63. Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Charlotte
M y phone lit up with a notification, the bright blue of my lock screen pulling me from my thoughts. With a sigh, I set the book in my hands to one side and reached for the phone.
It’d been an hour since Becky had left, and, in an attempt to distract myself, I’d picked up my book. But seeing as how I’d reread the same paragraph three times, I’d say it wasn’t working.
My hand hovered in the air above the device, fingers outstretched as I scanned the screen. It wasn’t just any notification. It was the one I’d spent the whole of the last week waiting for.
My stomach fluttered, the movement jostling the heavy weight that had become lodged in my chest, and I frowned. Rolling my lips into a thin line, I straightened, retracting my hand. Butterflies? Really? After everything that had happened? I shook my head, refusing to look too deeply into what I was sure was further evidence of my low self-worth before plucking the phone off the comforter and opening the text.
A hyperlink?
I turned, sagging to sit on the edge of the bed, the determination that had stiffened my spine sagging at the strange and, quite frankly, anti-climactic reality of the message. I glanced back down at the screen and the tremulous fluttering in my abdomen withered to nothing.
He sent me a playlist?
Blowing out a frustrated breath, I lay back, my feet still planted firmly on the floor as I studied the ceiling.
At some point during the day, I’d come to the embarrassing realisation that I’d probably have to see or talk to him again—and not just because we lived in the same building. Not only had he found me on Friday night and held the pieces of my meltdown together long enough for me to get home, but he’d also called in reinforcements and stayed until they arrived. I’d have to thank him. And I would. Eventually.
But I had work in the morning and, despite the “Don’t Fuck With Me” outfit the girls had helped me pick out, I was under no illusions about just how unpleasant the day would be. And at this point, I don’t think I could handle dealing with more than one unpleasant task at a time. So, Aiden and my pathetic excuse for a love life would have to come later.
***
Stepping out onto the fourth floor on, I startled when the overhead lights flickered on, flooding the space with the now familiar white-yellow light that I’d come to associate with the office.
After a restless night, I’d finally given up on the idea of sleep at around four-thirty, and the gentle rhythm of my morning routine served to sooth the dull ache in my stomach that had settled like a stone as soon as Becky had left.
She’d offered to stay—Louise and Claire too. But we all had work, and I wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible. And normal meant sleeping in my bed; not curled up on the sofa while Richard Gere white-knighted for Julia Roberts.
Wincing, I rubbed at the tender spot on my neck that hadn’t recovered from my sofa sleepovers.
A few hours later, my phone shuddered across the desktop, pulling my attention away from the redline I’d been blissfully absorbed in and back into the office, which now hummed with the sluggish activity of a Monday morning.
Becky:
You got this!
Call me later and let me know what happens
Me:
Yes, ma’am
Placing my phone face-down beside the keyboard, I leaned back in my chair and took in the activity of the floor. Mondays were typically the quietest days in the office, with most people opting to work from home. So, even though there were a handful of people in, I doubted it would get much busier.
I nodded my head in Sam’s direction, ignoring the concerned question in his gaze and returning his wave before straightening to return to the document I’d been buried in. I’d only just sent it off for a final review when an email notification flashed in the bottom of my screen and my stomach twisted as I read its contents.
Me:
I’ve had a meeting request put in for 10am. With HR.
Becky:
That’s good. Do you know the person?
Me:
No, never heard of them.
Becky:
That’s okay, what’s important is that they seem to be handling your complaint seriously.
This is a good thing.
I bit my lip, wishing that I’d listened to my gut and skipped breakfast this morning.
Becky:
I know you’re freaking out.
I huffed out a laugh. Of course she did.
Becky:
Don’t.
You’re not in trouble and you haven’t done anything wrong.
I rolled my eyes, annoyance simmering beneath my skin.
Me:
I know that.
I wasn’t a child.
Becky:
But do you believe it?!
I paused, my pre-planned retort frozen on my fingers. Goddamnit.
Me:
Point taken.
Becky:
Right, there’s time. Got your headphones with you?
Me:
Do you even have to ask?
Becky:
Good!
Go to the bathroom and listen to this on repeat until you head to the meeting room.
Attached was a link to a song with a title explicit enough to make me smile. My mind drifted, as it had numerous times over the past eighteen hours, to the unopened link that Aiden had sent me. Confusion had morphed to curiosity, and I’d found my fingers hovering over the link more times than I’d care to admit. But, as I’d done all those times before, I forced my curiosity back in its box.
Locking my laptop, I rooted around the compartments of my bag in search of my earphones. A wave of calm settled over my mind when my fingers closed around the smooth, plastic buds. Slipping them in, I clicked the link in Becky’s text, set the song on repeat and made my way towards the bathrooms, where I closed myself into one of the cubicles and let the music flood my senses.
***
‘Hello Charlotte.’
‘Good morning,’ I replied, brows raised in surprise as I took in the three people seated across from me, panel-style, in one of the firm’s small meeting rooms.
When I’d first got the calendar invite, I’d been relieved that the meeting wasn’t going to be held in one of the fishbowls on our floor. But now, looking around the windowless room, I wasn’t sure that this was the better option.
‘I don’t think we’ve met in person; my name is Heena.’ The woman on the left extended a hand across the table, flashing a wide smile. ‘I’m from the People’s Team.’
‘Nice to meet you.’ I leaned forward in my seat, nodding and shaking the proffered hand.
‘I hope you don’t mind.’ The woman, Heena, nodded and gestured towards her two companions. ‘But I’ve invited Karl and Stewart to join us.’
I did mind. But there was nothing I could do, and they knew it. I forced my face to remain expressionless and said nothing.
