Chapter 63 Lexi
LEXI
Iworked the next few days from home, counting down until my last day there while imagining people at the office whispering about me and Jonah. Stacey and I had daily video calls to keep me updated, and I’d been thrilled when she told me she’d been promoted to manager.
I could see the change in her personality even through the screen once Rafael no longer showed up at work.
His mere presence had tormented her, and she’d borne it so silently, that I loved her so much more for her strength.
Now she was sparkling and cheerful as we talked, and had an easy smile for everyone on our calls.
To my lack of surprise, by the time Friday came around, Tom Mead from HR emailed me, asking me to come in for a quick meeting in a nearby conference room.
I went in on Friday, and sat down quietly, bracing myself for what was coming. I knew I wouldn’t have a chance of a career here, but would there be references?
“So, Lexi. Here’s the deal,” Tom said, without emotion as he sat down across from me at the table. “You will become a full-time employee, with all the benefits—”
“Are you serious?” I interrupted.
He smiled, nodding. “Since Rafael left the team, we moved Stacey up to manager, and that freed up another spot for you. Please review the offer letter carefully and let us know if you have any questions.”
I was too stunned to respond to him. After that article came out, I’d lost all hope of a full-time job here. Had Jonah had a hand in this?
He cleared his throat. “The news will reach everyone’s inbox very soon, though. Jonah Walkers is stepping down as CEO.”
My head jerked up at that. “Why?”
He shrugged and smiled at me, standing up with his laptop and other papers. “No one knows. And before you think it,” he said with a nod at me, “it may not be because of you.”
But I knew it was.
Shit. I sat in the conference room for the longest time, staring at my offer letter in my hands, my mind reeling with the news that Jonah would be leaving.
Later that evening, I paced Jonah’s living room, waiting for him to get back home. I had placed the offer letter on the coffee table, pausing my pacing to stare at it in awe every ten minutes.
I’d worked so hard for this. A full-time job with a salary to match, health insurance. I could finally relax.
I should have been rejoicing or at least having a drink, but instead I sat there feeling hollowed out.
Disappointed didn’t even cover it. I felt guilty.
Jonah had fought tooth and nail for that CEO position, poured everything he had into turning the company around, and now he’d walked away from it all. For me.
The thought made my stomach twist. Was I supposed to feel flattered? Grateful? Because mostly I just felt like I’d cost him everything he’d worked for. Like somehow, loving me had become the thing that unraveled all his ambitions.
Had our relationship cost him too much? And if it had, if he woke up one day and regretted choosing me over the career he’d worked for, how was I supposed to live with that?