Chapter 6 Chapter 6

~SIX~

Declan felt his phone almost slip from his hand as Rick's words hit him like a truck.

"What...what are you talking about?" He tried to maintain his composure, but his voice came out shakier than he intended.

Rick crossed his arms, leaning against the door frame with a knowing look. "Come on, Declan. I've known you for years. You think I wouldn't notice when something's off? You disappeared last night, showed up this morning looking like you barely slept, and now you can't even look at your new employee without getting all tense."

Declan ran his hand through his hair, frustration building up inside him. He couldn't lie to Rick—they'd been friends since college.

"It was a mistake," he finally admitted, his voice low. "I was drunk, she was drunk. We both made a stupid decision."

"Does she know you're the CEO?" Rick asked, his tone softer now.

"She does now," Declan let out a bitter laugh. "You should have seen her face this morning. She looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole."

Rick was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "So what are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" Declan threw his hands up. "I'm going to keep my distance, she's going to keep hers, and we're both going to pretend like it never happened."

"That's your plan? Really?" Rick shook his head. "You know that's not going to work, right? She's working here now. You can't avoid her forever."

"Watch me try," Declan grabbed his jacket from the chair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to."

As he walked past Rick towards the door, his friend called out to him.

"Declan, running away from this won't make it go away."

But Declan was already gone, leaving Rick standing alone in the office.

~°~

I spent the rest of the day trying to focus on my work, but my mind kept drifting back to the morning's encounter with Mr. Harris.

The way he looked at me, the coldness in his voice when he said he didn't want me under him—it all made my stomach twist with guilt and embarrassment.

"Hey, you okay?" A friendly voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see a woman around my age standing by my desk, holding two cups of coffee. She had short brown hair and warm hazel eyes that seemed genuinely concerned.

"I'm Sarah, from accounting," she smiled, placing one of the cups on my desk. "Thought you might need this. First days can be rough."

"Thank you," I managed a small smile, grateful for the kindness. "I'm Anita."

"I know," she pulled up a chair and sat down. "Word travels fast around here. You're the new assistant operations coordinator, right?"

I nodded, taking a sip of the coffee. It was perfect—not too hot, not too sweet.

"Don't let Mr. Harris intimidate you," Sarah said, lowering her voice slightly. "He seems cold, but he's actually fair. He just doesn't like mixing business with personal stuff."

If only she knew how personal things had already gotten.

"Thanks for the advice," I said, trying to sound normal.

We chatted for a few more minutes before she had to get back to work. As she left, I felt slightly better. At least I had made one friend in this place.

My phone buzzed on the desk, and my heart sank when I saw Jake's name on the screen.

Where were you last night? Called you multiple times.

I stared at the message, my hands trembling slightly. What was I supposed to tell him? That I got drunk and slept with my boss? That I cheated on him?

Sorry, phone died. Stayed at Evelyn's place. First day at work going okay I typed back, hating myself for the lie.

The three dots appeared almost immediately.

We need to talk when you get home. Don't be late.

I felt my chest tighten. Jake's "we need to talk" conversations never ended well.

~°~

The rest of the day dragged on slowly. Mr. Ricardo gave me some files to organize and explained some of the ongoing projects. He was patient and kind, nothing like the cold reception I got from Mr. Harris.

Around 5 PM, most people started packing up to leave. I gathered my things, my mind already dreading the conversation waiting for me at home.

As I walked towards the elevator, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Miss Blake."

I froze. That voice—deep, commanding, and somehow still managing to send shivers down my spine.

I turned around slowly to face Mr. Harris. He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable.

"Yes, Sir?" My voice came out smaller than I intended.

He seemed to struggle with his words for a moment before finally speaking.

"About last night..." he started, then paused, looking around to make sure no one was within earshot. "We need to establish some ground rules."

My heart pounded in my chest. "Of course, Sir."

"What happened was a mistake. A one-time thing that will never happen again," his tone was firm, almost harsh. "I expect you to maintain professionalism at all times. No one in this company can know about it."

"I understand," I nodded quickly, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes but refusing to let them fall. "It won't happen again. I'm sorry for putting you in this position."

Something flickered in his eyes—was it regret? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Good. That's settled then," he said curtly. "You can go now."

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me again.

