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Mason stares at me for a moment, long enough for me to know that he's thinking about something. When I look up at his face, there's a look of hesitation as he opens his mouth.
"You really should do something about them."
I let out a laugh, feeling my patience wearing down. Mason's been here long enough to know damn well that I've been trying everything in my power to do something about the board for years on end. I can see the wince flash across his features for a split second.
"You think I haven't tried?" I'm trying not to snap at him, but it's getting harder and harder not to. I don't know why everything seems to be bothering me so much today, but I'm constantly on edge.
"I never said that. I just said that you should do something about them." Mason's voice is softer now, and I have to bite my lip. He's not the one I'm angry at. He doesn't deserve any amount of verbal abuse. "Is Cora good? I know that they like to bully your favorites."
That one doesn't take too much brainpower. She's the only secretary that's been able to handle this position for any longer than a month, and I have to admit that... I'm part of the problem. I've fallen into the bad habit of relying on her a bit more than I'm used to, and it's showing.
Because the board has absolutely noticed.
"She's not my favorite," I finally say and feel an odd wave of guilt wash over me. I glance down at my hands, wondering what the fuck is wrong with me now.
I've been all over the place in the last few hours. I can't stop thinking about Cora, and for some reason, I can't seem to start thinking of some way to resolve all of this. I can't stop feeling like something is wrong and that I should be doing more.
"Then why are you talking to me about her?" Mason says with a shrug that loses all of its confidence when I glare at him. Nothing in his voice suggests that he's trying to make fun of me, but... I'm just on edge today. He holds my gaze for a second before speaking again. "It's alright to have favorites in the workplace, you know. That's not against any rules."
I know that tone that he's using on me. I'm not being realistic right now. I'm not being fair to him right now. And that urge to ignore him and just start shouting is hard to wrestle down.
"I just don't like it in practice," I mutter, hoping that he doesn't question it anymore because, honestly, I don't know why all of this is annoying me so much.
"Fair. But you still haven't told me what Cora's done to get the board's attention." Mason glances up at me, and I glare back at him. I don't necessarily feel like sharing anymore, but I can feel him trying to read my expression. "Let me guess. They found her pictures from her high school days when she had dyed hair? They found her library card and found out that she reads bad romances?"
Not bad guesses. I'm sure there will be a point where the board reports someone else for something along those lines, just to make my life difficult for no reason. But all wrong.
"They found a pornographic website under her name."
That actually seems to make Mason pause for a moment. It's not easy to catch him off guard and it's even harder to make him shut up but this piece of news has apparently done both. His mouth opens and closes a few times, and I can almost see the gears turning in his head as he processes my words.
"Oh. So... that's actually a big deal," he says finally, and there's a moment where I almost want to smile. It's not often that I get to see Mason in any state other than his usual charming self.
If only it were in any other situation.
"I wouldn't say that," I say once the silence has stretched on long enough to prove my point. Mason's hanging onto every word, and I give him a moment of silence to collect himself again.
"Really? That seems like a little bit of a big deal," he mutters, shrugging. It very much is a big deal, but it's also a private matter. It shouldn’t have to interfere with anything Cora is doing here at Clear Industries.
"Maybe this time... you don't fight the board."
I feel the same rush of emotion that's been catching me off guard all day. That overwhelming feeling that- no- that cannot be an option. I feel my face flush with anger, and when I look at Mason, I can almost see my reflection in his eyes.
"Mason-"
He waves the rest of my sentence off, leaving me simmering in my chair for a moment.
"No, really. This... is something serious. It's a higher-up call. The board is supposed to make sure that your company looks as good as possible," he explains, his words coming out slow and deliberate. I can see the tension in his shoulders and the hesitancy in his movements.
I know that he's right. Mason is usually right, and he's damn good at convincing people that he's right. But for some reason, today, it just isn't sinking in that this fight might not be worth all of the stress and worry that I've already put into it.
What's stopping me from just slipping Cora some ridiculous amount of money and letting her go as an employee? It would resolve this situation while making sure that she has enough money to take care of herself for a few months, at the very least.
But... there's that feeling again. That feeling that I should be fighting for Cora to stay here. She's done nothing wrong. She has every right to be here. She doesn't deserve the humiliation that she had to go through today. And that's the reason that all of this is bothering me so fucking much.
"You don't like that idea," Mason whispers. His voice is his own again. He's not trying to convince me of a business idea like he was just a moment ago. This is my friend, the same person I've known since the first day of college.
And I can't stay mad at him. Not for long, at least.
