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So she'll spread her legs for all and sundry, but she won't keep her promises to those who matter.
Fucking cunt will pay. She'll take what I'll give her with a smile and then thank me for it after.
Allee put the sheet down with a shaking hand, her face paper-white, unable to continue reading the rest. Noah swore as he crumpled his sheet in one fist, rising from his seat to make his way to her.
“Shit, Sammy, couldn't you have censored it a bit?”
He took Allee's hands in his, rubbing them gently to circulate warmth into them. Allee shook her head, her response in defence of Sammy.
“Noah, I needed to see that. I need to know what he's saying. Don't blame Sammy; he's not at fault. Better I know Stuart's state of mind so I can prepare against it than to live in ignorance and not see him coming.”
Allee forced herself to relax, knowing that she was safe for the moment, and Piddle was out of Stuart's reach. The meeting ended not long after, and Allee headed back to her office to regroup, Noah following behind her.
“It can't have been easy for you to read all of that,” Noah gritted out between his teeth.
“I'll be okay. It'll just take me a couple of minutes or so.”
“I swear to God, if I ever get a chance at Stuart, I'm going to tear him limb-from-limb!”
“You don’t need to brawl with Stuart on my behalf. You've already got what he will never have, and that means you have beaten him.” Allee walked over to Noah, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt him begin to relax and tilted her head up so that he could brush a kiss across her lips. “We know that he's found a way to watch my place. I've been looking out for his car, but I haven't seen it. I don't know if he's watching constantly or not, but the fact that he knows that Andre, Sammy, and Michael stayed over the weekend means that he's seen enough. I'm glad that you haven't been over a lot, because I don't want him focussing on you at all.”
They stood there for a moment in silence, their arms wrapped around each other.
It was Wednesday, and Gareth was coming to the office, so Allee wanted to make sure she appeared calm and composed. She dressed in fitted black pants that flared at the leg and a beautiful heather-coloured draped top with large buttons down the back. With this, she wore high-heeled black boots, a simple gold chain with her two-toned gold leaf pendant, and gold ball-hoop earrings. She pinned her hair into a loose knot on the top of her head. A light covering of make-up and a touch of lip-gloss completed her outfit.
When Michael pulled up at the rear of the office building, he stopped Allee from automatically leaving the car with a gentle touch on her forearm.
“Allee, I just wanted to let you know how much we all admire you. You've been put in a fucking God-awful position, and you've been handling it with a lot of grace and dignity. I wanted you to know that we all admire your strength and courage, and we hope that we can put a stop to this arsehole soon.”
“Thank you, Michael. If it hadn't been for everyone's support, I don't think I would have made it this far.” Allee swallowed back tears, a lump forming in her throat.
Michael smiled at Allee, and they both got out of the car and made their way into the office.
Although the working day had officially started over half an hour before, the office was buzzing, and very little work was done. Excitement over the upcoming media launch filled the office, and most of the staff were awaiting the arrival of the legendary Gareth Pengelly. Craig himself was a bundle of nerves and too preoccupied to chivvy the teams to get back to work.
Allee knew that Gareth would arrive just after ten that morning, so she kept herself busy preparing her office for his use. Allee had asked Noah to bring in a selection of Gareth's favourite biscuits, and she had made sure that she had ordered his preferred choice of loose tea so that she could make him feel as welcome as possible. No matter what she chose to do after the media launch was over, she wanted to make sure that Gareth knew how grateful she was to him.
Just before ten, Allee went out to the kitchenette to boil the kettle and make Gareth's tea. She already had a plate of his favourite biscuits set out on the coffee table in her office, and she knew that he would appreciate a cuppa before getting down to business. She took the steaming mug into her office, and less than a minute later, as if he'd smelled the aroma of it brewing, Allee heard the studio door open. Gareth walked into the foyer, calling out for Allee.
“Miss Duggan? I have arrived!”
Allee walked out of her office door, a wide grin spread across her face at the sight of him. Gareth hadn't changed a bit. His grey, curling hair was still clipped short and neat, his boxed beard neatly trimmed, and his blue eyes sparkled. He wore one of his signature three-piece suits, the navy blue pinstripe highlighting the blue of his eyes.
“Gareth! How wonderful to see you! Please, come this way. I have a cup of tea ready for you.”
“Ah, Allee, how I've missed you! You always were one step ahead of me.”
Allee laughed at the compliment, leading Gareth into her office. She gestured for him to sit down on the couch and offered him the plate of biscuits. Gareth took one, demolishing it in three bites. He then drank deeply from his mug, closing his eyes in appreciative bliss.
“If you weren't so obviously happy here, I'd be begging you to come back and work for me again. I know it wouldn't be nearly as interesting as your work here, but I have missed you – and your tea-making skills!”
Allee laughed along with Gareth, but his words had struck a chord inside her. Perhaps she could transfer back to Melbourne after the launch and start working for Gareth again? It would mean a pay-cut, but maybe Stuart wouldn't think to look in Melbourne, since he'd already found her there.
“Allee? What's the matter?”
“I was just thinking about what you just said, about me coming back to work for you.”
“Why would you do that? It's obvious that you're happy here and that you love the work.”
