Chapter 36
James
As the days ticked by, the void left by Hallie’s absence seemed to grow deeper within me.
I threw myself into my work, hoping to find solace in the busyness that consumed my days.
The constant ringing of my phone, filled with her voicemails and messages, only served as a painful reminder of the gaping hole in my life.
Each time it buzzed, I felt that familiar ache in my chest, the weight of my conflicting emotions pressing down on me.
But deep down, I knew I couldn’t keep avoiding her forever.
There were too many questions that needed to be answered.
Part of me hoped I would wake up and these past few days would have been a dream—I’d roll over to see Hallie giving me a sleepy smile in my bed next to me.
I needed closure to the questions that consumed my thoughts.
But closure could wait. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face whatever truths closure would deliver.
Instead, I reverted to some of my old finance industry habits—getting to the office before the sun rose and leaving long after it set.
Financial reports and investment strategies became my refuge, a temporary escape from the void that Hallie’s betrayal had carved inside me.
Numbers didn’t lie. Algorithms didn’t leave.
Their precision offered some semblance of control in a world that felt chaotic and unpredictable.
It was the same remedy I’d turned to when Cassidy’s betrayal had cut me bone-deep.
Sebastian, being perceptive as always, noticed a shift in my demeanor.
He still extended invitations for our regular rendezvous at Whiskey Locker, and my polite refusals weren’t anything to bat an eye at after I’d started dating Hallie.
But he knew something was wrong when I’d declined his recent dinner invitation for Friday night.
He called me this morning, just as I was heading to work, his concern cutting through the usual sarcasm.
“Is there something big going on in the markets that I’m unaware of?” he asked after I’d picked up.
“No, why do you ask?” I replied, weaving through the crowd on the sidewalk as I hurried toward the subway station near my house.
I opted for the subway most weekdays, saving my car for special occasions on the weekend.
The fewer opportunities I had to rage at other New Yorkers on the road, the better.
“Because you’re working overtime, which hasn’t happened in months. Not since Rooster’s stock took a nosedive before Theo took over. So, if nothing big is happening at work, what’s going on?”
Car horns blared, brakes screeched, someone yelled something far too expletive for this early in the morning, and the scent of street meat mixed with exhaust fumes made me grimace.
I caught sight of the food truck on the corner—the same one Hallie had covered on social media months ago.
I’d only started frequenting it after stumbling across the review during my initial deep dive into who she was.
Funny how quickly she’d infiltrated so many parts of my life, and now she was gone.
“Nothing’s going on,” I said, the words ringing as false as they sounded.
“I’m going to give you another chance to tell me the truth,” Sebastian replied.
I nearly pretended to lose connection with him as I descended into the subway. It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch, but faking loss of cell phone service and actually losing cell phone service were two different things.
“Fine,” I sighed, dropping down into one of the cracked plastic seats just before the train jerked forward. “The article for ‘Love on Wall Street’ came out on Wednesday.”
“Okay?” Sebastian drew out. “Like it does every week. What? Did Hallie tell the entire world that Mr. Old Fashioned color codes his suits?”
“No, Seb.”
“Then what’s the problem? Didn’t you take her to the pizzeria?
I recall you telling me I couldn’t go last week because you were taking Hallie.
Which we need to talk about. Having a girlfriend doesn’t mean you can ignore our relationship.
Who am I supposed to take to Whiskey Locker when I’m trying to pick someone up, or who am I supposed to tell when I take someone home? ”
“These are truly life’s biggest questions,” I murmured, letting my head fall back against the cool subway window.
There was a pause, long enough that I knew Sebastian was reading between the lines.
“She didn’t screw you over in the article … did she?”
“I took her to the pizzeria.” Flashes of Hallie’s face as she met my family, joked with my grandfather, and tasted the pizzeria’s food for the first time played through my mind.
What she wanted to do with the article, and what was actually published, were completely different.
“I’m just going to send you the article. Hold on.”
I shot the link over to Sebastian and waited patiently for him to finish reading it.
Two girls sitting across from me, not much younger than me, clad in expensive leggings, were holding matching matcha lattes.
They were giggling together about a date one of them had just gone on that hadn’t ended the way the girl had imagined.
It reminded me of Hallie’s first column, “Overheard in NYC”.
How she had sat in the subway, listening to the surrounding people divulge pieces of themselves for her to use.
Everything in this goddamn city had pieces of her in it I couldn’t ignore.
A low whistle came across the line. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” I sighed.
“Have you talked to her?” Sebastian asked.
“Not yet. I’ve actually blocked her number—for now,” I admitted, my voice low. “I just … I’m not sure I’m ready for a conversation.”
Like the voice of reason, Sebastian argued back, “But you don’t have the full story. Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this.”
I paused, rolling his words around in my head. Maybe he was right. Maybe there was more to the story, an explanation that would make sense. Or maybe, she was just doing her job.
But the thought of confronting her, seeing her face, hearing her say it out loud—it made my chest tighten.
“I should talk to her,” I admitted finally. “It’s just … it’s hard. I thought I knew her, but this article feels like a betrayal.”
Sebastian’s voice softened. “I get it, man. Really. But Hallie isn’t Cassidy. That girl looked at you like you were the sun in her sky. You can’t throw that away without hearing her out.”
I stared out the subway window, the tunnels whipping past like static.
