Chapter 24 - Day 6 Somewhere Else
Monday morning felt strangely formal.
Which was ridiculous.
It was Monday.
Mondays were supposed to feel like this.
I walked into the office, dropped my bag beside my desk, and stopped.
Coffee.
Of course.
Warm.
Waiting exactly where it always was.
I picked it up.
Nine days.
I really needed to stop doing that.
"Morning, Angel."
I looked up as Maya dropped into the chair beside my desk.
"Morning."
Her eyes landed on the coffee in my hand.
A smile appeared.
I pointed at her with the cup.
"Whatever is happening in your head, keep it there."
"That seems unfair."
"To whom?"
"Me."
"You'll recover."
"Probably."
I took a sip of coffee.
Perfect.
Of course it was.
A few minutes later, Adrian came out of his office.
And-
Oh.
Right.
There he was.
Navy shirt.
Light tie.
Hair back under control.
No yellow T-shirt.
No goose.
No sunglasses in one hand.
No ocean behind him.
Adrian Vale.
CEO.
He walked toward us with a folder in his hand.
His eyes found mine.
For one second, something shifted.
Then it was gone.
"Ms. Stone."
There it was.
"Mr. Vale."
His eyes stayed on me for half a second longer than necessary.
Then he held out the folder.
"The updated elevations."
I took it.
"I'll review them."
He nodded once.
Then his eyes dropped to the coffee in my hand.
Just briefly.
Back to my face.
"Before eleven."
"Okay."
He turned and walked away.
I watched him go.
Beside me, Maya was suspiciously quiet.
I looked at her.
She was smiling at her computer.
I looked back down at the coffee in my hand.
Ms. Stone.
It sounded different now.
Around ten-thirty, Claire appeared beside my desk.
"Do you have a minute?"
I looked up from the elevations.
"Sure."
She nodded toward one of the small conference rooms.
That was mildly ominous.
I followed her inside.
Claire closed the door but didn't sit. She leaned against the edge of the table instead.
"I wanted to talk to you about your resignation."
Of course.
"If Adrian sent you-"
"He didn't."
I stopped.
"He doesn't know I'm talking to you."
"Okay."
She studied me for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
I knew exactly what she meant.
"Yes."
Claire nodded slowly.
"Okay."
That surprised me.
"That's it?"
"What did you expect me to do? Lock the door?"
I smiled slightly.
"Honestly, at this point, I don't know what anyone in this company is capable of."
That got the smallest smile out of her.
Then it faded.
"Do you remember when I told you Adrian was divorced?"
I stared at her.
"Unfortunately."
"I didn't understand your reaction then."
My stomach did something unpleasant.
"And now?"
"I do."
I looked away.
Claire was quiet for a moment.
"I've seen people leave this company before, Angelica."
I looked back at her.
"He has never done this."
I didn't ask what this meant.
I knew.
The raises.
The projects.
The constant appearances at my desk.
The coffee.
Saturday.
Sunday.
All the increasingly ridiculous ways Adrian Vale kept trying to turn I'm leaving into maybe I won't.
"He doesn't want to lose a good employee," I said.
Claire's expression didn't change.
"Is that what you think?"
"It's what he keeps telling me."
"I didn't ask what Adrian tells you."
That shut me up.
Claire folded her arms.
"I'm not going to tell you what he feels. I don't know, and even if I did, that's a conversation he should be having with you. Not me."
Fair.
"But I do know him professionally. I've worked with him a long time."
I waited.
"He doesn't chase people who resign. He doesn't rearrange projects. He doesn't repeatedly renegotiate after someone has already said no."
She paused.
"And he certainly doesn't spend his weekends reviewing drawings that could have been reviewed Monday morning."
Oh.
I stared at her.
"How do you know about Sunday?"
"I'm the project director, Angelica. I know when project files are updated."
Right.
Of course she did.
Claire's expression softened.
"I'm not asking you to stay because of him."
"Then why are you asking?"
"Because I want to make sure you're not leaving because you think nothing here can change."
I was quiet.
A week ago, that answer would've been easy.
Now-
"I don't know what changes," I said. "That's the problem."
Claire nodded.