"Miss Blake?"

I looked back at him.

"Despite everything, welcome to Norex. I hope you'll prove yourself to be a valuable asset to this company."

Before I could respond, he walked past me into his office, leaving me standing alone in the hallway.

I finally made it to the elevator, and as the doors closed, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

~°~

The drive home felt longer than usual. Every traffic light seemed to turn red just as I approached it, as if the universe was giving me more time to prepare for whatever Jake wanted to talk about.

When I finally pulled up to our apartment, I sat in the car for a few minutes, gathering courage.

The apartment was dark when I walked in, except for the flickering light from the TV in the living room. Jake sat on the couch, a beer in his hand, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"You're late," he said without looking at me.

I checked my watch. It was only 6:30 PM.

"My shift just ended. I came straight home," I said softly, setting my bag down by the door.

He finally turned to look at me, and I could see the anger simmering in his eyes.

"Where were you last night, Anita?"

"I told you, I stayed at Evelyn's—"

"Don't lie to me!" He slammed the beer bottle on the coffee table, making me jump. "I called Evelyn this morning. She said you left the club with some guy."

My blood ran cold.

"Jake, I can explain—"

"Explain what? That you're a cheating slut?" He stood up, walking towards me. "I take care of you, give you a roof over your head, and this is how you repay me?"

"It wasn't like that," tears started streaming down my face. "I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing—"

"So you admit it? You slept with someone else?"

The slap came so fast I didn't see it coming. My cheek stung as I stumbled backward, my hand flying to my face.

"Jake, please—"

"Get out," he said coldly. "Pack your things and get the hell out of my apartment."

"Where am I supposed to go?" I sobbed.

"I don't care. Should've thought about that before you decided to whore yourself out," he grabbed his keys from the table. "I'm going out. When I come back, I want you gone."

The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the dark apartment, my cheek still throbbing from his slap.

I sank to the floor, my whole body shaking with sobs.

Everything was falling apart. My relationship, my job situation, my life—all of it crumbling because of one drunk mistake.

I don't know how long I sat there crying, but eventually, I picked myself up and started packing my things.

As I stuffed clothes into my suitcase, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" My voice was hoarse from crying.

"Miss Blake? This is Mr. Ricardo. I'm sorry to call so late, but Mr. Harris asked me to inform you that you'll need to come in early tomorrow. We have a meeting with Laurence Group at 8 AM, and he wants you there to take notes."

Perfect. Just perfect.

"I'll be there, Sir. Thank you for letting me know."

As I hung up, I looked around the apartment—the place I'd called home for the past two years. Now it felt foreign, unwelcoming.

I grabbed my suitcases and walked out, not knowing where I was going but knowing I couldn't stay there anymore.

The night air was cool as I loaded my things into my car. I sat in the driver's seat, my hands gripping the steering wheel, trying to figure out my next move.

Evelyn's place was too small. Chloe was out of town for the week.

And then, against my better judgment, I found myself thinking about the one person who had shown me kindness today—even if it was just a cup of coffee.

But I couldn't impose on Sarah. We'd just met.

I started the car, still not sure where I was heading, when my phone buzzed again.

It was a text from Jake: Your stuff better be gone when I get back. And don't even think about coming back.

A fresh wave of tears threatened to fall, but I wiped them away angrily.

I was tired of crying. Tired of being weak. Tired of letting people walk all over me.

As I drove through the dark streets of Florida, I made a decision.

Tomorrow, I would walk into that meeting with my head held high. I would prove to Mr. Harris—to everyone—that I was more than just a mistake. That I deserved to be there.

But tonight, I just needed a place to sleep.

I pulled into a cheap motel on the outskirts of town, paid for a room, and dragged my suitcases inside.

The room was small and smelled faintly of cigarettes, but it was shelter.

As I lay on the unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't help but wonder how my life had become such a mess in just 24 hours.

And more importantly, I wondered if things could possibly get any worse.

My phone buzzed one more time before I fell asleep.

It was a text from an unknown number: *This is Declan Harris. I need to see you in my office first thing tomorrow morning. Before the meeting. It's urgent.

I stared at the message, my heart racing.

What could he possibly want to discuss that was so urgent?

As I closed my eyes, one thought kept running through my mind: tomorrow was going to change everything