“I’m going to miss your unique way of speaking.” He sighs.
“My transfer?” I remind him between gritted teeth.
“Oh, they didn’t tell me.”
This is bollocks. I didn’t do anything wrong…much.
He slowly stands up and tells me to follow him.
Fuming, I do. I know he’s only the messenger, but when I get to the one responsible, they're going to lose their hearing—among other pieces.
We leave his office and move across the cubicles area, stopping in front of the elevator.
I get in, and remaining outside, he leans in and pushes the button for the top floor, waving his hand cheerfully at me.
The last floor? Gabe must have had a hand in this.
“The HR manager is waiting for you upstairs,” he says, as the doors close.
Evelyn is indeed upstairs in the reception area when I get off. I wave at Belinda, the receptionist behind the desk.
“Why am I up in the clouds, Eve?” I ask.
“Come.” She gives me a forced smile that has an ominous feeling to it. And bloody hell, that feeling magnifies the more we walk, passing by the conference rooms and the coffee room until I seeMedusa’s empty desk. It reminds me that she got the boot, ha-ha.
I look at Gabe’s office door, but before we reach it, Eve stops in front of a room a few feet away from it. It’s quite spacious, with a window facing the front of the building, an empty bookcase, a small sofa, and a desk with a box filled with my stuff on top.
“What does this mean?” I ask her, entering the office.
“Sorry. Mr. Reed will see you in five minutes, please don’t make him wait,” she lets me know before walking away. Not very helpful, but I doubt Gabe gave her any explanation either.
Looking at the nice office, I try to find a reason to this morning’s madness. Am I a charity case for him? After he saw my apartment did he feel pity toward me? Does he think I don’t know how to take care of myself? Or is this some kind of bonus in exchange for sex?
Every further explanation I find leaves an increasingly bitter taste inside my mouth. Anger burns blazing hot in my gut, climbing my chest, spreading inside my throat. I feel like I could open my mouth and breathe fire. Not caring how much time has passed, I leave my Miu Miu bag on the desk and stomp toward his office. Without knocking, I open his door and slam it shut behind me with an ample swing of my arm.
“You!” I yell.
“Who was the guy you kicked in the balls?” Gabe’s question makes me lose my momentum.
He looks not at all surprised by my barging in.
“How…?” Arnold, I find the answer to my own question. He must have told Gabe about my quick stop. “Let’s just say he deserved it.”
Before coming to work for Gabe, I was fired because my ex-boss’s son badmouthed me to his father after I pointed out more than once how incompetent at being a lawyer he was. His father didn’t believe me, and I ended up jobless until I was hired at Reed Law Firm.
“And I didn’t kick him, I wouldn’t get my platforms near his STD-infested dick. Punching it wasn't enough, but still very satisfying.”
Gabe stares at my hands with a questioning look. “Don’t worry, I bathed them in Purell.” I wave my fingers at him.
His phone starts ringing, but he doesn’t pick it up, and suddenly, I remember why I’m here.
“Why am I being transferred again near your office? I won’t be your PA. I’m a paralegal. I’ve even gone back to school to become a lawyer at some point,” I aggressively declare, taking two forceful steps toward his desk.
“You have?” He tilts his head to the side studying me with his gray gaze. “Why did you stop studying?” he asks.
“Gran was sick. We needed money,” I tell him quickly. “I’m taking online courses now. Stop avoiding my question. Why am I here?”
“Because you enjoy coming inside my office uninvited, it seems.”
