I eye him. “Why are you here?”
He stands, walks to the window that overlooks the inside of the casino, and stays where he is.
“You want something?” I ask, my fingers dragging across the desk. “What do you want?”
“Give her to me,” he says, turning back to me. “Give me her, please?”
“No. I told you before.”
He shakes his head, his blond hair no longer perfect as he strokes his fingers through it.
“I need her. Just give her to me, Atlas.”
“Go home, Benji.”
He slams his fists into my wall, making a hole in the plasterboard, then he straightens his posture. “I’ll get her. You can’t be a god all the time, Atlas.”
I smile. “Who says I can’t?”
Benji backs away and doesn’t say another word as he leaves the room. When he does, Garry walks in, looking back at Benji before he shuts the door.
“Do you want her to do it? Are you sure?”
“No. No, I am not.” I move to the same wall Benji was at and inspect the damage. “But this way her debt will be paid faster, and she can be out of my life.”
Garry departs, leaving me standing there wondering about possibilities that can never happen.
Chapter Twelve
Theadora
As Chloe and her husband walk in, I watch closely. Chloe comes straight to my office as her husband walks around talking to all the women. Why she is with him I will never know.
Chloe offers me a smile before she takes the seat in front of me, one leg crossing over the other. “You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had.”
I smile. She is my boss, so I take the time, even if I don’t have any for small talk. I am, after all, trying to run her business, which she is hardly a part of. She leaves everything to me.
“I bet it was crazy,” I reply because it usually is. How they have a successful business still baffles me. When I first started, I was her first employee, and we built this business up. Well, I did with her funds and encouragement, and now we are one of the biggest online sellers in the country. I never left because I don’t know much else, and more importantly, to walk away would break my heart. This job helped me support Lucy when our parents died.
“It was, but look… I need you to fire at least five employees.”
My mouth goes wide, and my eyebrows draw together.
What on earth?
“Umm…” I stand, walking to my door and shutting it before I turn back around to face her. This doesn’t make any sense. I see the money rolling in. I know she earns in the millions, and it is more than enough to cover her employees, and on top of that we need our employees. I don’t hire out of the fun of it; each girl in this office has a job to do, and by getting rid of even one it will make my workload even larger than it already is. Unfortunately, there aren’t two of me, so I need to know what’s going on.
“Look, I know. You don’t see it, but I need it done. Don’t question me, Thea, just do it.” She stands, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Any preferences on who? Because I need every one of the girls in this office.”
Chloe gives me an eye roll as her husband walks over and opens the door, he leans in and kisses my cheek, making me want to spew instantly. I get creepy vibes from him and have never liked him. But in all the years I’ve been here, he hasn’t made a move apart from kissing my cheek, thank God.
“Jesse, good to see you.”
I put on a fake smile. He doesn’t work. As far as I know, he does nothing but spend Chloe’s money.
“Yes, well, sorry it can’t be under better circumstances,” he offers with a shake of his head.
Fake.
I was not born yesterday.
“I’m sure Chloe has told you, you’re to let some staff go.”
“Yes, yes, she did.” I look to Chloe who’s busy staring at her perfectly varnished nails. “She was just going to tell me why. Unless you want to?”
“Oh, you know I don’t handle the business side of things, that’s all her. I just support her and what she needs to do.”
And spend, he forgot to add.
“Chloe?” I ask, looking at her. I once thought she was the coolest person ever, to put so much trust in me and support me as I threw ideas her way that she let me run with. Now? Well, now, I am not so sure.
Chloe looks up from her nails and offers me an eye roll. “You are replaceable, too, Thea. Just remember that,” she spits at me.
When did she become so volatile?
“Yes, which you have just made perfectly clear. I simply have to have a reason for your employees when I fire them, is all.”