two work together, it’s like a machine come to life. I’ve also noticed how happy you are with her.” She says that last bit softly, and it’s then that I remember Val isn’t just my VP but my friend, too.
“I was so glad to see you finally so happy,” she continues. Then her frown returns. “Clearly, though, something happened and now you two won’t even go near each other. And I have to say, I think you’re both making a mistake.”
“You don’t know everything that’s going on with us,” I tell her.
“No, I don’t. In fact, I get the distinct feeling I’m missing something big.” She gives me a meaningful look that tells me she’s not happy about being out of the loop. “All I can say is, from what I’ve seen, you two are at your best when you’re together, and I think that’s what matters.”
And with that, she stands up and walks out like she didn’t just drop a bomb on me. All I can do is sit back in my chair and stew over what she’s just told me. For all I’ve gained and earned in life, I’ve always felt like something was missing. I thought that Craig was the problem and then once he was dealt with, everything would be right.
And then Sloane came into my life and suddenly my world began to shift. Even with the Craig situation, I was still able to find happiness I didn’t think I’d ever get. Without her now, there’s a bitter hollow void left behind.
It doesn’t change what happened, though. What might never be undone.
There’s another knock on my door, and I let out a long sigh. “Come in.”
I sit up abruptly in my chair when Sloane herself walks through the door. For a moment I just stare at her stupidly. “Sloane?”
She offers me a smile that’s more of a grimace. “Yep. That’s me.”
Kicking myself, I gesture to a chair. “Please, take a seat.”
She shakes her head as she closes the door. “Thank you, but I think I’ll stand. What I have to say won’t take long.”
That can’t be good. I brace myself for another argument. For her to lash out at me the same way I did with her. It would be everything I deserve.
Sloane walks closer to the desk but doesn’t meet my gaze. “I just wanted to say that I never meant to screw you over.”
I blink in surprise.
“At the beginning, yeah, sure. I didn’t really care what happened to you or your company. I just thought you were a rich prick fighting with another rich prick.” She talks more quickly now. “But then I saw just how much you care for this company and the people around you and I started to care too.”
Finally, she looks right at me. “And I would never try to hurt anyone here, including you. So I’m sorry that my plan only made things worse for everyone.”
She actually apologized. Now would be the perfect time for me to apologize too for being such an ass. Except it’s like something in me won’t let go and the words don’t come.
Instead, I give her a curt nod. “Thank you. I hope to see you at the meeting tomorrow.”
Something in her eyes darkens, and she gives me a grim smile. “I’ll be there.”
Then she’s hurrying out the door. As soon as it shuts, I immediately regret letting her go once again.
CHAPTER 28
Sloane
The meeting’s already today, I think to myself as I aimlessly walk through the hallways.
I wanted to tell Tarek good luck, but I haven’t seen him at all. I don’t know if he’s avoiding me or he’s just busy. I want to think it’s the latter – it hurts less.
But I’m not so sure. Yes, he accepted my apology, but nothing much changed after that.
“Sloane?”
I jump at the sound of my voice and turn around. Speak of the devil.
