Chapter 29 NANCY #2
“I went back to my parents’ house for a friend’s birthday,” Sarah said. “Did you have a nice time at yours on Friday? You left early.”
My stomach clenched at the memory of my panic attack. “Yeah, I felt off at lunch and went home to rest, then I went out with a few friends to Ride. Some grime acts were performing.”
“Oh, I don’t think I know any grime… No, wait, Stormzy. He headlined Glastonbury, right?”
“Yeah.” I nodded politely, having had this conversation many times with the students at uni. “The acts at the club had a different vibe from his stuff.”
Ayesha walked in and sat next to me. “Are you okay?” I shot a sideways look that said no. “How about a walk at lunch?” she said, and I gave her a grateful nod.
David, Emma, and Sean entered together and closed the door.
The meeting started, and a strategic outline was discussed for the next stage of our fieldwork.
With the team ahead of schedule, everyone was in good spirits, so much so they even laughed enthusiastically at David’s terrible jokes.
By the time the meeting finished, I’d settled into work mode, and everyone’s focus seemed to have moved on.
But, just as my mind pulled away from the incriminating article that had started the day, David asked me to stay behind.
My colleagues quietly filtered out, India giving me a condescending appraisal as she passed.
Once everyone had left, David closed the door and, to my dismay, switched on the privacy glass.
“Nancy, please take a seat,” he said, not quite making eye contact.
I took the chair across from him, my chest tightening for the chewing out that would follow.
“First off, I want to ask if you’re okay.
” David’s eyes met mine with compassion, and to my frustration, I began to well up.
“I’ll take that as a no.” He reached into his jacket and retrieved a pack of pocket tissues.
“I always carry these for my hay fever. Use them if you need to, okay?” I nodded, taking one just in case, but felt calmer after a few deep breaths.
“I’m sure you know why I asked you to stay behind.
I need to talk to you about The Daily Echo’s article concerning the… relations between you and Alex.”
“Okay,” I murmured, mortified.
“As you know, we have a code of conduct at Goldfields. It’s there to protect our staff and the firm.
In our line of work, we understand that sometimes staff can find themselves…
vulnerable. While Goldfields can’t ban relationships at work, they do discourage them.
There are many reasons for that: potential for project disruption, conflict of interest, and a loss of professional integrity for both staff and clients.
And, because we have a lot of young employees with our various apprenticeship programmes, there can sometimes be significant power imbalances between graduates and executive management.
Do you understand what I’m saying, Nancy? ”
I nodded, trying to hide my shock at what he was implying.
“Of course, I’ll be upfront with you, David.
You’ve always been fair to me, and I respect you.
Me and Alex are seeing each other. It’s new, but we’re serious.
We’ve been trying to keep a low profile.
Unfortunately, we were spotted this weekend, but the story they’ve run is complete fiction.
There are only two of us in the relationship. ”
“Thanks for outlining that.” David shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“I know answering questions about your private life isn’t fair, but I want you to know I respect you too…
and Alex. You work hard, you’re focused, and you have an aptitude for forensics.
That’s why I assigned you to the more complex aspects of the audit. ”
I smiled gratefully. That meant a lot.
“I’m not surprised to hear that the tabloids have taken two and two and made seven, but nevertheless, I do need to determine how your relationship with Alex started. I’m sure you appreciate how high profile this is, and we need to ensure both you and Goldfields are covered legally.”
“What do you need to know?”
“This isn’t easy to ask, and Alex’s a friend, but as your manager, I need to check every avenue.
” David took a deep breath, and I wrung my hands.
“Did Lord Toverton harass or force you, in any way and at any point, in or out of the office, to communicate with him, to meet with him, or to conduct in any activities you were unwilling to participate in?”
My mouth went slack. Force me? What the hell! “No! Our relationship is one hundred per cent consensual. I know how it might look from the outside, but we care a lot about each other.”
David sat back in his chair and exhaled. “I’m sorry I had to ask you that. Sadly, that’s not always the case, and we make sure our staff is supported if anything untoward has happened. I’m sure you understand how seriously we take coercion.”
“Of course.” I nodded earnestly. “I’m just sorry about the fallout from the news story.”
“It’s okay, these things happen.” He waved it off. “I’m glad we had this chat, though. Are you still comfortable working on the top floor? It’s no problem if you want to swap positions. I can organise that today.”
