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I love how he’s acting like the announcements department are the idiots in the fucking wrong. I take a long drag of my cigarette, trying to get my head together.
“It’s true, then? You’re relocating back to Birmingham, and I’m coming with you?”
“Yeah,” he says, like it’s no big deal. “Got a few weeks’ notice to get your shit sorted, but you’ll be back over with me in Malvern soon enough. At least, I hope so.”
“And you think that’s ok, do you? To drop the news on me like that?”
His tone hardens. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
I hate it when he’s like this. I can’t stand the self-righteousness in his voice.
“Um, how about because I’m already set up in Berlin, with a team around me and all my projects in progress? How about because I fucking live here, Ant, not in fucking Malvern?”
He laughs, playing it off as nothing.
“Oh come on, Gerwyn. Like it makes any difference to you. You don’t do anything in Berlin anyway. It’ll bring you closer to G.A.T.A. for starters, so you should be thanking me, not kicking off like an asshole.”
I take another long drag of my cigarette, feeling more pissed off than I’ve felt in years.
“So why the hell didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you even think to mention it?”
I can picture his smug face as he answers.
“It was an impromptu decision. I want to be with Cass, which makes sense, since I’m settling down with her. It’s one of those things that changes your life, after all. You should know it better than most people, since you ditched cartoon prince land to be with Jo in a heartbeat.” He pauses. “I made the choice off the cuff. One of those moments that grab and snare you.”
“BULLSHIT!” I shout, then get myself in line, well aware that the guys inside will be trying to hear me. “That’s bullshit, Ant! You’ve been given control of both fucking locations from the senior exec team. That doesn’t happen overnight, and you bloody well know it.”
His tone hardens again. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“Aren’t you one?”
“No, Gerwyn, I’m fucking not.”
“Really? So how the hell can you explain it? I’m all ears.”
He doesn’t even pause. His voice is clear and calm, with not even a hint of a bluster in his words.
“The exec board approached me about the potential promotion a few months ago, but I wasn’t sure I was going to take it. I only told them for sure a few days ago. I wanted some time to tell you in person.”
“Yeah? Well you didn’t. Seems like you had the chance to tell Finn though, since he filled me in on it this morning.”
“It was Finn’s congratulatory party. I wanted to give him the happy news about his own promotion along with a glass of champagne.”
In typical Ant style, he manages to turn the conversation to his own viewpoint. I can read it a mile off.
His voice becomes more calmly aggressive.
“Are you telling me you don’t want to come with me? If that’s the case, I can tell the board. They’ll reposition you as a member of the client reporting team, and I’ll find myself another immediate second in command.”
“No, I’m not telling you that.”
“So, you do want to come with me?”
“Fucking hell, Ant!”
“What’s the answer? I’ll need to let them know ASAP if you’re not joining me, as they’ll need to start introducing me to potential assistants.”
I finish up my cigarette and toss it in the trash, lighting up another straight off. There are so many things I could say to him right now, such as the fact he’s being a condescending, self-righteous prick, but I hold my breath. There’s no point going into battle with him, not over something like this.
“You know what my answer is,” I tell him.
“Exactly,” he replies. “So, what’s the fucking problem? You’re coming to Malvern with me in a few weeks. Hardly a big deal, since most of your shit is here anyway. You’ll be getting a pay rise out of it along with me.”
“Not everything is about money, Ant.”
He laughs. “Keep telling yourself that all you want, Ger, but I think you’ll find it is.”
We’ll never agree on that score, but again, I bite my tongue.
“I’m guessing you’ve told Cass?” I ask him.
“Of course I’ve told Cass. She’s the reason I’m doing it.”
Somehow I doubt that, but Mr Self-righteous can con himself all he wants, as well as everyone else around him.
“And Cass knows I’ll be coming too, does she?”
“I’d imagine so. It’s hardly going to be that much of a surprise since you’re my next in command, and most of your worldly possessions are in a room across our landing.”
“Having someone’s stuff in a wardrobe is a bit different to having them living in your house with you, don’t you think?”
