Chapter 51
Sadie
Ihung up the phone and looked around the waiting room at the other interviewees who were casting curious glances my way.
I smiled weakly at them before looking down at my résumé I held in my hands, being careful to keep the edges of the paper crisp.
It was hard with how shaky my hands were after that call from Jeremiah.
He had called several times this morning, but I had ignored each one.
Partly because I had been in job interviews.
Partly because I didn’t know what to say to him.
I had told him I needed space, which he had given me the past few days.
It hadn’t given me much clarity, other than pointing out that I missed him more and more with each minute that passed.
I had the welcome distraction of living at Erica’s on my side.
Being able to talk to my best friend until the late hours of the night.
Playing with Josie in her princess playroom.
Being in a different part of town than my job at the accounting firm and Jeremiah’s apartment.
Still, even without the constant reminder of him, I still saw him in everything I did.
In everywhere I went. It was frustrating how easily things could remind me of him.
The biggest one of all being the first kick I felt last night.
It was the most surreal feeling. I pressed my hand to my belly to let them know I was there as a tear streamed down my cheek.
It was both happy and sad. Happy because it was an incredible feeling. Sad because Jeremiah was missing it.
He had spent so many evenings with his hand on my stomach, waiting for any sign of life from the baby. Each time, he looked at me disappointed, as I ran a reassuring hand through his dark hair.
“Sadie Lane?” called the receptionist through the glass door she held open.
“Here!” I said, feeling like I was back in high school and the teacher was taking attendance.
She looked at me with a hint of amusement as she tapped her clipboard with her pen.
I muttered to myself quietly as I stood from my chair and walked to where she waited.
She looked me up and down before gesturing me to follow her.
I could have sworn her eyes lingered over my midsection, which I had tried my best to camouflage with a black peplum top and matching skirt.
But there wasn’t much to do about it anymore.
I was five months pregnant. The bump was out.
I knew it hurt my chances of getting a job, but it didn’t stop me from trying.
Now, if only I could look past this receptionist’s judgmental stare. And get past Jeremiah’s phone call, which had me shaken up. I shouldn’t have taken it. Not right before this interview. I just thought maybe it was an emergency. Maybe it was. To him.
I knew a part of me just wanted to hear his voice.
As I followed the receptionist down the hall, I thought about what on earth could have been in the article he was talking about. He was so worked up on the phone. Scared even. I don’t think I had ever heard him like that before. It had to be bad. Really bad.
And what had I said about “love”?
I couldn’t think about any of that now. Not as I was being led into the office I was interviewing in today. His name was Dean Handler, a CEO of a smaller AI company. I gave him a smile as I walked into his office, hoping his eyes would stay at my face as I held out my hand. He shook it firmly.
“Sadie Lane,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Mmm,” he said gruffly, not bothering to stand from his desk chair. He gestured for me to sit down in the seat across from his desk before dismissing his receptionist with a flick of his hand.
“Well, Ms. Lane. I looked over the résumé you sent over…” said Dean as he peered down his nose at me. His brown eyes were unimpressed as his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Oh good, I also have another copy here,” I said, placing it on his desk.
He looked annoyed at my eagerness, but I tried to ignore it as I squared my shoulders.
“You were at your last accounting firm for years. What happened?” he asked bluntly.
“While I gained a great deal of valuable experience, I decided to try a different path,” I said. It had nothing to do with the fact that I had a secret affair with my boss and ended up becoming pregnant with his child.
“And that path is AI?” he asked, raising a brow. “Do you have any experience in artificial intelligence?”
“Well, no. But the position is for a personal assistant, and I know how to do that at an expert level,” I said confidently. I reached into my bag and pulled out the letter of recommendation that Jeremiah had typed up for me last week. “I have my letter of recommendation from my former boss—”
“Jeremiah Mason,” he interrupted coolly. “Yes, I saw the letter alongside the résumé you sent.”
I nodded. I guessed there was such a thing as being too prepared for some people.
It seemed to irk Dean Handler. Or was it something else that irked him about me?
I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. I suddenly wondered if it had anything to do with the article Jeremiah had called about. I had to get my hands on it.
“His letter was certainly glowing,” said Dean, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Yes, well, we spent a great deal of time together as he took over the company.”
“I’m sure you did.”
I didn’t like the tone he had.
“Am I missing something?” I asked, tilting my head to one side.
“No. I think that about wraps our interview up, Ms. Lane.”
“But…”
He waved his hand at the door and the same receptionist who brought me in was there to bring me out.
I stood from my seat and turned to go, not bothering to say goodbye to the asshole behind the desk.