"And staying because I'm hoping someone might become different isn't a good enough reason."
"No," she said. "It isn't."
No argument.
No persuasion.
Just agreement.
I looked down at my hands.
"It was easier when I gave him the letter."
"I imagine it was."
"I was angry."
"You had every right to be."
"I'm not as angry anymore."
Claire waited.
I let out a breath.
"That doesn't mean I should stay."
"No."
I looked at her.
"You're terrible at convincing people."
She smiled.
"I'm not trying to convince you."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Making sure you've asked yourself the right question."
"And what's the right question?"
Claire pushed away from the table.
"Whether you still want to leave."
I didn't answer.
Because nine days ago, I wouldn't have needed time to think about it.
Claire reached for the door.
"You don't owe me an answer."
She opened it.
Then glanced back at me.
"But whatever you decide, make sure it's your decision. Not Adrian's."
And she walked out.
A little after noon, I stood outside Adrian's office.
I knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door.
He was behind his desk, looking at his monitor.
"What is it, Ms. Stone?"
"I need to leave early today."
His eyes moved to me.
"What time?"
"Three."
A pause.
"Why?"
"I have an appointment."
"What appointment?"
I should've known that wouldn't be enough.
I shifted my weight.
"An interview."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Adrian didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't say a word.
For several seconds, he just stared at me.
Adrian.exe stops responding.
I almost wanted to wave a hand in front of his face.
Finally-
"An interview."
"Yes."
"Today."
"Yes."
Another pause.
"Where?"
"I'm not telling you."
His eyebrows pulled together.
"Why?"
"Because you own an architecture firm."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
I stared at him.
"You've spent the last five days trying to stop me from leaving."
"Six."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Six days."
Of course he was counting.
Something squeezed in my chest.
I ignored it.
"Exactly. Which is why I'm not telling you where I'm interviewing."
"I'm not going to do anything."
"You showed up at my apartment fifty minutes early on Saturday."
"That has nothing to do with this."
"You drove me to Miami Beach yesterday to review one drawing."
"The coffee was good."
I stared at him.
"Adrian."
His jaw tightened.
"I wouldn't interfere with your interview."
"Good."
"Where is it?"
I almost laughed.
"No."
He leaned back in his chair.
"What position?"
"Architect."
"I assumed that."
"Then why did you ask?"
"What firm?"
"Still no."
"When did you apply?"
I stared at him.
"Are you interviewing me about my interview?"
"When did you apply?"
"After I resigned."
His expression changed.
"How long after?"
"Why does that matter?"
"Have you applied anywhere else?"
"Adrian."
"Have you?"
I folded my arms.
"You realize you're proving exactly why I'm not giving you the name of the company."
"I told you I wouldn't interfere."
"And I believe you."
His expression eased by approximately one percent.
"I just don't believe you enough to give you their address."
It disappeared.
"Angelica."
"What?"
His fingers tightened around the pen in his hand.
"Is this your first interview?"
"Yes."
"When did they contact you?"
"Last week."
His jaw shifted.
"And you're telling me now?"
"I'm telling my boss that I need to leave early. That's what I'm supposed to do."
His eyes stayed on mine.
I could almost see him searching for another question.
Another piece of information.
Something he could actually do something with.
There wasn't one.
"Three," he said finally.
"Yes."
He looked back at his monitor.
The wall had gone up again.
"You can leave."
I didn't move immediately.
"Okay."
I turned toward the door.
"Angelica."
I stopped and looked back.
He was still staring at the screen.
For a second, I thought he was going to ask again.
Instead-
"Good luck."
I stared at him.
That couldn't have been easy.
"Thank you."
He gave one small nod.
I walked out and closed the door behind me.
At three minutes to three, I shut down my computer.
Maya looked over.
"Interview?"
I nodded.
Her entire face lit up.
"Good luck."
"Thank you."
"And don't let them intimidate you."
"I work for Adrian Vale."
She considered that.
"Excellent point."
I smiled and reached for my bag.
I'd changed during lunch.
Black tailored pants.
A soft cream blouse.
Black heels.
Hair smooth, makeup touched up, portfolio tucked beneath my arm.
Professional.
Polished.
Interview-ready.
