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That really had no business stinging as much as it did. Especially since I was the one who’d brought it up to begin with.
“And you hate inter-office relationships,” I continued, rushing the words out before I could focus too much on that painful little flutter in my chest.
“Hate is a strong word. I’m opposed to them,” he replied after a moment. “I think they complicate things too much.”
I tugged the covers up to below my chin. “Why do you feel that way?”
His arms tensed around me.
“Never mind. You don’t have to answer. It’s not really my bus—”
“Ssh. It is your business. I just made it so.” He rested his cheek on top of my head. “You’re aware of how I ended up where I am in the company, aren’t you?”
“Of course. I was privy to the process—the professional one, at least. I know something happened before you moved to the head office, but I don’t know what it was.”
“About two years ago, when I was at the subsidiary company, I transferred teams to the general management one since Gramps had made it clear he wanted to retire and move me to the head office,” he said in a quiet voice. “The lead manager there at the time was about six or seven years older than me, and we hit it off right away. I knew I wouldn’t be there too long, so I didn’t think much of starting a relationship with her. We both agreed it wouldn’t be anything serious at the beginning.”
“That… Did she pursue you?”
“Hmm. I don’t know, to be honest with you. It was definitely a mutual attraction, but in hindsight, perhaps she was slightly more aggressive than I was when it came to pursuing it.” He trailed his fingertips up and down my forearm, leaving goosebumps in the wake of his touch. “We agreed to keep it a secret in the office, but after about six months, I overheard her talking to one of her friends in an empty meeting room. They were talking about our relationship, and I realised then that she was only seeing me because I had something to offer her.”
I tightened my grip on the covers. “You mean because you were the President’s grandson.”
“Yes, pretty much that.”
“What a bitch.”
Theo chuckled. “Believe it or not, that wasn’t what bothered me most. It’s not as though I’m not used to people approaching me because of who I am, and it wasn’t exactly a secret that I’d changed departments to prepare for a move to head office. She was hoping that if we had a relationship, I would put in a good word and secure her a promotion at head office with me.”
“Please tell me you fired her.”
“I had no authority to do such a thing, nor would it have been appropriate to fire someone for such a personal reason.”
Stupid employment ethics. “Then at least tell me you broke up with her.”
“That very night,” he answered. “The real problems started after that. Word of our relationship got around, and the story had been twisted from the truth. Instead of her using me, it was that I’d accused her of using me to get a promotion and was seeing someone else at the same time as her, and I’d used the fabricated accusation as an excuse to break things off.”
Ugh.
As if he’d cheat on someone. I’d thought many things about him over the time we’d worked together, but that he was a cheater was not a thought that’d ever crossed my mind.
He was the most honest man I knew.
“Nobody said anything out loud, but it was clear they sided with Lily over me. She was our direct superior and she’d been there much longer than I had.” A hint of sadness and frustration edged his tired tone. “She was well-liked amongst the staff, and as far as they were concerned, I was the arrogant nepo baby using their office as a stepping stone to greater things.”
No wonder he always worked so hard to prove himself and kept a distance from most people in the office. He’d been up against such bullshit for years.
“They sound like complete pricks,” I said, turning into him and resting one of my arms across his stomach.
He chuckled lightly into my hair. “They were. Still, the resulting fall out made things exceedingly difficult for about a year. If I wasn’t me, there was no doubt I’d have had to resign or request a transfer. The only good thing about being the President’s grandson was that they were all too scared to say shit to my face.”
“Saying it behind your back is hardly better. I’d rather people air their grievances in front of me.”
“Yes, well, so would I.” He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, stroking it softly. “Lily found another job and left after that year, and things were less tense after that. I gradually started spending more time at head office learning the ropes, and I slowly started feeling more comfortable. If I didn’t already know my position had an end date, though, I probably would have tried to leave that office. I wouldn’t have had a choice.”
“So, it wasn’t the relationship, but rather the aftermath?”
“Mm. That was the worst part of everything, and I swore I’d never do it again. I wouldn’t want to put anyone in the position I was in, even if it was unintentional. Gossip spreads like wildfire in companies like ours, and I don’t think I could handle that again.”
