Chapter 12 - Still Employed
Apparently, discovering that Adrian Vale was divorced had consequences.
Not important consequences.
Not life-changing consequences.
Certainly not consequences I intended to examine with any degree of emotional honesty.
Just-
Consequences.
For example, I was sleeping again.
Eating again.
Laughing without having to remember to do it.
My chest no longer felt like someone had parked a small vehicle on top of it.
All excellent developments.
Completely unrelated to Adrian Vale's marital status.
Obviously.
There was also the slightly inconvenient fact that I could no longer use married as an emergency exit whenever my brain noticed something it shouldn't.
Which, unfortunately, I discovered Monday morning.
"Do it again."
I looked at Adrian.
"No."
His eyes lifted from the drawing.
Silence.
I was standing across from him at the materials table, one hand resting beside the revised Solara elevation.
Adrian stared at me.
"Excuse me?"
"I said no."
"I heard what you said."
"Then why did you ask?"
His jaw tightened.
"Because I was giving you an opportunity to reconsider."
"How generous."
Silence.
Behind me, someone stopped typing.
I didn't turn around.
Adrian looked back at the drawing.
"The western elevation is still too heavy."
"No, it isn't."
"It is."
"You approved the proportions Thursday."
"I approved the proportions before you changed the shading system."
"By six inches."
"Six inches matters."
"Not enough to redo the entire elevation."
His eyes lifted.
"That's not your decision."
"It's my drawing."
"It's my company."
Oh.
There he was.
Old Adrian.
Arrogant.
Demanding.
Impossible.
For some reason, instead of intimidating me the way it once had, it irritated the absolute shit out of me.
"Congratulations."
His eyebrows moved.
Behind me, someone coughed.
Suspiciously.
Adrian's voice sharpened.
"Ms. Stone."
"What?"
"Do the revision."
"No."
Someone dropped something.
Actually dropped it.
A pen, judging by the sound.
Adrian stared at me.
I stared back.
"The proportions work," I said. "The shading system works. The client liked it. Daniel checked the structural coordination yesterday. If you have an actual design problem with it, tell me what it is and I'll fix it."
"I already told you what the problem is."
"You said too heavy. That's not a problem. That's two words."
His expression darkened.
"The horizontal emphasis is overpowering the glazing rhythm."
"See?"
"What?"
"That was useful."
His eyes narrowed.
"Now we're communicating."
"Angelica."
"And I can adjust that without redoing the entire elevation."
"I told you to redo it."
"And I'm telling you that's unnecessary."
His voice rose.
"I'M NOT ASKING WHETHER YOU THINK IT'S NECESSARY."
The office went quiet.
Completely.
There it was.
That voice.
Months ago, it would have made my stomach drop.
Actually, it had.
I'd watched him scream at Mark.
I'd had him scream at me.
I'd learned very quickly that Adrian Vale angry was not a quiet phenomenon.
But something had changed.
Maybe I'd gotten used to him.
Maybe I'd seen too much.
Black coffee.
Rolled sleeves.
A crooked house tattoo.
A tired face at eight at night.
A father wiping ice cream off his daughter's mouth.
A man who somehow knew exactly how I took my coffee.
Whatever the reason-
I wasn't scared.
I looked at him.
"Why are you yelling?"
Adrian's expression changed.
"I'm not yelling."
I glanced around the office.
Approximately fifteen people immediately became extremely interested in their computers.
I looked back at him.
"The people in accounting probably know what elevation we're discussing."
"Ms. Stone."
"See? You can hear me perfectly well at this volume."
Silence.
Absolute.
Terrible.
Silence.
Somewhere behind me, Ben made a sound that might have been a suppressed cough.
Adrian's eyes stayed on mine.
For one very brief moment, I wondered if perhaps I had overestimated the security of my employment.
Then-
"My office."
I blinked.
"Now."
Ah.
There it was.
I picked up my laptop.
Behind me, Ben whispered-
"It was nice knowing you."
I turned my head.
"You can have my chair."
"I don't want your chair. I want you to survive."
"Touching."
Maya was staring at me like she was witnessing a preventable workplace fatality.
I followed Adrian.
He walked into his office.
I walked in behind him.
The door closed.
Adrian turned.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Following you into your office."
"I am aware of that."
"Then we're off to a strong start."
His jaw tightened.
"You cannot speak to me like that in front of the entire office."
"Like what?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"You yelled at me."
"I raised my voice."
"You yelled."
"Because you were arguing with me."
"You were arguing with me too."
"I am your boss."
"And apparently that means you're automatically right?"
"No. It means when I give you a direction concerning a project I'm responsible for, I expect you to follow it."
"Even when it's unnecessary?"
"Yes."
I stared at him.
"That is the stupidest thing you've said today."
