6. Maeve
MAEVE
I force myself to walk away, but the image of Gabriel as I walked in is burned onto the back of my eyelids.
Standing in front of me, the folder gripped in his hands, the fine Italian fabric of his suit stretched taut across his shoulders.
It’s infuriating how attractive he is, especially when he looks at me with that intense focus he sometimes has—the kind that makes my heart beat harder than it should.
It’s a silly reaction on my part. He’s my boss, and I know Gabriel would never cross that line, even if he saw me as anything more than a competent employee whose privacy he just accidentally violated.
The fact that he didn’t mock me feels like a small mercy, but the memory of his expression as he looked at my photos makes my stomach clench with embarrassment so strong that it’s almost nauseating.
I set the paperwork down on my desk and take a deep, steadying breath. It’s a mountain, but a familiar one. I’m used to them throwing this kind of thing at me. I wouldn’t have survived two years in this lion’s den if I couldn’t pivot and be ruthlessly efficient.
As I get to work, I glance over at the envelope, which is sitting on the corner of my desk, and wrinkle my nose. Taking those pictures was supposed to be something for me. A private act of rebellion, a way to reclaim a piece of myself.
But right now, I don’t feel sexy or confident. I feel silly, like a little girl who tried to play dress-up in her mother’s heels.
With a surge of frustration, I shove the feeling down and sort the paperwork Gabriel gave me by priority, my movements sharp and precise.
I deal with a few matters for Ford and Hayden too, then carry the files toward their offices.
Ford isn’t in his office when I drop it off, and I can see why when I reach Hayden’s office to deliver his.
That’s where Ford is, the two of them talking in low voices.
I rap softly, then slip inside. Hayden is seated behind his massive desk, a king on his throne, and Ford is leaning over the desk, his hands braced on the polished surface. They’re in the middle of a conversation that seems important.
“This would take us in the most exciting direction we’ve had in years,” Ford is saying.
Hayden sees me and gives a curt nod. I hold up the papers, then place them on the edge of his desk. I know he’ll get to them when he’s ready.
Ford’s ice blue gaze flicks to me for a fraction of a second before returning to Hayden.
“I know,” Hayden replies, running a hand through his hair. “That’s why we have to make sure we knock ’em dead.”
“We always knock ’em dead.”
“This is the first time in years we’re dealing with people who might actually be as good as we are, Ford. We can’t be lazy or cut corners.”
“Since when have I been lazy or cut corners?” Ford chuckles, although his tone is serious. “You know I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this partnership goes through.”
I leave the room quietly, closing the door behind me to give them their privacy.
This must be what has Hayden on edge. Whatever partnership they’re discussing, it sounds like a big deal, the next hurdle for Meridian to overcome.
My three bosses have built an empire, and yet they’re all still hungry, still reaching for more.
A bitter taste fills my mouth as that thought bounces around in my head. I walk back to my desk where that stupid envelope still sits, a reminder of my own stalled life and halfhearted attempts to revive it. This job pays well, and it definitely keeps me on my toes. But it was never my dream .
Once upon a time, I was supposed to build something too, just like these men are doing. And somewhere along the way, I lost that.
No. Lost isn’t the right word. It was stolen from me.
After my father died, my mother shattered. The pieces of her never quite fit back together the same way. She became a ghost haunting my life, swinging between crippling bouts of depression and manic, debt-fueled flights of fancy.
By the time I escaped to college, the damage was done. She hadn’t just destroyed her own life, she’d opened cards in my name, maxed them out, and left me buried under a mountain of debt.
I never told Liam or anyone else. The struggle of trying to fix what my mother had ruined was a weight that I carried alone. I cut my mom off, finally removing her toxicity from my life, but the debt she’d racked up wasn’t so easy to walk away from.
When Ford offered me this job, it was like a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman. I grabbed on and held tight.
But now… it’s been two years. How much longer am I going to tread water?
That question echoes in the space where my own ambitions used to live. Allison is right. I need to move on. Not with another man, or by taking photos to convince myself I’m worthy of desire. I need to move on by finally building something for myself.
A piercing clarity cuts through the fog of my humiliation, and before I can think twice about it, my feet carry me back toward the offices. Ford is just exiting Hayden’s office, and I intercept him before he can disappear into his own.
“Do you have a minute?” I ask. “We need to talk.”
Ford keeps walking. “I didn’t eat your food this time. Ask Hayden.”
“This isn’t about that.” I follow him into the threshold of his office. “I need to talk to you about something else.”
“Can it wait? I have to deal with Gelman’s new assistant. Is she competent, or am I going to have to suffer through another idiot he hired because they look good in a skirt?”
“Her name is Cali, and she’s competent,” I say, my voice steady despite the rapid beating of my heart. “Ford, I’m tendering my resignation.”
He stops dead, his hand frozen on the handle of his office door. He turns slowly, his entire body going rigid. For the first time, his icy composure cracks, revealing a flicker of shock. “Excuse me?”
“I said I’m quitting.” The words feel foreign coming out of my mouth.
“Thank you for this opportunity. I don’t know that I can ever properly express my gratitude for what you did for me two years ago.
I know you hired me out of pity, but I hope I proved that your investment was a sound one.
This job was a lifeline, and I will always be grateful for that. ”
Ford is staring at me, the shock in his expression slowly being replaced by that familiar, unreadable mask. But the stillness in his eyes is different now.
“I need to leave.” I plow forward before my courage can evaporate. “I’ll give you my two weeks, which will take us to the holiday break. It should be enough time for you to find a replacement for the new year.”
He doesn’t say anything. The silence stretches, thick and heavy. I have no idea what he’s thinking. Hell, maybe he’s relieved.
“That’s all I wanted to say,” I conclude somewhat lamely.
I turn and walk back to my desk, feeling a bit like I’m having an out of body experience. I can’t believe what I just did, but I also know that I had to do it. It’s time. Maybe even past time, if I’m being honest with myself.
Even with Gabriel’s extra stack of paperwork, I get everything wrapped up in time to leave at a reasonable hour. I stand for a moment while waiting for the elevator, looking across the sleek, silent office that has practically been my home for two years.
Soon, I’ll leave it forever.
And I think I’m okay with that.