I was officially part of the team.
Yes, good news. Perhaps, I just had one of the weirdest ways to celebrate good things because I got home, fell to my bed, squeezed my sheets around me and let the tears spill down my cheeks until it drowned the sheets.
What happened to you, Aldrich? What happened to us?
Aldrich, what had I done to deserve this treatment?
I was trying to balance the entire image in my head – him on that night when Jim took me away to ruin my life forever… Him staring at me and whispering the words "Wait for me…"
I waited Aldrich, and all the time of waiting had only been a living hell.
You never came. He never came.
Now, I found him, and he never cared.
And now… I never thought I'd be working under Aldrich Maximus. Not after everything. Not after the way he looked at me and saw nothing.
I mean, at the worst-case scenario, which was this, I was simply meant to walk out and never look back. Yet here I was. I was desperate. I needed money. I needed to be able to survive on my own until I was reinforced enough before Emiliano came for me again.
***
I was at work again the next day, trying to start my new life, putting nothing but my goal and sole purpose in mind. Yet I remained seated in my small office, just down the hall from his, flipping through spreadsheets while pretending my heart didn't stutter every time I heard his voice through the glass walls.
I had promised myself one thing—I wasn't going to make a fool of myself again. Aldrich had made it clear that I was nothing to him, and if I wanted to survive here, I had to act like nothing ever happened between us.
Because to him, nothing ever did!
It wasn't easy.
Especially when fate seemed to enjoy throwing me into his path. I could still remember Tessa's warning…
"Miss Walsh."
Had she been right when she warned me about Aldrich simply being a playboy? Had it all been a lie?
"Miss Walsh!"
I gasped as I looked up so fast, I nearly snapped my neck. Aldrich stood at my desk, staring down at me with his usual unreadable expression.
I immediately stood. "Mr. Maximus."
"Just wow…" He commented. "Guess I'd have to practice calling you twice."
"You've been working here for what—three days now?" He glanced at his watch, then back at me. "And you still haven't managed to send me the client reports I requested this morning."
I frowned. "I just got the files an hour ago—"
"Ah," he interrupted, raising a hand. "There it is. The first excuse of the day. I was beginning to think you were improving."
I bit my tongue, inhaling sharply. "I'll have them on your desk in thirty minutes."
He smiled—a sharp, humourless thing. "Make it ten."
And with that, he turned and walked off, leaving me fuming.
Amelia peeked into my office from her desk outside, her eyes wide. "Damn. He really has it out for you."
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "You think?"
She stepped inside, perching on the edge of my desk. "You know, I've worked for the boss for three years, and I've never seen him single out an employee like this."
"Lucky me."
"Maybe he just hates your face."
I snorted. "Trust me, I think that's exactly it."
Amelia grinned. "Look on the bright side—if he fires you, we can both quit and start a café where we only serve bitter coffee and bad attitude."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Sounds like my dream job."
Amelia was the only good thing about this place. From my first day, she had taken me under her wing, showing me how to navigate the madness that was Kingsport Companies. She was sharp, funny, and the only person who made this job bearable.
Unlike my boss.
Aldrich continued to act like I was a particularly stubborn cockroach that refused to die.
And unfortunately, fate kept throwing us together. All I needed to do was keep bracing myself for the next shocking thing that life was bringing to the table. I had to focus on the goal and when that was done, I was going to leave…
I was going to forget Aldrich. I was also going to pretend he doesn't matter, and I was never going to look back.
But for now, you have to brace yourself for any impact, Kahlan.
However, I was not ready for one of such days at work.
***
One week later, I had gotten better at ignoring him. I did my job, kept my head down, and avoided any unnecessary interactions. That lasted until the morning he walked into my office unannounced.
"Pack your things."
My heart left my chest. I immediately rose from my seat.
"Sir?"
"You heard me." He replied.
I trembled, unsure of how to react.
"I am sorry for whatever I must have done, sir. Please give me a chance to rectify it." I pleaded, trying to hide just how much it hurt. He paused and stared for a while and then he scoffed.
"Silly." He muttered under his breath. "We have a business trip, Miss Walsh."
Oh!
It was like I was slowly coming back to my senses.
"I don't know… I just feel like you're not actually as smart as you should be to work with me, especially to follow me on this trip, but too bad… Amelia is quite busy and you're my secretary so you're next in line."
The words hurt me like coals of fire, but I held back.
I held back…
"I am capable, sir." I shot back at him. He paused, almost like he surprised at my reaction and then, he turned and headed for the door but stopped—just briefly. "Don't embarrass me," he said without looking back, his voice cold, detached. "I have no tolerance for incompetence."
And just like that, he walked out.
I stayed frozen in my seat, my pulse pounding in my ears.
He had spoken. Not a request. A command.
There was no discussion, no room for refusal.
And I had no choice but to walk straight into it.
Into whatever he said.