Page 53 of The Truth of Us

I stood in my perfectly curated penthouse that now felt empty and cold, staring out at the Chicago skyline, replaying everything that had happened leading up to this and trying to convince myself I had done nothing wrong.

15

ELLIOT

Waking up early Monday morning, I had decided that Harper's silent treatment was going to come to an end. I would call a meeting and get her to come to me; we still had a working relationship, and I wasn't above using it to get her to talk to me. She made her point after I made mine, and now we could move past this.

The anxious feeling, that prickling sensation that made me feel on edge, was back in full force, and I somehow knew I wouldn’t be able to get rid of it until I saw Harper and we put this all behind us.

I put on the suit that Harper had commented on a time or two, the rich blue one that she said brought out the colour of my eyes and made it hard to resist me.

I had called my assistant asking to set a meeting with Harper today, and ‌a meeting with Timothy had been added to my calendar, which pissed me off. When I asked her about it, she said she was informed that he was my direct contact and to only schedule meetings with him.

Who the fuck did she work for?

Then I tried calling Harper again and got an automated message. So by the time I stepped onto the executive floor, I was already on edge. That irritation only got worse when I saw the conference room. Everyone was there. Julian, Rowan, Caleb, half the executive team, and then Timothy… my eyes frantically searched the space until they landed on her. Harper. She was standing with her team. My heart beat a little harder, and that anxious sensation seemed to settle at the sight of her.

The meeting appeared to be wrapping up; people were standing, gathering folders, and talking quietly amongst themselves. And Harper was at the front of the room. Fuck she was stunning, her ice blonde hair was pulled back in a low bun, and she was wearing a silky cream coloured blouse that was thin enough it hinted at what she was wearing beneath, she had on high waisted trousers and suspenders, with her signature high heels. I had to swallow down a groan and slow down my racing heart as I approached the glass doors. Just in time to hear her speaking to Julian. "...everything should be laid out for you." Julian nodded as she continued, "And if you or Lucy need anything over the holidays, you can reach out to me directly; my number is in the folder." And then she gifted him with one of her rare genuine smiles, one that I had only started to earn… The kind I hadn't seen in days.

Something ugly twisted in my chest. Before I could stop myself, I pushed through the door. "What about me?"

The room immediately fell silent, every conversation stopped, as every head turned in my direction. Harper's eyes found mine. For a second I thought I saw something: hurt, maybe anger… anything. Instead, her expression settled into cool, polite professionalism.

"What about you?"

I hated the answer immediately, but I hated the tone even more. It was as if all warmth and familiarity had been pulled from her, and all that was left was this. I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to ignore the fact that Caleb looked like he wanted to throw me out of a window.

"Can I reach out to you directly?" I asked, trying my best to be the charming Elliot everyone knew and expected, even as my heart was beating in my throat.

Nobody moved, and the only sound was a pen rolling off the conference table and landing on the floor. Timothy suddenly became very interested in his laptop, as Julian's gaze narrowed on me. But Harper remained perfectly composed, when she replied, "That won’t be necessary. Timothy was already handling your account and will handle the entire Northwell group moving forward."

My jaw tightened, and the panic reared its ugly head, "Moving forward?"

"Yes," and the way she said it had a finality to it that made my skin crawl.

"That's it?" I managed to ask. Still trying to keep my cool, still trying to keep the smirk in place and my back straight.

A flicker of annoyance crossed her face. The first genuine emotion I'd gotten from her all morning. "I am not sure what you mean, Mr Vale."

Bullshit, she knew exactly what I meant, so I took a step closer. "So that's it?" The room felt too small, too quiet. But I swallowed my discomfort and continued, "You are just going to walk away? Disappear?"

Something shifted behind Harper's eyes. Not pain. Disappointment? But she too pushed it down; those walls that had come down were all the way back up. "That would be highly unprofessional Mr Vale. I completed my analysis. Timothy and his team, along with yours, have the transition plan I put together."

I laughed; the sound wasn't pleasant. "Transition plan?"

Her chin lifted slightly. "I completed the work I was hired to do."

Something snapped. Maybe because I suddenly understood what she was doing, or that she was reducing everything that happened between us to work. Maybe because I deserved it. "That's not what this is."

"No?" she asked, her blue eyes flaring slightly.

"No!" The word came out sharper than intended.

Harper looked at me for a long moment and then shook her head, turning to gather her things.

The tension in the room was heavy. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as I took another step closer, asking, “Can we discuss this in my office?”

Harper didn't look up; she remained focused on packing up her things when she asked, “Why?”