Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Grace
Six months later
I print the letter out and carefully fold it, with my heart in my throat, I slide it into the envelope.
Today’s the day.
I’ve bought a house in Greenville and am moving interstate.
It’s my last week working at Ferrara Media.
My last week with him.
I’m about to resign; I’ll only have to work the four days until Christmas. I’ve already booked my owed four weeks’ vacation leave for January and that will count toward my one month’s notice that I must give.
I’m trying to make this as seamless as possible and in a perfect world, everything will run smoothly, but I know Gabriel is going to make my life a living hell once I tell him.
I’ve already trained Greg to cover my position while I’m away and I’m hoping that he will get to keep my job in the new year.
And yes, it’s true, I know what you’re thinking, and to answer your question, yes.
Yes, I did. I trained up Greg, do you really think I’m going to hand over Gabriel to another female PA to watch him get dressed every morning?
I’m moving on….. not stupid.
Right, this is it.
I let out a deep breath and knock tentatively on the door.
“Come in,” his deep voice calls.
I push the door open and there he stands, wearing white briefs, his suit and shirt in his hand, I could just cry. I would give anything to see him get dressed at the end of my bed, even just once.
Focus.
“Good morning, Gracie,” he says as he takes his suit pants from the hanger. “You look lovely today.”
So do you.
“Morning.” I smile, my heart is racing, and I just know this isn’t going to go down well.
“Before I forget, can you drop down to Tiffany’s and pick up a gift for me today?”
Huh?
Actually….. good…. a reminder of why I’m doing this, thank you, universe, I needed this.
Hit me straight in the face with it.
“Sure thing, what am I getting?” I ask.
He pulls his shirt around his shoulders, “I don’t know. Earrings, necklace…. some bullshit.”
I roll my eyes and take out my notepad, “Umm…what are we talking? Gold, silver…. platinum?”
He twists his lips, “Gold.”
“What’s the budget?”
“I don’t know, you pick.”
I exhale as I write it down, “Diamonds?”
“Fuck no.” He fakes a shiver as if disgusted.
I glance up, “Why, fuck no?”
“I’ll only ever buy a diamond for someone I love.”
“You should probably buy yourself a few then,” I mutter deadpan.
He smirks as he buttons up his shirt. “I am the diamond.”
I roll my eyes, no shit, Sherlock. A diamond python. Looks pretty…. but if left unattended, will suffocate you to death.
“Okay….. if you say so.” I roll my eyes.
Thump, thump, thump goes my heart. I can’t wait until the end of our meeting; I need to tell him now. I pull out the envelope and hold it out to him. “I’ve got something for you.”
He turns and his eyes fall to the envelope and then rise up to me.
“What’s this?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “It’s my resignation.”
His face falls. “What?”
“I…..”
“No.”
“Gabriel…. I’m not asking for your permission. I am leaving.”
He snatches the envelope from my hand and tears it in half and then throws it in the rubbish bin. “You will do no such thing.”
Here we go.
He marches to the door and opens it in a rush, “Go back to your desk and get to work.”
“No.”
“Do. As. I. say,” he growls.
“No.”
“Do not tell me no!” He’s about to go into cardiac arrest. “You work for me, not the other way around.”
“You’re in your underpants, you know?” I gesture down at his body. “The whole office could walk in and see you.”
“I fucking know that,” he screams, but he must realize that I’m right and he slams the door shut again. He marches over to his suit as it lays on the chair.
“And where do you think you’re going to work, hey?” He picks up his pants and being so angry, he struggles to put them on. “Do you think you are going to work with a competitor? Because I call fucking bullshit.”
“I’m taking some time off for me.” I cross my arms as I watch his tantrum unfold.
He flicks his pants angrily in front of him. “You can’t afford to take time off.”
“Yes. I can.”
“Well, you can get this harebrained idea out of your head right fucking now, Grace,” he yells, he pulls his pants up so fast that his leg gets caught, and he nearly falls over. “Fuck off,” he cries in frustration.
I roll my lips to hide my smile.
“Get out,” he screams, the veins in his forehead are bulging, and he’s going red.
I let out a deep exhale, “There is no need to be this dramatic, Gabriel.”
“I tore up your letter, it doesn’t count. Take the day off and come to your senses.”
“That’s not happening, I’ve already emailed my resignation to HR and will be finishing up on the twenty-second of December.”
“What?” he explodes. “That’s four days away.”
“I know.”
“Get out,” he screams as he loses all control.
“Fine.” I walk out and he slams the door behind me, it echoes through the whole of New York.
Jeez.
I sit for a moment,
Bang.
I jump when I hear something hit the back of his door; I think it was his pen holder.
Ugh….. he’s always so over the top.
Bzzzzz,
I push the button to answer my intercom, “Yes, Mr. Ferrara?”
