Chapter 49 Andrea
Andrea
I sat and crossed my ankles under the chair.
There was a jug of water on the table with condensation running down the glass and pooling on the wood.
I absentmindedly wiped it with my sleeve, which achieved nothing.
On the wall, the framed values statement was slightly crooked. Integrity. Accountability. Excellence.
It was like someone had chosen it especially for the irony.
The door opened, and Bonnie came in.
“Andrea.” She sat and placed a folder on the table. “I won’t keep you long.”
She slid a single sheet of paper out and placed it between us.
“This document came to HR’s attention late last week,” she said. “It’s a written statement regarding an incident involving Liam Roth in his capacity as CEO of Novexia.”
Liam Roth? Why was she being all weird and saying his full name, like we weren’t on first-name terms?
“Sorry, Bonnie, I don’t know—”
“It was in your file, Andrea. You signed it.”
I stared at the paper. I didn’t recognize it.
Or—
Wait.
Oh.
Oh fuck. No.
A thick wave of heat washed over me, threatening to choke me.
“That wasn’t—”
Bonnie lifted her hand slightly. “I know when it was written,” she said. “I also know it wasn’t submitted formally at the time.”
My throat tightened, and I felt dizzy. I gripped the side of the table like that might somehow stabilize me, but it didn’t help.
“It’s been reviewed as part of a broader audit.”
“Audit?” The word was too big for the room, legal and threatening.
“Yes. Standard procedure following a restructure.”
Of course it was. Why hadn’t we thought of this? We’d meant to shred it—I was sure we had.
Why hadn’t we?
“The concern isn’t any relationship,” she said. “Or the agreement you later entered into. That exists separately. But I’m afraid it doesn’t negate this document.”
Had Liam read it? Had she told him already?
But if he hadn’t yet, he would eventually. What would he think—that I’d been so suspicious of him that I’d drafted a letter that could wreck his reputation, that made out he abused his position, that implied he’d concealed who he was from me for sex?
Fuck—I knew Liam was nothing like that.
But this was weeks ago, before anything had happened between us, before I saw him for who he really was … I didn’t mean to, we just thought—
I was going to be sick.
“From HR’s perspective, a contemporaneous statement describing a power-imbalanced interaction between a senior executive and an employee creates an obligation.”
What sort of obligation, what did that mean? James hadn’t said “obligation.” He’d used words like insurance and safety net.
“That obligation exists whether or not it was acted on,” she continued, “or whether other agreements were made later.”
I could hardly hear what she was saying.
My pulse buzzed in my ears, my vision blurring at the edges.
We’d all been half drunk in the bar that night, making decisions about how to “protect” me from something we didn’t even understand.
Talking over each other. Ordering another round. Someone saying, “trust me.”
How had James and I forgotten about it?
“It was insurance,” I said. My voice sounded weak, and I was afraid I was about to cry.
“That may be how it started,” she said. “But it isn’t how it reads.”
“Bonnie, I didn’t mean—it was just—”
“I know why it was written,” she said. “You don’t need to explain.”
She slid the paper back into the folder and closed it.
“But what—what happens now? Can we just shred it?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s too late for that,” she said. “Steps have to occur. Certain protocol has to be followed when allegations like this are found on an employee’s file, especially during a restructure. I’m afraid I’m not the only one who knows, which means I can’t bury this for you, Andrea.”
“Does Liam know?” I whispered.
“Not yet, but he will soon. I’m afraid he’ll have to.”