AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re lying.”
“I’m afraid not. But if you don’t believe me, feel free to ask Sidney yourself.” With that smug retort, Drake got up from my chair and sauntered toward the door. Just before leaving, he turned back with a self-satisfied grin. “I guess you should have given me the Triage account when you had the chance. Better start packing up. You need to be out by tomorrow morning.”
I wanted nothing more than to throw something hard and heavy at him, but unfortunately, the only thing within reach was a stack of papers. Fuming with anger and frustration, I could barely think straight as I tried to come up with a plan. Drake’s animosity toward me had to end, and it needed to happen now. But in my current state, I wasn’t in the best position to stake my claim to what was rightfully mine. Before I faced him, I needed to calm myself first. Taking a seat in my chair, I took several deep breaths.
After ten minutes of taking deep, calming breaths, I finally felt ready to face Sidney. The cotton panties I wore did little to boost my confidence as I made my way to his office. His words from earlier echoed in my mind, sending waves of guilt and anxiety through me. “I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, and quite frankly, I don’t want to know. All I care about is keeping River Stevenson happy and maintaining his business. Whatever it takes, do it.”
As I walked, guilty thoughts raced through my mind, wondering if Sidney had stopped by my office while River and I were lost in each other’s embrace. Was this the reason he had changed his mind? He had said himself that he didn’t want to know. Just keep him happy.
When I arrived at Sidney’s office, he was deeply engrossed in a file on his desk. Tentatively tapping on the door with my knuckle, I waited for him to acknowledge my presence.
“Harper. What can I do for you?” he greeted me formally, giving no indication that he had gone back on his word.
“Is it true? Are you really taking away my office so that Drake can have it?” I asked nervously, afraid to move away from the door for fear of what he might say or do.
Sidney motioned toward the chair in front of his desk. “Please take a seat,” he offered.
With hesitant steps, I pushed myself away from the door and took a seat in front of him. The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence as Sidney struggled to find the right words to explain his actions.
“You need to understand my position. It was the best move for the firm and for you,” he began, lowering his glasses so that our eyes could meet unobstructed.
“How so?” I asked with a shaky breath.
“The only reason I agreed to give Drake your office is because he threatened to expose your relationship with River to the other partners.”
~16~
Harper
As I packed up my things, all I could think about was how much I wanted to punch Drake in the face. When I left Sidney’s office, I was bound and determined to do just that. Only Drake had already left for the evening. His office had been packed up, ready to move into mine. Drake’s office wasn’t so bad, other than the view was shit and I was further away from Sidney’s.
I placed the last of my things in the remaining empty box. Three boxes were all it took to pack up everything I had worked so hard for. Most of my files were going to be divided between the other associates, and the remaining files took up only half of one box. Seeing the lack of files made me realize what a mistake I made in accepting River Stephenson and Triage as a client. Maybe Drake was right. Maybe I should have turned it down and given the account to him.
Placing the lid on the half full box, I looked around my office one last time. My heart broke as I took the few steps to the office door. As I closed the door behind me, I could see that the maintenance people had already come by to scrap my name of the glass and replace it with Drake Pierson. This reality hurt more than anything.
Dinner with River didn’t seem as important as I made my way to the elevator. As I waited for the elevator, I typed him a quick text to let him know I wasn’t feeling well and that I would have to pass on dinner. It seemed like I was in the same situation as the day before, even if the circumstances were different.
Exiting the building, I didn’t have the strength to hail a cab, so I wandered to the transit bus stop instead. My thoughts were everywhere except where I was walking. Without warning, my heel got caught in an air exchange grate, causing me to tumble head first onto the sidewalk. The only saving grace was that no one was around to see me fall.
I pulled my broken heel from the grate and stuffed it in my purse. The walk to the transit bus was awkward, but it was better than walking barefooted. At least I hadn’t worn my favorite heels to work this morning.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for the bus to come around. As I got on, I held my transit card up to the card reader. The first seat I could find, I took. I held my purse against my chest, wanting nothing more than to be off this bus and in my apartment. This was one of the worst days of my life. The only good decision I had made was taking a chance on the blind dating game. Looking back, even that choice had ended badly. I had yet to receive the $10,000 for participating and I still hadn’t heard a word from “Harry,” who promised he would find me.
When the bus pulled over at the last stop near my apartment building, I wasted no time in getting off. All I wanted to do was lock myself inside my apartment and cry. I had no shoulder to cry on since I had no friends or siblings. I could call my mom, but that would mean another ‘I told you so and why don’t you come home’ speech.
I took the final few steps of shame to my apartment. Digging my key out of my purse, the heel I had broken off my shoe fell to the floor. It was an ugly reminder of just how shitty my day was. As I slipped the key into the lock, my cell began to ring inside my purse. I was in no mood to talk to anyone, so I let the call go to voicemail.
After entering my apartment, I locked the door and threw my purse and my keys on the counter. My apartment was mostly dark except for the light on the range hood that I always kept on. With the day I had, I needed a glass of wine. Instead of taking another step in my shoes, I toed them off my feet and let them remain where they were. There was no energy left in me to pick them up and throw them in the trash. I could have opted to have my heel fixed, but in my experience, it would have cost me more that what I paid for them.
As I poured myself a glass of wine, once again my cell rang inside my purse. Whoever it was, they were persistent. I placed my glass on the counter to retrieve my cell. When I saw Drake’s name appear, I cursed my cell and placed it face down on the counter.
What gave him the right to call me after what he did? Threatening the firm and me was low. But what did I expect? He was a conniving ass who only cared about himself. It made me angrier just thinking about it.
Downing the rest of my wine, I poured another glass full and took it with me to the couch. Before I had a chance to take another sip, a loud knock came at my door. It was so loud that I thought for sure whoever it was would knock the door down. Pushing from the couch, my annoyance grew with every step as the knocking continued.
“Hold on,” I yelled through the loud knocks.
One thing I hated about this apartment was that my door didn’t have a peephole so I could see who was on the other side. Hesitantly, I turned the deadbolt and slid the chain lock free. When I opened the door, Drake was standing on the other side. What the hell was he doing here?