“Get to work!”
I smirk, man…. I need caffeine, it’s way too early for all this drama.
I make my way to the kitchen, and I hear the elevator ding.
Gabriel comes flying out of his office like a hornet.
“There is a gas leak on this floor, go away,” he yells to Geoffrey.
“What?” poor Geoffrey stammers wide eyed. “Should I call someone?”
“I already have. Work from level two today,” he barks. “Tell everyone else from this floor to work from there too, put a note in the elevator.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose…. seriously?
This is going to be the day from hell.
I walk back out into the office with my cup of coffee.
“We need to work from level two today,” Geoffrey tells me. “There’s a gas leak.”
“Oh, okay.” I act oblivious. “I’ll grab my things.”
Gabriel narrows his eyes and points to his office, “A word Miss Porter,” he sneers.
Geoffrey looks between us in confusion.
“It’s okay Geoffrey, you go on without me. Mr. Ferrara has been sniffing too much gas, he’s having a meltdown.”
Geoffrey’s eyes widen as he looks between us, “Oh no. Should I call an ambulance?”
“Go to level two, Geoffrey!” Gabriel screams.
Geoffrey scrambles to get his things and half runs to the elevator.
I sit down and open my computer, Gabriel paces back and forth in front of my desk, his hands are on his hips, and his eyes are crazy.
“Fine, twenty percent pay raise, that’s it,” he snaps.
I stay silent.
He continues to pace, “Hardball hey…. Twenty-five percent and that’s it.”
I begin to type as I act uninterested, “No, thanks.”
“What do you mean no thanks?” he barks.
“It’s not about the money.”
“Everything is about money,” he fires back.
I roll my eyes and go back to my computer.
“Fifty percent pay raise and that’s totally fucking it.”
I keep typing. “No.”
“Double your wage and do not fucking talk to me again. This is daylight robbery,” he screams. “You are trying to fuck me up the ass, and I won’t have it.”
I was expecting a tantrum, but this is the living end. I shake my head in disgust, “Can you even hear yourself right now? The last thing I want to do is fuck you up the ass.”
He puts his hands on his hips and begins to pace again, his mind is racing.
I continue to pretend to type, and I do have to admit, him groveling is doing wonders for my confidence.
“Fine, don’t go to Tiffany’s today, it doesn’t matter. I won’t get her the gift.”
Huh?
I look up from my computer, does he know?
“Why would you say that?”
“That’s it, isn’t it?” he says.
“We are not having this conversation, Gabriel,” I snap.
“Yes. We. Fucking. Are.”
“I’m leaving because I’ve bought myself a house.”
He takes a step back, completely shocked. “You bought a house?”
I nod, “In Greenville.”
“Where’s that?”
“Maine.”
“Why the fuck would you buy a house in Maine?” He screws up his face in horror.
“Because….. it’s time.”
“For what?” he bellows. “To turn fucking Amish?”
“I want a family home with a garden and a dog, maybe even a family. Renting a tiny apartment in New York is never going to get me there.”
He blinks as he processes my words.
“I need to get out of New York, Gabriel.”
“New York is your home.”
“New York is your home. I’ve been here for eight years and I ….” I shrug, not wanting to elaborate on my loneliness. “I haven’t met anyone and it’s time for me to pull up my big girl panties and move on.”
He pauses for a moment as if processing my words.
“You’re leaving me?” he whispers.
“I have to.”
His eyes search mine.
“I’m sorry.”
His jaw clenches and then without another word he marches back into his office and slams the door, it echoes as the walls shake.
Hot tears burn my eyes.
You were supposed to beg me to stay.
It’s 6 p.m. and everyone has cleared out for the day, Gabriel hasn’t left his office all day, not even for lunch.
I’ve been hoping to have a quick word on his way out, but there’s still no sign of him.
The office is deathly silent, and I quietly knock on his door.
“Yes,” he calls.
I open it and peep in, “I’m going to head off soon.”
He doesn’t look up from his computer, “Okay.”
I wait for him to look up at me…… he doesn’t.
“Close the door on your way out,” he replies flatly as he picks up a pen and starts signing some documents.
Great, now the tantrum is over, he’s going to give me the silent treatment. “Are you not talking to me?” I ask.
“I have nothing to say.” He keeps writing.
“Gabriel….”
He lets out an over-exaggerated sigh as he glances up, “What is it?”
“I don’t want this to end badly.”
“It’s already ended. You can finish now. No need to come back and work this week, I’ve signed the last of your leave documents. You are free to go.”
I get a lump in my throat as I stare at him… that’s it?
He really doesn’t care.
He keeps his head down as he writes, seemingly totally unaffected.
I will not cry in front of this selfish bastard, it’s all about him…. it’s always been about him.