His eyes narrowed.
"It's nine forty."
"You have plenty of time to beat it."
For one second-
One tiny, impossible second-
His mouth moved.
He stopped it immediately.
I saw it.
"You almost smiled."
"No, I didn't."
"You did."
"I assure you, I did not."
"Oh my God."
"Can we discuss the elevation?"
"You're the one who dragged me in here."
"I did not drag you anywhere."
"Fine. Summoned. Commanded. CEO'd."
"CEO'd is not a word."
"It is now."
He closed his eyes.
Briefly.
I waited.
When he opened them again, he looked exhausted.
It was nine forty-two in the morning.
I found that deeply satisfying.
He walked toward his desk.
"Adjust the horizontal depth by three inches."
I considered it.
"Three?"
"Yes."
"Not six?"
"No."
"And I don't have to redo the elevation?"
"No."
I smiled.
"So I was right."
"Don't."
"You brought me in here to privately admit I was right."
"That is not what happened."
"It feels like what happened."
"Get out."
I picked up my laptop.
"Gladly."
"Ms. Stone."
I turned at the door.
"Do not do that again."
"What?"
"Challenge me like that in front of everyone."
I looked at him.
"You mean disagree with you?"
"You know that's not what I mean."
I did.
Actually.
There was a difference between disagreeing with my boss and turning an architectural discussion into public entertainment.
Fair.
I nodded.
"Okay."
Something in his expression eased.
Then I added-
"Try not to yell at me in front of everyone either."
It tightened again.
"Out."
I smiled.
"See you later, Mr. Vale."
The second I stepped back onto the floor, approximately eight people looked at me.
Then immediately looked away.
Ben did not.
He stared openly.
"Well?"
I walked to my desk.
"Well what?"
"Do you still work here?"
I looked down at my badge.
"Apparently."
Maya shook her head.
"I genuinely don't understand your employment anymore."
"Neither does HR, probably."
Nicole leaned around her monitor.
"You told Adrian Vale not to yell."
"I noticed."
"In front of everyone."
"I was there."
"And you're still employed."
"So far."
Ben leaned back.
"I've worked here three years."
"Congratulations."
"I have never heard anyone speak to him like that."
"That sounds like a you problem."
Maya covered her mouth.
Ben pointed at me.
"See? This. Something has happened to you."
"Personal growth."
"This isn't growth. This is a complete absence of survival instinct."
I sat down.
"Yet I survive."
"For now."
I looked toward Adrian's office.
The door was closed.
Good.
I turned back to my screen.
My phone buzzed.
Email.
I opened it.
I smiled.
Asshole.
At twelve fifteen, Ethan appeared with a sandwich.
I looked at it.
Then at him.
"What's that?"
"Food."
"I know what food looks like."
"Debatable considering how often you forget lunch."
"I do not forget lunch."
"You forgot Wednesday."
"I was busy."
"And Tuesday."
"I had coffee."
"That isn't food."
I froze.
Oh God.
Apparently I had become Adrian.
Terrifying.
Ethan put the sandwich in front of me.
"Eat."
"Bossy."
"You need supervision."
Maya looked over.
"She does."
"Traitor."
I unwrapped the sandwich.
Ethan leaned against my desk.
"By the way."
"What?"
"I heard you almost got fired this morning."
I looked at him.
"News travels fast."
"You told Adrian to stop yelling."
"He was yelling."
"He's Adrian."
"Is that a medical condition?"
Ethan laughed.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"You're insane."
"Probably."
I took a bite.
Ethan stole one of my chips.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"You have plenty."
"You bought me food just so you could steal it?"
"Long-term strategy."
I slapped his hand away from the bag.
He laughed.
And then-
"Ms. Stone."
I looked up.
Adrian.
Of course.
He stood several feet away.
His eyes moved briefly to Ethan.
Then to the sandwich.
Then to me.
"I need you in my office."
I swallowed.
"I'm eating."
Adrian looked at the sandwich.
"I can see that."
"Congratulations."
Ethan choked on his drink.
Actually choked.
Maya dropped her head.
Adrian's eyes moved slowly back to mine.
"When you're finished, Ms. Stone."
I nodded.
"See? Communication. We're growing."
Silence.
Ethan made a strangled noise beside me.
Adrian stared at me.
I smiled pleasantly.
His jaw flexed.
Then he turned and walked away.
The second he was out of earshot, Ethan looked at me.
"What the fuck?"
"What?"
"Do you have another job lined up?"
"No."
"You should."
Maya nodded.
"I've been telling her."
"I'm sitting right here."
"For now," Ethan said.
I threw a chip at him.
I finished lunch.
Then went to Adrian's office.
I knocked this time.
Because apparently the temporary suspension of workplace etiquette had expired.
"Come in."
I entered.