“I don’t even know if I care enough to fight for that balance in my life,” I said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Theo offered me a job,” I told him. “To lead their investment division. It would be a huge undertaking.”
Sebastian let out a laugh. “That’s huge.”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice flat. “I told him that the only thing I wanted was flexibility because of Hallie. Working that much would not have been good for a new relationship.” A pause. “But now? I’m not sure there’s anything left to balance it with.”
Sebastian let out a slow breath. “That’s the grief talking. You’re hurt, man. You’re allowed to be. But don’t build a whole damn life around it.”
The train screeched to a halt. I stepped out onto the bustling platform, blending in with the crowd of people all heading to their own destinations. I climbed the stairs out of the Wall Street station and into the Financial District.
This place used to give me such a thrill. I loved seeing everyone in suits hustling to the many metal skyscrapers looming up toward the clouds, waiting to make their mark on the world.
But the thrill had dulled. It had been gradual, my growing disengagement from the career I’d once loved. For so long, my career had provided me a predictable rhythm, a routine I could count on. The moment I seriously considered going out on my own, that structure began to shift.
My conversation with Theo had only cemented it.
Theo Drake—already a rising name in tech—spoke about innovation like it was a living thing.
He didn’t just see what was, he imagined what could be.
Walking through the Financial District with Sebastian still sitting on the other end of the phone, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Theo had opened my eyes to a world beyond the confines of corporate life, where ideas led the charge and built creativity and room to breathe.
And Hallie … she’d shown me something else entirely.
Something I hadn’t known I’d been missing.
Her presence had cracked open a part of me I’d kept tightly sealed.
With her, I’d glimpsed the possibility of building a life filled with more than just success.
A life with someone to come home to, someone who didn’t need perfect, just real.
For a second, I’d believed I could have both—a career worth waking up for, and a relationship that didn’t feel like a performance. But now? I didn’t know where things stood.
A couple months wasn’t much time, but her absence felt like a physical blow. Maybe I’d been wrong about her. Maybe her ambition outweighed whatever was happening between us. Maybe, deep down, she was just like Cassidy—putting herself and her career first, no matter who got hurt.
There was only one thing in my control.
“Seb, I’ve got to go,” I told my best friend, hanging up before I got a response.
I tapped Theo’s name on my list of contacts. The phone rang twice before I heard his voice on the other end.
“James, what a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
There was only a split second before I could bail on my decision, but I knew I wouldn’t take the way out.
“I’ll take the job, if you’ll still have me.”
Theo said nothing. Maybe he’d changed his mind. Maybe I’d waited too long to accept the role, and he’d offered it to someone else.
“Took you long enough,” he drawled after what felt like ages. “I thought for a minute that you were icing me out to see what more I’d give you. I just asked my assistant to write up a new offer with higher pay and some more auxiliary benefits—like a membership to The Nest.”
“Oh, that’s not—”
“She’ll send it over shortly. Read it over, sign, and get it back to me.”
“Theo, you don’t have to—”
“It’s going to be a pleasure working with you, James. I just know it.”
I halted a few steps before reaching the Berkley Williams entrance. “I’m glad you think so, Theo. I’m honored you thought of me for the job. I’m excited about what you’re doing with Rooster and about the company’s larger ecosystem.”
Theo blew out a breath. “What I’m doing for Rooster is only the beginning. I have my sights on the larger industry. The possibilities are endless, Rossi.”
“Wherever the destination is, I’m excited about the journey.”
Theo laughed. “Save the cheesy lines for your speeches. I’m sure you’ll be having to give plenty of them soon for our events.
Now, I don’t want you to feel like you need to jump from one shark tank into another.
There’s no need to rush into your new position.
I need to wrap up a few things with Rooster and the disaster my brother caused. So how does a month sound?”
“That gives me plenty of time to wrap things up with Berkley Williams too.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant you should put your two weeks in and then enjoy a vacation before you start.”
Everything about working with Theo Drake felt foreign. Not feeling like I was competing against everyone else over who could work themselves into the ground the quickest would definitely be a bit of a change. The free time made me nervous. I wasn’t sure if I was up for it yet.
“I don’t think I need a vacation,” I started.
“Didn’t you mention that you’re seeing someone?” Theo asked. “Take some time and spend it with her.”
Her . My mind raced, trying to come up with an excuse. I wasn’t ready to share my personal life with Theo, especially not the complicated mess that was my relationship with Hallie. But there was no escaping the truth.
“I was seeing someone,” I admitted reluctantly. “But things between us … they’re not exactly smooth sailing anymore.”
Silence stretched down the line. “Well, that’s even more reason for you to take some time off,” he said firmly. “Relationships need nurturing, James. Sometimes a little distance can help bring clarity.”
His words struck a chord deep within me. Maybe Theo was right. Maybe a break from the chaos of work would give me the space I needed to figure things out with Hallie. And if it didn’t work out, at least I would have recharged and refocused.
I sighed. Theo had a point. “Alright, you win,” I conceded. “I’ll take that vacation.”
Theo chuckled. “Deal, Rossi. Just make sure you come back refreshed and ready to tackle whatever challenges lie ahead. Rooster is counting on you.”
As I walked into Berkley Williams, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. The road ahead was uncertain, both in my personal life and in this new chapter of my career.
Yet part of me still hoped that maybe, just maybe, everything would work out in the end.