By the time Emily was by the gates, she was bawling her eyes out. Despite her earlier resolution when she left the main residence that she wouldn’t cry.
The impromptu dismissal hurt so much. But what hurt the most was the fact that only yesterday, she had had a good time with the damned Theodore King. Only yesterday, he had claimed he wanted to have all her firsts and be her last as well. And yet, today, she was thrown aside like the most inconvenient and clingy paramour.
She cried as she passed the gates. Paul looked at her impassively but didn’t comment. And it was just as good that he didn’t.
Emily walked back to her flat, not because she was trying to watch her budget, rather because she forgot to take the bus in her crying party.
She was close to her building when someone stopped her, and asked in a soft tone, “What’s a sweet girl like you crying about?”
Her eyes focused on the handsome face of none other than Thomas, her old crush.
Did he just call her sweet?
“You don’t want to know,” she told him in between hiccups.
He handed her a handkerchief, and she gladly took it.
“I do want to know,” he stated after a short silence.
She looked at him. He was so unlike her devilishly handsome boss – former boss, she had to remind herself – but that didn’t matter. Even if he didn’t make her heart flutter and her skin tingle, she was willing to just go along with the charade, all so she could forget her pain, all so she could be distracted out of her sadness.
“Coffee?” She suggested. “My treat.”
“Sure,” he agreed readily. “But I’ll pay for my share.”
And thus, they headed to a nearby cafe.
Thomas did his best to make her forget and didn’t try to pry as to why he had found her crying. And for that, she was thankful, more than she could possibly put it in words.
They talked about many meaningless things – such as the weather – and others of importance – such as college.
It had barely been half an hour since they’d been there when her phone rang.
It flashed boss.
She had not bothered to delete it upon being dismissed so harshly. That thought didn’t even occur to her.
She didn’t bother picking up. Neither the first time, nor the second, nor the third.
And it wasn’t long before she received a worried text.
Are you okay, dorogaya?
She rolled her eyes at that and busied herself with the conversation with Thomas.
I’m coming for you, his next text said.
Coming for whom? She replied coldly soon after.
Where have you been? You had me so worried.
Right! She inwardly scoffed. And thus, she sent back another cold text. Don’t bother with me anymore. You’ve made your point pretty clear, Mr. King.
I think I did a poor job at making my point clear if you’re asking me to stop pursuing you.
That text had the knack to make her heart throb painfully in her chest.
Be still, my heart, she told herself resolutely. He’s a player.
Stop it already! I’ve had enough!
Where are you? Came his next text. We need to speak face to face to clear this misunderstanding.
Misunderstanding? She inwardly scoffed. What does he take me for?
She didn’t bother replying to his text.
“Trouble in paradise?” Thomas inquired, his deep brown eyes vaguely curious.
“I’d say there never was a paradise,” she told him dismissively.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Theodore didn’t know what happened for his mate to be so angry at him. What did he do? He had been a gentleman the day prior. And they had had no argument to speak of.
What could have possibly caused her ire? He didn’t understand the hidden meaning behind her texts.
He didn’t know anything but he shall find out – from her.
And soon enough, just as he was about to go through the second floor and head out, the girl he knew to be a protective friend of hers stopped in front of him.
Even though her stance was defiant, a hip tilted to the side, a hand resting over said hip, and her eyes challenging, he could almost taste how scared she was in the air.
What was wrong? Was he going to find out what angered his mate?
“Did you spend the day with Emily yesterday?” She asked him without preamble.
“So what if I did?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, Emily was fired this morning because Mrs. Steams, that lapdog you have for a housekeeper, didn’t believe her words.”
The girl who was supposed to work along side Emily’s friend – but who had stopped to watch the exchange – all but gasped in shock at the woman’s audacity.
His face went from grim to grimmer.
“Thank you…”
“Cecilia,” she told him as she audibly released a sigh of relief.
“Cecilia,” he repeated after her. “I will see to it that you are set for life.”
Another gasp escaped Cecilia’s coworker at that.
“No need,” Cecilia said shyly.
“I insist,” he told her and then strode away.
Once he was in the first floor, he hesitated between going after his mate first, or having a word or two with Mrs. Steams first.
He decided people needed to know their boundaries.
“Mrs. Steams,” he called for her name angrily.
She was within seconds a few feet away from where he stood.
“Have you seen Emily?” He asked matter-of-factly.
“Yes, sir. I had to fire her because of her preposterous lies,” she told him, her lips set in a thin line, like the strict housekeeper she was supposed to be.
“And you didn’t think to talk to me about this issue first because…?” He trailed off, allowing her to defend herself.
“I’m still in charge of the staff, am I not, Mr. King?” She said half confidently, half timidly.
“I spent the day with her yesterday,” he then dropped the bomb on her with a sardonic smirk. “What shall I do with you?”
The elderly woman braced herself against the door frame. “Mr. King… how could I have known?”
“You could have just asked,” he all but bellowed at her, losing his cool for the first time in centuries.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” she began to apologize profusely.
He held up his hand in the air. “Sorry just won’t cut it, I’m afraid.”
“Sir, please…” she trailed off, at a loss for words.
“You’ll have to do all the groveling to Emily once I bring her back,” he told her dismissively. “Do not bother with me. She’ll have to decide of your fate.”
And then, he finally headed out.
He needed to find his mate asap before she did something stupid. She was so vulnerable after all, and all it would take for her to do something foolish was a push. What if this dismissal was THE push?