Page 35 of Finessed By A Hood White Boy

I nodded in agreement while contemplating on what I was getting ready to say next.

“One more thing. Moving forward, Duke will now be handling all meetings scheduled.”

“I’m not understanding, why is that?” He frowned.

“I have other business ventures that require my attention right now.”

Donnel folded his arms with a smirk on his face.

“You bowing out.”

“Nah, but when that time comes, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

We shook hands in agreement.

CHAPTER 11

Ava Gray

Istayed out of work for a total of nine days. During that time, I had been nursing myself back to good health, mentally and physically. Thanks to the ice packs, the swelling had gone down tremendously. A few bruises were still present, but I was able to cover them with makeup except for my right eye. I told my sister that I had to take a work related trip to California with Julia, and asked if she’d keep Savannah for a few days while I was away. Thankfully, she didn’t ask too many questions. I wasn’t trying to show my face until I felt it was decent enough to be in public.

Rob had been blowing my phone down. Although I had his cell number blocked, he continued to call me from private numbers. He even sent damn near a hundred messages a day from an unknown number. I never answered any of his calls. However, I did send him one text message—a picture of the restraining order I had on his dumbass. He had the audacity to reply with laughing emojis.

It was then that I decided to turn my phone off. I only used my work phone as needed. Other than that, I stayed to myself.

Julia came through everyday to check on me. The money she gave me was way more than what I asked for. When I protested, she shot me down. We had been online searching for houses and apartments for me and Savannah. I swear, Julia was an angel sent straight down from Heaven. God really did place her in my path at the perfect moment.

I decided it was time for me to get back to work. I wasn’t trying to stay out for too long, although Julia had guaranteed that my position wouldn’t be compromised. When I stepped into the office to clock in, all eyes were on me. It seemed as if I was walking the hall of shame once Diana, the secretary, told me Trenton wanted to see me in his office.

I stood in front of his door and lightly knocked.

“Come in!” he called out.

Opening the door, I nervously stepped through because I knew he was about to fire me.

“Have a seat.” He spoke without looking up at me.

I did as told and waited for him to explain why he summoned me to his office.

“You’ve been missing in action for quite a few days. You come back, only to be forty-five minutes late. Your actions are unacceptable at this company.”

“I’m sorry for walking in late today. It was out of my⁠—”

He held his hand up, cutting me off. “I didn’t ask for an explanation because I couldn’t care less. The only reason I’m not firing your ass is because Julia approved your absence. I take the rules of this company seriously, so consider yourself lucky. However, tardiness will not be tolerated. From this point on, if there’s any more issues, you’re out of here. Is that understood?”

I didn’t respect the tone he used while addressing me, but I needed my job, so I bit my tongue.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Good. Get out of my office,” he spat.

His tone and attitude triggered something in me. I didn’t have time for any smart ass white man that thought he could talk to me any kind of way because he had authority. I’d dealt with disrespectful men for way too long, and I’d had enough. Trenton Whitmore had my blood boiling, and I swear I wanted to cry. Not because my feelings were hurt but because my anger was elevated, and I had to conduct myself in a professional manner. Once I sat at my desk, I sighed deeply. Already, I couldn’t wait for the hours to pass, so I could go home. I hadn’t been awake a full four hours, and my day had already turned to shit.

Thankfully, my workload kept me busy. I stayed focused with my music playing low in my ear. The fact that I was occupied made my lunch break come rather quickly. I grabbed my purse and keys to head out but forgot my lanyard. I had been so caught up in my thoughts since I arrived that I didn’t notice the large package leaning against the front of my desk. It was wrapped in brown shipping paper with a yellow bow neatly tied around it.

I stared at it for a moment before taking my time to unwrap it. A light gasp escaped my lips when I realized it was the painting from the art exhilaration. The colors and detail were what drew me to love it so much. Then it hit me. Someone had bid ten million dollars for the painting. What the hell was it doing in my office?

“I thought it would look nice hanging on the wall in here.”