Chapter Twenty-Three
Twenty-Three
Nhuri rushed through the office, waving quickly at Ashley before frantically pressing the elevator button. She was back late from lunch by fourteen minutes and was slightly panicking. Not because she couldn’t run over some, but because she was already twenty minutes late this morning.
Her entire day had been thrown off by having to take Raniya to day care because Natalia had spent the wee hours of the morning throwing up.
And then, traffic had been backed up. She’d barely had time to throw on something decent before rushing out the door, and everything had been a mess, including her outfit, since.
Once she reached her floor, she hurried inside her office and placed her things down before heading to Shyriq’s. She knocked on the closed door and waited for him to tell her to come in. Nhuri eased the door open when he said nothing and poked her head inside.
“Um, hey,” she said lightly, trying to test his temperature.
He’d been in a shitty mood all morning, and she got it.
It was just one of those days for them both.
The second she stepped inside, Nhuri could immediately feel the tension in the air.
Cautiously, she took a seat in front of his desk.
Shyriq had his eyes glued to his screen and didn’t bother to look her way until Nhuri sucked her teeth.
“You have something to say?” he asked with irritation written all over his face. He’d had the same expression all morning.
“I know I’m late, but what’s with your weird mood today? Is everything okay?”
Her sincerity almost made him forget why he was pissed. “Why wouldn’t everything be okay?”
Nhuri was confused by his question. “Um . . . I’m not sure. That’s why I asked.”
“You should be asking yourself that.”
His clipped tone made Nhuri draw her head back. “Excuse me?”
She could already tell he was in one of those moods where he was meticulous, nitpicky, and snappish, but this was different. It felt like he was personally attacking her.
“First, you show up late without my chai tea, and then you mosey in here after taking a longer lunch like everything is cool. Is that how I operate?”
In the chaos of her morning, she’d completely forgotten to grab Shyriq’s drink from Sip. She couldn’t even think straight this morning, so, of course, stopping to grab their usual wasn’t on her mind.
She tried to keep her tone steady and not give him the same energy he was giving her. “I had a rough morning, Shyriq.”
“So did I,” he said, placing his arms on his desk. “But I still managed to be on time. Life is going to get rough. It doesn’t mean you get to do what you want.”
Nhuri forced herself to stay calm as she stared at him in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”
He scoffed, rubbing a hand down his beard. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
She let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. “You’ve been nitpicking all morning, but me being late and not having your chai tea is what you’re upset about?”
He shot her a look. “It’s not just about the drink, Nhuri. It’s about reliability.”
Something about that word made her chest tighten.
“Oh, so now I’m unreliable?”
Shyriq’s jaws flexed. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to,” she shot back. “Because that’s exactly what you’re implying.”
Now, an even thicker tension filled the room, and it suffocated them both.
Nhuri’s breathing was shallow as anger burned hot in her chest. He had the audacity to be talking to her crazy like she didn’t bust her ass every day, putting in extra hours and making sure his life ran smoothly.
But none of that mattered because she was late and forgot his damn tea? Nhuri was beyond pissed.
Not just as his assistant but as a woman she thought he cared about.
“You don’t get to talk to me like this,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “I have been nothing but good to you and to this job. And the one time I slip up, you’re acting like I’m some kind of disappointment?”
Shyriq exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose like he was trying to keep himself in check. “Nhuri, that’s not—”
“No,” she cut him off. “You’ve been in a mood all morning, and I’ve been letting it slide, but not anymore. You’re snapping at me over some bullshit, and I don’t deserve that.”
Hearing her curse at him made Shyriq realize he had crossed the line, but his pride wouldn’t let him say it. So, he deflected and told her the real reason he was in his feelings and tripping.
“Did you have fun this weekend?” he asked.
Nhuri frowned. “What? Why are you asking me that?”
“Because I know how it is when you run into an old fling. Meeting up at hotels and all that. You must’ve had a grand ol’ time to be rushing in here late and making excuses.”
Nhuri’s throat ached from unshed tears. She was so angry that her leg bounced, and her skin flushed. He had no right to speak to her like that, and she let him know it.
