Chapter 18 - Not a Negotiation
His pen stopped.
That was it.
Just-
stopped.
For a second, Adrian didn't move.
Then he slowly looked up at me.
"What?"
"You heard me."
His eyes dropped to the letter.
He didn't touch it.
"No."
I almost laughed.
"No?"
"No."
"That's not really how resignation works."
"You're not resigning."
I stared at him.
"I'm pretty sure I just did."
His expression hardened.
"Why?"
"You can read the letter."
"I asked you."
"And I answered you in writing."
"Angelica."
"What?"
"Why are you resigning?"
I looked at him.
"You seriously need me to answer that?"
His jaw tightened.
He finally picked up the letter.
His eyes moved across the page.
Once.
Then again.
Like perhaps the words would rearrange themselves if he read them twice.
They didn't.
He put the letter back on the desk.
"You're quitting because of yesterday."
I stared at him.
"I'm resigning because I decided to resign."
"That's not an answer."
"It doesn't have to be."
"Yes, it does."
"No, Mr. Vale. It actually doesn't."
Something flickered across his face at the name.
I ignored it.
"You gave me two weeks' notice."
"Yes."
"So you've already made the decision."
"That is generally what a resignation letter means."
His jaw flexed.
"When?"
"When what?"
"When did you decide?"
"Last night."
He went still.
For some reason, that seemed to affect him more than anything else I'd said.
"You went home and decided to quit."
"Yes."
"Because of what I said."
I looked at him.
"You really want to do this right now?"
"Yes."
Of course he did.
I folded my arms.
"Fine."
His eyes stayed on mine.
"You apologized."
"I did."
"And I heard you."
"But you're still leaving."
"Yes."
His face closed slightly.
"I said I was sorry."
"I know."
"Then what the hell do you want from me?"
There it was.
Something inside me went very still.
"Nothing."
His eyebrows pulled together.
"I don't want anything from you."
"That's clearly not true."
I stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"You're resigning."
"Yes."
"Twenty-four hours after what happened."
"And?"
"And you're making an emotional decision."
I actually laughed.
One short, disbelieving sound.
"An emotional decision."
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Don't."
I blinked.
"Don't what?"
"Do that."
"Do what?"
"Say okay when you're clearly angry."
I stared at him for a second.
Then nodded.
"Fine. I'm angry."
"Then talk to me."
"No."
His expression hardened.
"Angelica."
"No."
I stepped back from his desk.
"You don't get to demand a conversation because you don't like my resignation."
"I am not demanding-"
"You just told me my decision was emotional."
"Because it is."
"Fuck you."
Silence.
His face hardened instantly.
"Watch your mouth."
"No."
The word came out before I could think about it.
And for once, I didn't care.
His eyes narrowed.
"Angelica."
"I gave you two weeks. I'll finish my work. I'll hand over everything properly. I'll do exactly what I'm supposed to do."
I pointed at the letter between us.
"But that is not a negotiation."
I turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to work."
"We're not finished."
My hand closed around the door handle.
"I am."
"Angelica."
I stopped.
His voice had changed.
Barely.
I looked back.
He was still sitting behind his desk.
The letter was in his hand now.
And for the first time since I'd walked into the room, he didn't look angry.
He just looked at me.
I couldn't read the expression on his face.
I didn't try.
"I have work to do, Mr. Vale."
Then I walked out.
And this time-
he let me.
I made it back to my desk.
Sat down.
Opened my computer.
And tried to work.
For approximately six minutes, I succeeded.
Then-
"Oh my God."
I looked up.
Nicole was standing beside the large-format printer.
Holding a piece of paper.
My stomach dropped.
Oh.
No.
I'd printed two copies.
One for Adrian.
One for myself.
And apparently, in the middle of everything happening that morning, I'd forgotten to pick up the second one.
Nicole looked at the paper.
Then at me.
Then back at the paper.
"Angel."
Shit.
I stood.
"Nicole-"
"You're resigning?"
Every head within twenty feet turned.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Maya appeared from behind her monitor.
"What?"
Ben looked up.
Daniel stopped typing.
Nicole was still staring at me.
"You're leaving?"
I walked over and took the paper from her.
"I forgot this."
"That's not an answer."
"It wasn't supposed to be an announcement either."
"Wait." Ben stood. "What the hell is happening?"
Maya was already walking toward me.
"Angel?"
I folded the letter in half.
Nobody spoke.
Apparently my face answered for me.
Maya's eyes widened.
"You actually resigned?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"This morning."
Ben stared at me.
"As in-today?"
"Yes, Ben. That's generally what this morning means."
He ignored that.
"You gave Vale your notice?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Maya looked at him.
"Ben."
"What? I'm asking."