“No, thank you. I appreciate that, but I’m comfortable, and I’d like to carry on the work we’re doing together. It’s been fascinating so far.”
David smiled and rose. “Okay, but if anything changes, you talk to me, understood?”
“Of course,” I said, following. While we waited for the lift, I texted Alex.
I just spoke to David and everything’s OK <3
Great news, bella. I’m so sorry this happened x
It’s not your fault, but we should keep it professional at work. Hope that’s okay, Lord Toverton :)
Role-play it is, Ms Cooper ;)
I looked over the atrium as I waited for the lift.
Alex hadn’t looked my way since I came back up from the team meeting, and it was making me feel off, like I’d lost my balance.
I realised that after three days in our cosy little bubble, I was craving his reassurance.
Frowning to myself, I entered the car. Ayesha was already buzzing in the lobby.
“Just ask before you burst,” I sighed as we turned left out the revolving doors.
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry, it’s just so…juicy.”
“That’s my private life you’re talking about.”
“You know how I get about gossip.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I know. Come on, out with it.”
“How accurate is The Echo’s article about you, Alex, and Mimi?”
“Seriously, that’s your question?” I snorted. “Am I in a threesome with the duke’s heir and an it girl?” Ayesha stared intently. “Not accurate at all! It’s a load of bollocks.”
“So, you’re not seeing Alex?”
“Well…that bit is true.”
“No!” Ayesha stopped dead. “You’re going out with the CEO-tech-mogul-lord?”
I gave her a wry smile. “I believe that is his official title.”
“But what about Mimi?”
“I love how you use her first name like you know her.” I carried on walking.
“Ms Preston-Black, then,” Ayesha kept up.
“She isn’t with Alex or me, and we’re definitely not having a ménage à trois,” I said as we hit the throng of pedestrians on Cornhill.
“Yeah, that did seem a bit out there.” Ayesha nodded, then furrowed her brow. “Are you sure there’s nothing between them, though? The upper classes have strange arrangements when it comes to relationships.”
I stopped suddenly (basically a crime in London), and a delivery guy almost ran into the back of me. He cursed “bloody tourists”, and I took it on the chin.
“What does that mean?”
“Like with Diana, Charles, and Camilla.”
“They were not in a three-way!”
“They kind of were, though.” Ayesha shrugged.
I started walking again, a little more briskly. “Look, he’s been open about Mimi and doesn’t want to be with her. And when we bumped into her on Saturday, which, by the way, was totally innocent, she was friendly. She wouldn’t be like that if they still had something.”
“Well, as long as you’re sure. Hopefully, it won’t affect work. I know how much the job means to you.”
“We’re keeping it professional and away from the office.”
“Then, I’m happy for you both.” Ayesha gave a broad smile. “Seriously, he’s da bomb!”
I giggled with affection. “If you don’t cut back on the nineties romcoms, I’m organising a Netflix intervention.”
“Oi, Nancy! Over ’ere, love!” came a gruff voice as we circled back to the steps of Toverton Tower.
I spun around, only to be blinded by the flash of a huge digital SLR camera that was unceremoniously shoved in my face. “What the fuck!”
“Some mouth you have on yer!” the man jeered, bolting towards the back of a motorcycle where a rider was filming the exchange on his phone.
“Hey! How dare you! This is where I work!”
The men laughed, then sped off down the street.
Ayesha ran over. “Nancy, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I guess.” I looked down at my trembling hands. “I mean, what the hell, that’s harassment!”
“Let’s get inside.” Ayesha led me to the lifts while I massaged my temples, attempting to relieve the headache looming behind my eyes. Sadly, the reprieve was temporary.
“Look, Sasha, it’s Nancy Cooper. How are you today?” India’s snide tone was unmistakable.
I turned to the depressing duo. “What would you care?”
“That’s not very friendly, is it?” India pouted.
“I’m just wonderful. Thank you so much for enquiring.”
India took a couple of wary blinks at my deadpan expression, then continued. “I bet. I mean, banging the boss of the company we’re auditing and his girlfriend. That’s a raunchy weekend. Who knew you were such a hustler?”
Sasha sniggered.
I ignored them, trying to take the high ground. “Surely an intelligent woman doesn’t believe everything she reads online?”
“If the shoe fits, and it always does with you lot,” India said, giving me a dirty look.
The encounter with the paparazzi had piqued my fury. This was a step over. Before fully comprehending what I was doing, my finger was in India’s face.