“You’re being really disrespectful, and I’ma need you to dial it back some,” she said, putting aside all professionalism.
“Nah, what’s disrespectful is you publicly arguing with your ex. What, you want that old thing back?”
Nhuri’s lip trembled. “That’s low. You don’t know what we were talking about, and your brother is weak for running his mouth.”
“Well, someone had to tell me. You weren’t,” Shyriq stated.
“And I’m glad I didn’t. Look how you’re acting. I see why your wife cheated on you.”
Her words hit Shyriq in the face as if she’d slapped the black off him. His head reared back, and he coughed to ease the tightness in his chest.
“That’s how you feel?”
Nhuri’s nostrils flared. Her feelings were beyond hurt, and now she knew why Natalia had warned her. Men like Shyriq didn’t deserve her love.
“Yep, and for the record, what I do and who I converse with isn’t any of your damn business, boss. From now on, if it isn’t work-related, do me and yourself a favor and leave me the hell alone.”
She stood from her seat and walked to the door. Opening it, she looked back. “And have Ashley grab your chai tea from now on since you need them so badly, and I’m unreliable. Cranky-ass grown man,” she mumbled loud enough for him to hear and pulled his door shut.
Nhuri barely made it to her office before the emotions crashed over her.
Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hardly breathe.
The second she shut the door behind her, her hands trembled as she pressed her back against it.
Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she swallowed hard, refusing to let them fall.
She wasn’t going to cry over Shyriq or the shitty morning she had.
But it wasn’t just about this morning.
It was the weight of everything. Natalia’s health scare, stepping up for Raniya, the stress of a new position she hadn’t even asked for, and now Shyriq, snapping at her like she hadn’t been holding it all together.
She roughly wiped at her face and took a deep breath, but it was no use. The tears came anyway. Her office felt too small and too suffocating. Nhuri pushed herself off the door and walked over to her desk. She gripped the edges as her body shook.
She was tired.
Tired of feeling like no matter what she did, it wasn’t enough—not for Dru, not for Natalia’s healing, not for this job, and not for Shyriq. She had been breaking her back to prove herself to be strong for everyone, and yet, here she was, being talked down to over something as stupid as a latte.
She squeezed her eyes shut as tears coated her cheeks.
Why does this hurt so much? she thought.
Nhuri wasn’t sure if it was because she respected him and had grown feelings for him.
Or was it because she actually liked her job, the feeling of being needed and being seen?
Whatever it was, it held no candle to how small she felt right now.
Sniffling, she inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled slowly.
She wasn’t about to sit here and break down over a man who was too damn stubborn to admit he was wrong.
He didn’t deserve that power over her. No one did.
If Shyriq hadn’t understood that before now, Nhuri would make sure he felt it from here on out.
Shyriq had royally messed up and had no one to blame but himself.
It was the evening of the Nine Oak Exclusive Tasting, and he was going through it.
True to her word, Nhuri had kept her distance and remained strictly professional.
Not just today but for the last two weeks.
She’d been short with him, only answering and responding to emails, phone calls, and questions related to work.
He couldn’t blame her and was glad she hadn’t quit because that would’ve really made tonight drag on. Shyriq was impressed, though. Despite his annoyance and behavior with Tyreek for pushing up on Nhuri, he hadn’t half-stepped with the decorations or the guest list.
The private venue screamed sophistication and luxury. The restored historic loft space had exposed brick walls, sleek black steel beams, and floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the city, while chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
At the entrance, a custom-built oak barrel engraved with the Nine Oak logo grabbed the guests’ attention as soon as they entered.
There were two backdrops to snap photos and three photographers walking around capturing the moment.
Shyriq went all out and spared no expense when Nhuri suggested they get a floral arrangement of deep red roses, eucalyptus, and black calla lilies for the wooden barrel centerpieces.
They paired perfectly with the gold-rimmed glassware.
Every detail embodied the Nine Oak’s spirit, including the sleek leather-bound menus with the evening’s whiskey tastings and food selections.