Chapter 169
But that was so selfish and so very naive of me. Stupidly so. Sometimes, as much as we wanted
something, we weren’t meant to have it. To keep it. Not when itplicated everything else. And this
thing—love because that was exactly what it was—between us did. Itplicated both our lives, the
promises of both careers.
We were tripping each other, making each other fall, just how Daniel had said all that time ago.
We’d have grown to resent each other. Because that was what the poison born of malicious mouths
did. It infected everything. And I knew just how much.
So, yeah, after Moulin Rouge–crying-gate, the following day obviously sucked. It was probably one of
the worst, most miserable days I remembered, and I knew a fair bit about those. I dragged my feet the
whole day, somehow managing to get through the eight to midnight Open Day for a bunch of faceless
suits. Names and faces bounced right off me, and I presented topic after topic as if every word were
being ripped out of me. If Jeff had been around to witness thatme attempt at being weing,
amodating, and approachable, he’d have fired me on the spot.
And I wouldn’t have found it in me to care.
That was how ironic life could be sometimes.
When I entered the building on day two without Aaron—which I realized was my new way to count
down time—I waited for the whispers of my colleagues to reach my ears and their fingers to be pointed
at me for no reason other than Gerald’s public usations. By the time the clock hit five p.m.—after I
spent the day wishing I’d get a glimpse of Aaron and dreading it, all at the same time—nothing had
happened. None of my colleagues had batted an eysh at me. No disgusting rumors, no nasty
usations, nothing. Not a sh of Aaron either.
On day three without him, an odd kind of restlessness burrowed itself in me. I missed Aaron. I missed
the possibility of what had been growing between us, and that started overweighing everything else. It
didn’t seem so important that the incident with Gerald had not led anyone to treat me any differently. I
couldn’t find it in me to be relieved. What did it matter when there was a hole in my chest?
I missed Aaron’s face, the ocean blue in his eyes, his stubborn frown, the way his lips puckered when
he was lost in thought, the wide line of his shoulders, how he effortlessly stood tall and big as life
wherever he went, and his smile—that smile that was just for me. So much that I set camp in my office,
left the door open, and waited for him to walk down the hallway at some point in the day. Or to hear his
voice even if in the distance. That would have been enough to appease that need burning inside of me.
But none of that happened.
On day four, I finally gave up and knocked on his office door, going unanswered. And when I asked
Rosie if she had seen him around at all, she hugged me and said she hadn’t. Neither had Héctor or the
few other people I had somehow found an excuse to ask.
That was exactly why I was pacing from one corner of the hallway to the opposite one as I waited to be
called into Sharon’s office. Just like I had been doing at homest night. Or that morning in my office.
Because he had disappeared. And I hated not knowing why, not seeing him, not having him around,
not … having an excuse to call and ask him because I had pushed him away and thest thing he
probably wanted to do was talk to me.
“Lina, darling,” Sharon called as her head peeked out of her office, jerking me back into the present.
“Pleasee in and take a seat.”
Following her inside, I let myself fall into one of the chairs. I watched the blondedy sit down and lean
over her desk with a secretive smile.
“Sorry about the wait. You know how some people think HR has the answers for everything.” She
chuckled with bitterness. “Even for things like New York City Council deciding to repave the part of the
road right outside their window.”
Any other day, I would haveughed too. Perhaps make a joke about how only the fittest could survive
the city that never slept and always closed some road to keep you awake at all times. But I simply
couldn’t muster the energy for that.
“I’m sure it makes up for a few awkward conversations.”
Sharon’s eyes scanned my face, something like understanding dawning in her features. What exactly
she found or understood, I had no idea.
“All right, let’s cut to the chase.”
Good. I liked that. Just like I had always liked Sharon too.
“I’ve called you here in light of some serious allegations that have been made, which directly involve
you.”
Something dropped to the bottom of my stomach, and I felt myself nch.
“Oh … okay.” I cleared my throat. “What do you want to know?”
The woman inhaled deeply through her nose, as if she was readying herself for something.
“Lina,” she said, using a tone that I had heard from my own motherforting but also admonishing
—“we both are aware that Gerald knows the right kind of people, and frankly, I will never understand
how someone so horrible manages to make so many good ‘acquaintances.’ ” Her fingers air-quoted
Material ? N?velDrama.Org.
thatst word. “But as much as he has remained untouchable so far, that doesn’t mean that he can’t be
knocked down. For that, however, we must do something. We should at least try.”
I felt myself nod, still trying to process what Sharon was telling me. She was admitting to being on my
side. Not only that, but also she wouldn’t remain a silent bystander.
“If that’s something you want to do, we can work together on an employee formalint. I can help
you. You’d need to sign it and submit it to us, and after that, I’d try to push for a thorough investigation.
I know manyints are ignored, but more than a few people having your back will make a
difference.”
More than a few people?
“What …” I trailed off, shaking my head. “What people? I don’t understand.”
She flicked her nails on the table, tilting her head. “After the altercation in the coworking floor, a number
of people came by my desk to inform me of what had happened. Half of them wanted to file the
“I … I just …” My gaze fell on my hands, resting on myp. I felt my heart expanding with gratitude.
With something else too. Realization. “So, they are on my side? They have spoken on my behalf and
not Gerald’s?”
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