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“What it means is, I’ll have a chat with them tomorrow morning. We have a weekly moderator meeting in the admin section of the forums. That’s where I check-in for any issues going on in the community, and if there’s something serious happening, that’s where they’ll flag me. It’s where they flagged me when those messages first started appearing.” Sammy snarled in disgust. “They’re already pissed off he’s been starting shit on forums and were looking into how to block him from accessing the threads. This, however? Because we now know who he is, where he’s from, and other details you’ve given us, they are gonna dig deep. They’ll have his favourite porn sites from when he was a teenager by the end of it all. He’ll regret ever messing with you, Allee.”
Allee smiled softly at Sammy, before glancing around at everyone else. Charlie and Andre were cuddled up just like she was with Noah, and Tania had her feet on Darryl's lap as he gently massaged them.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you seems so...lacking...in how much I appreciate you all. You are some of the best friends a person could ever ask for.”
Charlie launched herself out of Andre’s arms and into Allee’s. “I’m so glad I pulled my head out of my arse and saw how awesome you really are. I’m sorry I was such a colossal cunt-plug to you when you first arrived here.”
Allee laughed at Charlie’s turn of phrase, “Well, that’s one I haven’t heard before, but it will sure stick in my memory now!”
Charlie’s laugh was watery, and her arms tightened around Allee’s neck before letting go.
“Yeah, well, not everyone can be as hot and brilliant as me, but I give you kudos for trying.” They all laughed uproariously at that, before heading back home for the night.
“Wanna stay at mine tonight, or shall we go back to yours and give Fuck-knuckle a show?” asked Noah.
“Sod him, let’s go back to mine and show him what he lost by being a fuck-knuckle!” Allee replied.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Walking arm-in-arm into the studio with Noah Monday morning, Allee was greeted by a chorus of cheers. Ducking her head into his shoulder, Allee could feel the fiery blush seeping up her neck and into her face, while Noah’s shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.
“There she is! All hail the Goddess of the Launch!”
Allee couldn’t help but laugh as she heard Sammy’s proclamation, so cheeky and irreverent and completely him.
“Everyone, settle down. Let’s give the Goddess a chance to get inside the door before you mob her,” Darryl’s smooth baritone declared, herding their co-workers back to their desks in preparation for the day’s work.
Allee looked up at Sammy, his unrepentant grin spread across his face and mock-glared at him.
“What am I going to do with that nickname? You’re setting me up for a fall!”
“Never! You absolutely smashed the launch out of the park, everyone knows it, everyone is saying the same damned thing, and if your office is any indication, Head Office shares the sentiments.”
Turning on her heel, Allee swiftly moved to her office, her jaw-dropping at the sight she beheld. An enormous bouquet of flowers sat in the middle of her desk, and as she neared, she could see that amongst the greenery, and gilded fabric sat three dozen roses of various colours. She could feel her shoulders hunching slightly as she recalled the last time such an extravagance appeared at her desk, but when she opened the accompanying card, her shoulders dropped.
I always knew you would dazzle the world with your brilliance, and you’ve proved me right. Gareth.
Smiling, she turned to Noah, who had followed closely behind her, handing him the card.
“They’re from Gareth, and they’re absolutely gorgeous!”
“He recognises when someone excels at their work, and you’ve done just that. C’mon, let’s have your adoring fans gush all over you, and then hopefully, we can get some work done.”
Allee was exhausted.
After the surprise of the flowers that morning, she’d been fielding phone calls and emails all day from various industry contacts, their publishing department, and local journalists who wished to jump on the release now that it was a success. She had managed to push Stuart out of her mind, determined to keep on the path she had chosen.
Walking out of the office, Allee held her head high. When her steady gaze scanned across the car park and landed on a familiar metallic plum Monaro, she felt her spine straighten further, as if it was being infused with steel. Her eyes landed on the face sitting in the driver’s seat. As that pompous mouth of his curled into a sneer, Allee flicked her hair over her shoulder, letting the middle finger she extended linger long enough for him to see before turning and walking away. She knew that Darryl was still inside with Noah, watching her on the cameras, but also that Stuart had never ‘corrected’ her behaviour in public, too afraid of what people would think. Heading down the walkway behind the studio and towards her house, Allee wondered if Stuart’s parents were even aware that he was here. She doubted that they knew of his stalking, as he’d always hidden his more vicious and controlling proclivities from them.
At the traffic lights near her complex, Allee heard the rumbling of a V8 engine and looked up to see Stuart pull up to the crossing, his blazing scowl expressing just how infuriated he was with her. As the light turned green for her to cross, Stuart revved his engine and dropped the clutch slightly, the car jerking forward a couple of metres and over the painted lines of the crossing. Allee smirked as the camera there let off a flash and strolled casually past the front bumper of the car, tapping the hood with a finger and then waggling it in a ‘tutting’ motion towards an enraged Stuart.
“You should know better than that, Fuck-knuckle. How often did you brag to me about how excellent a driver you were?” Allee called out as she moved onto the pedestrian barrier in the middle of the road, pushing the button for the next crossing. She refused to look back, even as she heard Stuart swearing, before his tyres squealed as he accelerated away.
Taking a deep and calming breath, Allee continued towards her unit, keeping a lookout for Stuart or his car from her peripheral vision, but he was already gone.
Later that evening, as they were cuddled up on her couch, Allee relayed the interaction at the traffic lights to Noah.
“I swear, I’ve never felt so giddy and so petrified at the same time! I could’ve sworn he was going to either run me over or drag me into the car.”