Daniel had gone completely quiet.
Nicole looked horrified.
I suddenly became very interested in returning to my desk.
"I have work to do."
Maya followed me.
Of course she did.
"Angel."
"Maya."
"Can we talk?"
"I have a feeling you're going to regardless."
She pulled the chair from the empty desk beside mine and sat down.
I kept my eyes on my screen.
For approximately four seconds.
Then-
"You guys can talk it out."
I stopped typing.
"There is nothing to talk about, Maya."
"Yes, there is."
"No."
"Angel, come on."
"Maya."
"I'm serious. You should've seen him this morning."
My fingers stopped over the keyboard.
I looked at her.
"What?"
"Before you got here."
I said nothing.
"He kept coming over to my desk to see if you'd shown up yet."
My chest tightened.
Maya continued.
"He asked if I'd called you. When I'd called you. Whether you'd texted me. Whether being late was normal for you."
I looked back at my screen.
"And then he asked for your address."
"I know."
"You heard that?"
"I walked in while he was asking you."
"Oh."
She paused.
"Then you saw him."
"Yes."
"Angel, that man was worried."
I swallowed.
"That doesn't change anything."
"I'm not saying it changes what happened. I'm saying maybe you two need to actually talk."
"There is nothing to talk about, Maya."
"Yes, there is. Whatever the hell is happening between you two-"
"This isn't about whatever is happening between us."
"Then what is it about?"
I stared at her.
"Work."
That shut her up for a second.
I lowered my voice.
"He stood in a conference room in front of my coworkers and humiliated me."
Maya's expression changed.
"I know."
"He reminded everyone that I'm his employee. That he's tolerated me. That whatever freedom I've had to speak to him exists because he allowed it."
"Angel-"
"And maybe he's right."
Her eyebrows pulled together.
"I've let this become something it shouldn't have become."
"You didn't do that alone."
"I know."
That came out quieter.
Maya watched me.
I looked back at my screen.
"I know."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she said, "You don't have to leave."
I swallowed.
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't."
I looked at her.
"If I still have a tiny bit of self-respect left, Maya, I'm not working here after that."
Her face softened.
"I can't."
My voice was quieter now.
"I can't walk into another meeting with him and wonder whether the way he treats me is going to depend on how scared he is of whatever is happening between us that day."
Maya said nothing.
"And I'm good at my job."
"You are."
"I'm qualified."
"Very."
"I can get another good job."
"You absolutely can."
"Then why would I stay somewhere that makes me feel like this?"
That did it.
I saw the exact moment Maya stopped trying to convince me.
She looked at me for a long second.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
I breathed out.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
She reached over and squeezed my hand once.
"I don't want you to leave."
"I know."
"I actually hate this."
"I know."
"But I understand."
My throat tightened.
"Thank you."
"I'm still going to be dramatic about it."
I almost smiled.
"That seems fair."
"Possibly cry."
"Less fair."
"Definitely blame Adrian."
"Maya."
"What? Internally."
I shook my head.
And somehow-
for the first time all morning-
I almost felt normal.
Then Ben appeared.
Of course he did.
He pulled the empty chair around and sat backward on it.
"No."
I stared at him.
"Why does everybody keep saying that to me today?"
"You can't leave."
"Apparently I can."
"Angel."
"Ben."
"Who am I supposed to annoy?"
"Literally everyone."
"It's not the same."
"You'll recover."
"No, I won't."
Maya looked at him.
"Ben."
He ignored her.
"Whatever happened, you can fix it."
My almost-smile disappeared.
Maya saw it.
"Let her make her decision, Ben."
He looked at her.
Then at me.
For once, he didn't have a joke.
"But she's leaving."
"I know."
"That sucks."
"I know."
Ben looked at me for another second.
Then sighed.
"This is bullshit."
"Probably."
He stood.
"I still object."
"Noted."
"And I'm going to continue objecting."
"I assumed."
He pointed at me.
"Two weeks."
"Yes."
"I'm going to be extremely annoying."
"You already are."
"More annoying."
"I'm resigning effective immediately."
That finally got a tiny smile out of him.
"There's my girl."
He walked away.
Maya stayed beside me for another minute.
Then she returned to her desk.
And I worked.
Or tried to.
Because now everybody knew.
Nicole knew.
Daniel knew.
Ben knew.
Maya knew.
And judging by the way conversations kept dying whenever I looked up-
half the fucking office knew.
Ethan appeared beside my desk twenty minutes later.
He wasn't smiling.
That alone made me look up.
"Is it true?"
I knew immediately.
"Apparently news travels fast."
"You're leaving?"
"In two weeks."
He stared at me for a second.
"Because of yesterday?"
I looked back at my screen.
"Yesterday helped."