That was my worst interview yet, and the morning had been full of doozies.
I walked past the receptionist impatiently, knowing my way out, and stepped out onto the sidewalk gasping for much needed air.
What the hell just happened in there?
I had to find that article. Now. Maybe it had something to do with how my interviews had gone this morning, which was from bad to worse.
I looked up and down the block and spotted a newsstand on the corner.
I walked toward it quickly, my stomach doing a flip when I saw Jeremiah’s face staring back at me from the front cover of the paper.
He hadn’t told me it was front-page news.
Not that I had given him much of a chance to say anything at all.
I quickly grabbed the paper and placed a few dollar bills on the counter.
I found a nearby bench and plopped down, holding the paper face-up on my lap.
My eyes scanned over his face, almost taking up the whole page, if it weren’t for the headline above it screaming at me.
I thought I was going to be sick. I ripped open the paper and began reading the article.
The one Jeremiah had been desperately trying to avoid from coming out.
I didn’t understand him until now. This was invasive and splashed on the front of New Yorks’s most popular newspapers for the world to read.
The article claimed he was in a street gang and was an ex-con.
It was a bold-faced lie, and one that only Anderson would tell.
The lying creep. Of course, he would never own up to the fact he had framed his best friend, letting him take the fall.
Jeremiah had never even gone to prison, so the ex-con claim was bullshit.
Whoever wrote this had their facts wrong, but it wasn’t surprising if their source was Anderson.
Though his name was left out of the article, the “anonymous source” reeked of him.
According to the source, Jeremiah was violent, merciless, and cruel—and that’s why he’s been such a success in the business world.
He doesn’t care about people. He will walk across anyone’s back he needs to get where he’s going. His own family disowned him for it.
My heart broke for Jeremiah. His past had come back to haunt him in the worst way.
A tangled web of lies printed in black and white ink for everyone’s eyes to read.
Anderson was getting desperate if he went to the press.
I wondered how a man could be so hellbent on getting revenge, even after so many years.
I thought their fight in the park would have been enough for him to walk away. But now I realized he wouldn’t stop.
I read on to the part about Jeremiah’s secret office affair with his “young assistant,” aka me.
Though my name was left out, I knew enough people could easily figure out who I was.
I hated how the story made our relationship something dirty.
I never saw it that way. Ever. I didn’t think Jeremiah did either, but now I see how people could twist it into whatever sold on the newsstands. His fears made sense now.
I had to find him.
I folded the paper and shoved it in my purse.
I dialed Jeremiah’s number, but it went to voicemail.
I stood from the bench to hail a cab. Thankfully, one pulled up to the curb quickly.
The driver probably felt bad for me, given my rounded belly.
I gave him the address to the accounting firm, hoping to find Jeremiah there.
When I arrived, I stared up at the glass building, wondering how it had only been a few weeks since I quit, yet it felt like years.
Inside the downstairs lobby, no one questioned me as I strode toward the elevators.
I garnered a few curious looks in my direction, but I had worked there for so many years and was on good terms with everyone, from security to the main front desk.
I waited with bated breath as the elevator ascended, bracing myself to see Jeremiah.
My nerves started to kick in, making my heart start to pound.
The doors soon opened and I stepped out.
I gave the new front desk clerk a confident nod, walking past before she could stop me.
I noticed most everyone’s eyes on me as I walked down the hallway to Jeremiah’s office.
I spotted his new assistant, Luke, at my old desk.
“Sadie,” he said in surprise.
“Is he here?” I asked, looking toward Jeremiah’s closed door.
“No. Afraid not.” He shook his head regretfully.
“Do you know when he’ll be back? I asked disappointedly.
“He said he was taking a family day.” Luke shrugged.
A family day? I wasn’t sure if my ears heard him correctly.
“Sadie!” someone squealed, making me look up as one of the junior associates rushed toward me. She pulled me in for a hug.
“Simone. Hi,” I said, but more as a question.
“We heard the news!” she said excitedly.
“What? What are you talking about?” I asked confused.
“You guys are having a baby!” She clapped her hands excitedly.
“We are so excited for you both!” said Luke with a warm smile, as more of the office gathered around.
“I knew something was up with you two,” said Simone with a sly smile. “And when Jeremiah proudly told us all this morning, I could hardly hold it together.”
“H-he told you?” I said, my voice cracking.
“Yeah, he told everyone this morning!” She smiled, before adding, “Good for you, girl. Jeremiah is hot.” She giggled. A few other female employees joined in and gave me knowing glances.
I couldn’t believe any of this.