The woman rose too, her hand gently covering his arm as she leaned up and whispered something in his ear. I don’t think I imagined the winces at the name. It was one thing to speak vaguely of it, but this was their child we were talking about. Harper’s sister. I hated that I had to do this, but to protect Harper, it had to be done.
A moment later, Harper’s look-alike quieted, his frown deepening and looking too much like the man I knew as he speared his wife with sharp eyes. In a low voice he seethed, “Youwhat?”
The only reaction she seemed to have was an agonized look as she shrugged helplessly.
Abruptly clearing his throat, Mr. Harper turned back to us and said, “It would appear we all might have some things to rethink. Fernandez, we’ll be in touch.”
The only thing they left behind in their mad dash to the door was one final backward glance at me from Mrs. Harper.
Clay, looking strange dressed in a suit, hopped out of his seat and followed the pair hastily. “Let me walk you guys out.”
The door shut behind them. Nobody moved.
The quiet stretched around us, yetnobody moved.
My mind reeled, but the room remained frozen. Timeless. Stuck in the quicksand that I’d undoubtedly sunk our ship into.
But if there was one person you could count on to break through quicksand, it was Grace Ulburn.
Lucky me.
“Ms. Fernandez,” she said in her shrillest voice. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
“Not now, Grace.” I pressed my fingers into the corners of my eyes even as my hands shook.Breathe Al, breathe.
“No, now is the perfect time to discuss this. I have never in my life seen such a display of unprofessionalism and insubordination. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Slowly, I turned to her. She’d gotten up from her seat and was directly behind me now, decked out in the power suit I hated and looking every bit as self-righteous and annoying as she always did while hovering over me.
And I’d had it.
Call it strange timing to finally become fed up with her policing my every move when I was actually in the wrong, but I was taking what I could get here and what I was getting was real sick and tired of her shit.
“Grace,enough. This is my own fault for never outlining my boundaries clearly, but I’m going to ask you onelasttime for all the times you’ve done it before, stop speaking to me like I’m a child,” I said through my teeth.
“Stop acting like a child then,” she snapped back. “As I recall you weren’t needed in this meetingat alllet alone welcome to crash it.”
“That may be true, but it’s no longer a meeting, it’s now a family matter and I’m going to have to ask you to get out too,” I said, pointing at the door.
“You can’t just tell me to leave you little?—”
“Grace!” An unexpected voice clipped from the other side of theroom. A voice I knew. A voice I loved. A voice that never ever sounded as sharp as it did now, usually so mild and reserved.
Melissa got up from her seat and moved so that she was standing in between me and the she-witch protectively, another shocking development as her voice continued to hiss. “This is the last time I want to hear you disrespecting my sister. It’s gone on for months and she’s asked you to stop numerous times. This is unfortunate and sudden but I’m sorry to say that we don’t have a position here for someone callous and irresponsible enough to put their personal feelings for a member of our team above the goodness of the company. Now my sister has asked you to leave this room, and I have asked you to leave this company. Please pack your things and just go.”
Another vat of silence enveloped the room. Grace was again the first one to speak. “Ms. Fernandez, you don’t understand?—”
“Yeah, Lis,” I hissed a whisper, suddenly feeling guilty. “You don’t have to fire?—”
“I understand perfectly. From the withholding of information, sabotaging of work completed, and downright vitriol you’ve shown time and time again, I understand clearly. You’re threatened by my sister. I’m alleviating that threat for you here and now.Please leave.” Melissa stood tall, strong, bigger than I’d ever seen her before as she stared Grace down.
In the end it was Ox who cleared his throat and said. “Security will walk you out in fifteen minutes, Ms. Ulburn. Human Resources will meet you at your desk to explain your discharge. We wish you the best.”
If there was one person in the room who didn’t leave anything up for discussion it was Ox and even Grace couldn’t seem to find strength to argue against him after he’d said his piece.
Ox followed her out a moment later to go bark orders at Urse, I’d have to buy her a bouquet or something as an apology for the mess I’d caused. Clay was still gone and Clinton Ferguson sat in hisvery same seat, watching closely with an unenthused, unamused look on his face.
None of that mattered, though. The hell storm I just created for the SHarper deal didn’t even seem to matter at that moment. The only thing that mattered was Melissa.