Fumbling a little, her eyes darting from me to the laptop, Heena hurried to explain, ‘With an issue of this nature, the firm believes it’s important to involve senior members of the team.’
‘Oh,’ I said, my apprehension for the woman thawing a little. ‘Okay.’
‘Could you talk us through the events of last Friday night?’ Heena asked, fingers hovering over the keyboard in readiness.
Mouth suddenly dry, I wished I’d thought to bring water in with me or something, but I swallowed past the scratchiness in my throat and began. I conveyed the sequence of events much in the same way I’d done with Becky—my voice measured and controlled, walking them through the evening as if I were leading a client call.
Heena’s face remained relatively impassive as I spoke, but Karl did little to hide his evident boredom, even going so far as to pick at his fingernails. Stewart, at least, looked as uncomfortable as I felt, shifting awkwardly in his seat when I got to the part where Ben called me a tease.
An awkward silence settled over the room when I finished, broken only by the soft clicking of Heena’s keyboard.
‘And was this the first time something like this has occurred?’ Heena prompted, glancing up at me before her focus returned to her screen.
‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘He’s invited me out on numerous occasions, despite my always saying no. And there have been several instances where he made me feel uncomfortable. But this is the first time that Ben has ever tried to get close to me physically.’
‘Okay,’ Heena nodded, opening her mouth to continue.
‘When Ben invited you out,’ Karl said, speaking for the first time and folding his arms across his chest, ‘were these one-on-one or group events?’
‘Group events for the most part,’ I said, my chest tightening as unease rippled through me.
‘So, you were not the only person who he invited to drinks?’ Karl raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat.
‘No, but—’
‘Is it possible that he could simply have misread the signs last Friday night?’
‘No,’ I answered resolutely.
I knew what he was doing—how could I not when I had done it over and over since Friday night? Ben was drunk. He’d misunderstood. I should have told him that I wasn’t interested instead of just making excuses not to go out with him.
It was bullshit. Becky had said so. And Louise. And Claire. And if I couldn’t trust my own judgement, I could and did trust theirs.
‘Obviously Ben acted foolishly and he will be warned against this kind of behaviour, but—’ he shrugged, oblivious to the indignant outrage that simmered beneath my skin. My fingers curled into fists beneath the table, nails biting into my palms as I forced myself to be still. To wait.
‘This is a very serious accusation to be making. Ben is a highly valued member of the team with a promising career ahead of him. Do you really want to jeopardise that over a mistake?’
‘A mistake?’ I bit out, the incredulity thick in my words.
‘Yes, I’ve spoken to Ben—’ Heena’s head whipped to the side, eyes widened as she looked at Karl, who continued, oblivious, ‘and he’s admitted that he’d had too much to drink but that it was all in good fun. He thought that the two of you shared a mutual attraction; he assures me that he wouldn’t have acted the way he did otherwise.’
‘You spoke to Ben?’
‘Yes, this morning.’
‘You spoke to Ben before you thought to speak to me?’ The rage that had been burning beneath my skin cooled, chilling to a glacial ice as I glared at the man in front of me.
‘Yes,’ Karl stated, as if that much was obvious. ‘I wanted to make sure of the facts before coming to this meeting.’
‘The facts,’ I repeated in a low tone.
‘Yes, Charlotte,’ Karl sighed heavily, his eyes rolling upwards. ‘We all have things to do this morning,’ he said, gesturing between his companions, ‘so if you’re simply going to repeat everything I say, then I think we can wrap this up.’
I laughed. A hollow, broken cackle of a laugh as my eyes travelled from Heena to Stewart in disbelief. But while their faces mirrored my bewilderment, neither of them would meet my gaze.
This couldn’t be real. My mind spun as the sound of my heartbeat pounded in my ears and I forced my gaze to the ceiling. I was dreaming. I had to be.
Maybe I’d fallen asleep at my desk?
Silence bloomed, thick and stifling in the small confines of the meeting room, and the sound of a chair dragging across the carpet drew my gaze away from the ceiling and back to the scene that I was evidently not waking up from.
My gaze zeroed in on the source of the noise. Karl, one hand splayed near the edge of the table, was pushing himself to stand.
‘I quit.’
The words come out in a quiet whisper, but loud enough to pierce the silence of the room.
‘What?’ Three pairs of eyes locked on me, two of which were filled with concern.
‘I quit,’ I repeated, straightening in my seat to meet the barely concealed scorn of Karl’s gaze. ‘Please consider this my official resignation. I’ll send you the paperwork by the end of day. I believe I have three months’ notice to work out?’ I addressed this last question to Heena, who nodded the affirmative.
‘Charlotte,’ Stewart said, speaking for the first time that morning, ‘don’t do anything you’ll come to regret.’
‘I think,’ I said, rising to stand, ‘that the only thing I’d regret would be to work a second longer for a firm that protects predators.’
‘Don’t be so dramatic,’ Karl scoffed, rolling his eyes as he sank back into his chair.
‘Dramatic?’ I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘Benjamin Burrows forced himself on me at a work event. I then came to you, the firm, for help and what did you do?’
I let the question hang in the air, as if daring one of them to answer.
‘You prioritised him over me. You took his words as fact. And for what? Because Ben has seniority over me? Because you two like to pal around at The White Horse ?’ It was my turn to scoff, and I shook my head, heading towards the door. ‘That is despicable.’
And then, turning back because I was genuinely curious, I added, ‘Aren’t you ashamed?’
‘Watch yourself Ms Hall,’ Karl snarled, ‘you don’t want to burn bridges in this industry. You may find yourself in need of a recommendation for future employment.’
‘With all due respect,’ I said, glaring down at him as I pulled the door to the meeting room open, ‘fuck you, Karl.’