Chapter One #3
“I would, but Mrs. Murdock wants him out of here in the next ten minutes.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Scarlett muttered under her breath then turned back to her friend.
“Tell you what, sweets, just shove the important stuff into your briefcase and I’ll bring the rest to you later.
If you walk out there with a box of stuff, the paparazzi will be all over the fact that you got fired. ”
“Thanks, Scarlett. I don’t need that in the papers.”
“Tonight, when I come over, we will be talking about this,” she informed him.
William just nodded and turned to gather his important paperwork and favorite trinkets. When he was done, he hugged Scarlett and followed Eric to the elevators. “I’m sorry about this, Mr. Harper,” Eric told him as they rode down. “I always enjoyed your articles.”
“Thanks.” It took everything he had to mutter that single word and not break down.
“I’m going to have to ask you for your badge, too.” Eric held out his hand for it. With a sigh, William handed it over just as they reached ground level. “Would you like me to walk you to your car? I could try to keep some of the press off you.”
“Thank you, but no. I’ll be alright. See you around.” William steadied himself and held his head high. He had to get home before he could let any of this affect him. The reporters were all still waiting for him.
“Mr. Harper, did you change your mind about a statement?”
“Mr. Harper, what happened in there? Why are you leaving so soon after arriving?”
“Mr. Harper, did you get suspended for your conduct?”
“Just leave me alone, please.” William refused to look at any of them, keeping his focus instead on the waiting safety of his car.
“Mr. Harper.” He heard them calling out to him as they followed him to his vehicle. He got in and locked the doors, lest some ballsy reporter try to open one. He cranked up the engine and took off a little faster than he probably should have.
“What the fuck?” William shouted angrily, banging the palm of his hand against the steering wheel.
“This can’t be happening to me.” But it was.
He’d just lost his job and his boyfriend all in one day.
He needed to talk to Sebastian, but he knew he couldn’t until he got home.
He knew he would break down if he did. He made it home in record time.
As soon as he was inside, he took out his phone and hit Sebastian’s contact.
“Hello,” Sebastian’s deep voice answered.
“What the hell, Sebastian?” William yelled into the phone.
“Who is this?”
“You know damn good and well who this is,” William said through gritted teeth. He knew it was over between them, but to have his lover act like he didn’t even know him was too much.
“Don’t call here again.” Sebastian hung up on him.
William threw his phone onto the couch and covered his face with his hands.
Feeling dizzy, he sank to his knees, all but hyperventilating.
He tried to take deep breaths in an effort to calm down, but it wasn’t working.
His life was in complete shambles. Slowly, he pulled himself over to the couch, flopped facedown, and cried himself to sleep.
He was woken by a knock on his door. William sat up and rubbed his eyes, before going to answer it.
“How are you holding up, sweets?” Scarlett came through the door with a box he assumed contained the rest of the stuff from his desk.
“Not good.” William’s voice was unsteady.
She sat the box on the floor and pulled him into a hug. “Oh, honey. I am so sorry.” Scarlett led him back over to the couch. “Tell me what happened.”
“Sebastian is a bastard, that’s what happened.” Will shook his head and sighed.
“I want to know everything.”
“We’ve been seeing each other for like six months. I thought we were in love. I can’t believe he would do this to me.” William closed his eyes, trying to hold back his tears. “Now I look like an asshole because he’s engaged, and a drunk who doesn’t know how to keep it together on assignment.”
“I took the liberty of calling a few other papers, pretending to be your assistant, but I got turned down. They said they would be happy to print your side, but that they had no openings,” Scarlett sadly reported.
“Dammit. Martha said she was going to make sure no one else would hire me. Guess she wasn’t bluffing.”
“Oh, sweets.” Scarlett took his hand.
“No job equals no money, which means no car and no apartment. I can’t believe this,” William said bitterly. “I never thought that falling in love could ruin your life.”
“You know I’d let you stay with me, but I already have a roommate.”
“Yeah, and Stacy and I don’t exactly get along.” Even though Scarlett’s roommate knew he was gay, she obsessively hit on him. Every time he turned her down, she was pissy with Scarlett for days. No way was he putting either of them through that.
“So, what are you going to do?” Scarlett wondered.
“The one thing I don’t want to do.” William knew he sounded defeated, and in all honesty, he was.
“And that is?” she asked.
“Call my father.” William sighed heavily. “I’m going to have to go back home.”