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Before I can do anything, Christina yells from her office, “Zoe, I’d like to speak with you. Now!”
I put my phone down, not able to deal with that bombshell, and stand to go deal with one crisis before I even think about the other. With every step, I breathe in and out, trying to calmmy body from combusting due to shock, embarrassment, and disbelief.
I open Christina’s office door, ready to plead my case and beg for her not to fire me. “Christina?—”
“Sit,” she says sternly.
I do as I’m told, reading the room and knowing I should keep quiet, so I stare at my feet, waiting for the worst.
“David told us what happened. And, yes, he told us that what he presented was originally your idea.”
My head pops up so fast that I think I give myself whiplash. “He did?”
“Yes. After you stormed out the way you did, he stopped the presentation to explain your actions.”
I rub my lips together, feeling like an absolute fool and not sure what to say.
“I get it. I don’t know what the deal is with you two, but you need to get your shit together. He was reprimanded, too, so don’t think I’m just coming down on you. I can’t have my employees making a scene in front of our clients.”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
She leans back in her chair and lets out a breath. “You’re lucky Samantha is an old friend and she liked your idea.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “She even liked your little tantrum. Said you were a little spitfire. So, you’re still on the account, and David is too.”
I take a sharp inhale, surprised to hear everything she’s saying.
“Get with David to hear what the next steps are.”
I stand. “I will. Thank you, Christina. And I’m sorry I walked out the way I did.”
She lifts her hand and shoos me away, so I turn, but before I open her door, she says, “You two had better get along, or therewill be more severe consequences next time there is any kind of incident. You understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
David
I should be happy that I saved the client and my boss doesn’t want to kill me, but knowing how mad Zoe is at me is bothering me to my core. I can’t blame her for this one. I know we act like we hate each other, but if she pulled that kind of shit on me, then I probably would have reacted the same way. This is exactly why I tried to tell her.
I couldn’t believe it when I overslept this morning. Two nights of barely getting any sleep over this project finally took a toll on me. Now I’m sitting at my desk, frustrated that I didn’t get to shower or eat this morning, and kicking myself for the way I handled things.
It makes no sense to me why I care so much about Zoe’s reaction. She’s driven me insane for the past year or more. Every time she speaks in our meetings, or even smiles around me, it makes my skin crawl. I don’t know why she gets that kind of reaction out of me, but she does. I know she feels the same way about me. It’s like we have this rival thing that neither one of us will back down from. I just played my hand directly intocheckmate, but the feelings running through me now are far from satisfaction.
I tried to make it right during our meeting, but of course she’ll never realize that. To her, I’m just the jerk who made her look like a complete fool in front of the client and our boss.
Now we have work to do, and I can’t get her to give me two seconds to tell her what the next steps are.
I watch as she exits Christina’s office and walks back to her desk with her head down. This overwhelming need to explain myself takes over, so I stand and start her way. Once she sees me doing so, she turns and heads directly to the restroom, making it pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with me.
Zoe
I panicked. I had no idea what to do, so I walked to the restroom, shutting and locking the door even though there are multiple stalls in here. I just need a few moments to breathe and not lose my shit again.
I attempt to structure my thoughts, but they feel like a popped balloon, leaving mental confetti strewn everywhere.
I start with the most important thing—my job. Thankfully, I still have that, and my emotional tantrum didn’t ruin my career.