I straightened and turned-
Adrian was standing outside his office.
Of course he was.
He wasn't speaking to anyone.
Wasn't holding a folder.
Wasn't apparently doing anything at all.
He was just there.
His eyes found me.
And stopped.
For a second, neither of us moved.
His gaze traveled over me.
The blouse.
The pants.
The heels.
The portfolio.
Then back to my face.
Something tightened in his expression.
I knew exactly what he was seeing.
Not me leaving work early.
Me going somewhere else.
Walking into another architecture firm.
Sitting across from someone who might offer me a desk that wasn't here.
I adjusted the portfolio against my side.
"I'm leaving."
His jaw shifted.
"I can see that."
Maya suddenly became extremely interested in her computer.
I almost smiled.
"See you tomorrow."
Adrian looked at me for another second.
Then nodded.
"Tomorrow."
I started toward the elevators.
"Angelica."
I turned.
He stood exactly where I'd left him.
"Yeah?"
A pause.
"Nothing."
I waited.
He didn't say anything else.
So I turned and kept walking.
The elevator doors opened.
I stepped inside and pressed the button for the lobby.
Just before the doors closed, I looked up.
Adrian was still standing there.
Watching me leave.
The firm was twelve minutes from Vale Architecture.
Not that I was measuring.
I was absolutely measuring.
I parked, checked my reflection in the mirror one last time, grabbed my portfolio, and got out.
The building was beautiful.
Not intimidating-beautiful.
Warm-beautiful.
Glass, pale stone, greenery climbing one side of the entrance.
I liked it immediately.
Which felt vaguely disloyal.
I pushed that thought away.
I was allowed to like buildings Adrian hadn't designed.
Probably.
Inside, the receptionist smiled at me.
"Angelica Stone?"
"Yes."
"They're expecting you."
A few minutes later, I was sitting across from two architects in a bright conference room with my portfolio open between us.
And-
It went well.
Really well.
They asked about my experience.
Solara.
My design process.
How I handled revisions and disagreements.
What kind of projects I wanted to work on.
Questions I knew how to answer.
Questions I liked answering.
At one point, the woman across from me turned one of my portfolio pages toward herself.
"This is strong."
"Thank you."
"You did the fa?ade development?"
"Yes. I worked on the design revisions and coordination."
She nodded, studying it again.
The man across from me glanced down at my résumé.
"You're currently with Vale Architecture?"
"Yes."
"What's making you consider leaving?"
I went still.
I'd known they would ask.
I'd even prepared an answer.
But suddenly, sitting there, I couldn't remember a single word of it.
Why was I leaving?
Adrian standing across the conference table, humiliating me in front of everyone.
Don't confuse what I've allowed from you with authority you don't have.
That was why.
Then-
Coffee waiting on my desk every morning.
A yellow T-shirt.
A ridiculous goose.
My daughter likes brownies.
Miami Beach.
I thought you hated me at the office.
I did.
And this morning-
Ms. Stone.
Oh God.
This should not have been a difficult question.
I had resigned for a reason.
A good reason.
So why was I sitting in a job interview struggling to explain why I wanted to leave?
"Ms. Stone?"
I blinked.
"Sorry."
I straightened slightly.
"I've learned a lot at Vale Architecture, and I've worked on projects I'm proud of. But I'm looking for an environment where I can continue growing professionally, take on more responsibility, and feel confident that I can build something long-term."
The answer sounded good.
Professional.
True.
Just not quite as simple as it would've sounded six days ago.
The woman across from me smiled.
"I think you'd have room for that here."
Something shifted in my chest.
Because I believed her.
The interview lasted almost an hour.
By the time I walked back outside, the late-afternoon sun had softened.
I stopped near my car and looked back at the building.
I liked the people.
I liked the work they'd shown me.
I liked the office.
I could see myself here.
I really could.
And that should have felt good.
It did.
But underneath it, something in my chest hurt.
Because for the first time since I'd handed Adrian my resignation, leaving didn't feel theoretical.
This could be my new office.
These could be my coworkers.
I could come here every morning instead.
And suddenly all I could think about was the coffee that wouldn't be waiting on my desk.
And the man who wouldn't be there when I looked up.