Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
CALEB
I don’t return home that night. I’m furious, and I don’t want to be around her. She knew he liked her and, instead of putting him firmly in the ‘not going to happen, ever’ zone, she kept trying to stay friends with him. It’s such bullshit. Obviously, having witnessed Jasper’s car crash, the last thing I wanted to do was control her or try to tell her what to do, but tonight was inevitable.
Ariella has a way of being evasive enough to drive anyone mad. I know. I’ve been at the other end of it. Repeatedly. Whether she is aware of it is irrelevant, and I have never been more sick and tired of her shit.
I knew he was circling, but he could be forgiven when he didn’t know about Ariella and me and we were on hold. When we finally got back together, though, he still kept coming, and Ariella let him. That bastard tried to put me on a border-hopping plane to Vietnam with enough cash to disappear, for fuck’s sake. Even the stupid meetings they had to have. I don’t care if they were talking about helping Christopher. Why did it have to be after work or on his ostentatious boat? What’s wrong with a well-lit conference room in the middle of the day? So what if time zones aren’t on our side and Christopher’s day was starting just as ours was finishing? Christopher would have gladly made an 8a.m. video call at the healthy time of 4p.m. in Singapore. She has been leading him on, and finally, tonight, he reached the end of his tether and I reached mine.
I’d been at home reading up online on what to expect from our first scan and how Ariella’s body was going to change, because she was already two months down. Apparently, things were about to get much more exciting in month three. The last thing I expected was MsPat’s frantic call telling me that Dominic had locked Ariella in his home. I’d never been more relieved that we lived in the same community.
I ran the two miles, on the twisty, hilly roads, through golf-course-sized parks and gardens, to Dominic’s house in ten minutes flat; but seeing MsPat shaking with fear was what tipped me over the edge. My girlfriend and my baby were trapped in there by this man. We were both lucky I didn’t kill him with my bare hands.
For Ariella to then have the audacity to tell me, mid-argument, that he stood a chance was the gut punch from her that I wasn’t expecting. I was so blinded by rage that, if MsPat hadn’t been there, I would have crossed a huge line; and she was right – there would have been no coming back from it.
When I knocked on Honey’s door at two in the morning, I was a mess, and she did what I needed. She let me in, didn’t ask any questions, led me to her spare room and placed a bottle of water beside me before promising that whatever it was would be all right in the morning.
It wasn’t. I woke up, still fuming. I was so ferocious in training that Honey had to stop us every few minutes to remind me to use my head, because I was leaving myself open and vulnerable to attack. Sounds about right.
I went home to shower and change for the day when I knew Ariella had definitely left for work and, when I got in, she was in Samir’s office. We were all called into a staff meeting at noon.
For once, Samir isn’t standing at the top of the table, Ariella is.
‘I will be leaving my position at Ivory Bow today and I will not be rejoining Ivory Bow in the UK,’ she announces quietly. The gasps around the table drown her next sentence out.
‘It’s fine. It’s time.’ It’s her next sentence that delivers the blow for me. ‘I love Singapore, but it doesn’t feel like home any more and it’s time that I returned to my real home.’
Clearly I’m not her ‘home’ any more.
‘Lydia, you’re going to take on a more strategic executive role with Samir. You’re ready. It’s time you started working towards the role we both know you can do with your eyes closed. Sian, Jess, Akiko. We’re splitting projects into three different departments. One of you will head each one. You will have the opportunity to build your own teams – congratulations. The last year has been extremely challenging, but it has been the most rewarding year of my life and I am so grateful for you all.’
With that, Ariella walks out of the meeting room and straight off the Ivory Bow floor, leaving her bag, laptop, notebook and work mobile on her desk.
Samir takes her place.
‘I know this will be shock?—’
Lydia is the first to walk out. Bryce follows. Then Akiko, before Jess and Sian. Bree mouths a quick ‘sorry’ to me and follows the girls.
‘We expected that, and Ariella is going to help to ensure their return. Caleb, can I have a word with you?’
We head straight into his office.
‘I imagine you, more than everyone else, want to go and check on Ariella, so I appreciate you fighting the urge to do so and staying.’
I immediately feel like shit.
‘Your performance has prompted a review of your contract,’ Samir says uncomfortably.
My performance is stellar. Dominic has prompted a review of my contract.
‘You’ve been doing well and hitting your targets and this might be a good time to remind you that, whatever happens with Ariella, you’re still expected to perform for the remaining duration of your two-year contract. There are perks attached to your employment, such as your living allowances and expenses, and, should your performance significantly drop, you fail to hit your targets or seem to be engaging in any kind of sabotage, it is well within the company’s rights to respond accordingly; and with legal action if deemed necessary or appropriate.’
I feel the metaphorical chains going on. ‘Sure. Anything else?’
‘Please remember that all travel and all holidays must be approved.’
‘Fine. Is that all?’
‘I’ve been asked to reclaim Ariella’s home in two weeks. Do you have somewhere else to stay?’
‘No, but I’ll find somewhere. There’s time.’
‘That’s all for now.’
He catches up to me just as I am about to leave his office, and puts his hand on my shoulder.
‘I’m not sure what happened last night but I’m not comfortable with the way things have played out today. It wasn’t my decision to let Ariella go, and it certainly wasn’t my decision to pull your contract and enforce every single point on it. I’m going to do everything I can to make things as easy as possible for you, but please be aware that sometimes my hands may be tied.’
‘Thanks, Samir,’ I say, understanding that he’s not exactly happy with what Dominic has done either.
At the end of the work day, for the first time, I dread going home. I’m still pissed off at everything that went down yesterday, but Ariella just got sacked in front of the whole company.
I hear everyone before I see them. A large part of me is happy that we won’t be alone.
Everyone who walked out after Ariella is sitting in our living room, surrounded by bottles of wine and platters of food as they chatter loudly.
‘Caleb! Did you quit?’ Jess shouts in the direction of the door.
‘Eeeeeyyyy!’ everyone choruses as I walk towards them.
‘This is where you’ve all been, on a work day? We really need a proper HR department,’ I joke.
When my eyes meet Ariella’s, she turns away. Oh, don’t worry, love, I’m still pissed off too.
I stay in the living room and join in as we share fun memories and challenges we have had together. Ariella spends most of the evening trying to persuade everyone to go back to work the next day. She falls asleep in the armchair just as the sun begins to set and, after she has encouraged everyone to stay, takes herself up for a nap. We stay chatting and laughing until well past ten. Once the team leave, I take myself off to sleep in the guest bedroom.