Sarah’s face collapses, embarrassment, hurt, humiliation all crawling up her neck. She walks away stiffly, like she’s either about to cry or throw up.
And I actually feel bad for her. Everyone heard that.
Everyone. Voss meant it 100% as an insult to the both of us. I’m sure he’s heard the rumours and seen all the online buzz.
There’s still a part of me wondering if Tobias is going to pull me into his office later and destroy me privately, and right now he’s just saving face.
After Voss steps away, Gabby starts breathing fast. She looks panicked.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” she keeps saying. “It’s just that he worked you so hard and oh my God, I don’t want you to lose your job.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Trust me, if he wanted to say something to you, he would have said it right here.”
The CEO mingles around the room again, socializing in his usual intimidating way, until later, when the evening winds down and he sees I’m tired and getting ready to leave with Gabrielle.
“You’re leaving?” he asks.
Gabrielle looks back. I answer, “Yeah.”
“I mean it, Gabrielle,” he says, stepping closer. “I really would like you working at Helion with us. We need people with your spirit. And I can tell that you have good work ethic.”
Gabrielle lets out a small laugh. “How can you tell that just from one interaction?”
“Contrary to what you believe about me,” Tobias says, “I actuallydoknow how to read people very well. And I respect people that are truthful. Lincoln is that way too. I mean, when it comes to work anyway.”
It was definitely a jab at me. And since he knows how to read people, he probably knows that I cheated on Gabrielle. Probably takes one to know one. Even though he's not married, pretty sure he's broken every woman's heart he's been with. He's that much of an asshole for me to believe it.
Gabrielle lifts her chin. “I’ll work with you on one condition.”
Tobias bursts out laughing, turning toward the nearby employees. “See? Look at her language. I’ll workwithyou. Notforyou. I love this girl. What’s the condition?”
“If I can bring Morris with me, my cat.”
I blink at her. “Yourcat?”
“Yes.Mycat,” she says. “I’m the one taking care of him.”
Voss scans the room. “Anybody allergic to cats?”
Silence.
A gray-haired man raises his hand slowly. “I am.”
“You’re fired,” Tobias says.
The man lowers his hand immediately, looking sick.
“Anybody else?” he asks the crowd.
Nobody moves.
Nobody even breathes.
Did that honestly just happen?
Because holy shit… I think it did.
-??-
