“It would have to be something absolutely dreadful for it to never be okay again El.” Sophie smiled at her friend softly and Ella looked at her with abject misery.
“Life as we know it will be changed forever Sophie.”
Sophie felt a sudden jab of worry hit her stomach. Had something happened to Maxwell? Was this related to the story that Ella couldn’t tell her about? “Is this about Max Ella?” She gasped out, unable to contain herself.
“Huh?” Ella looked at her in confusion. “Max? What do you mean?”
“Does this have to do with what you told me about yesterday? The trouble he got himself into?”
Ella looked at her like she was crazy. “Huh? No.”
“Oh okay sorry.” Sophie’s breathing went back to normal and she felt the tension release from her body.
“It has to do with me Sophie and how my life will never be the same again.” Ella wailed.
Sophie paused and tried to compose herself. She had a feeling that whatever Ella was upset about had to do with a guy. She knew that Ella had been seeing someone before they left school but she had been very secretive about the guy. Sophie wondered if perhaps something hadn’t gone wrong with the relationship. “Well, if you want to talk about it. Just let me know.”
“Ok, thanks Soph.” Ella smiled weakly and Sophie studied her friend. Even though her face was red and splotchy she still looked beautiful. If only she could look so serene with frizzy hair.
“So can you tell me what happened with Maxwell now?” Sophie grinned at her friend, she knew that if there was ever a time to get information from her friend, it was in an emotional period.
“Sophie!” Ella frowned. “I told you I couldn’t tell you.”
“I know but I’m going to be Maxwell’s assistant next semester and I wanted to know what to look out for.” Sophie frowned; mad that this is how she had to tell Ella that she was taking the next semester off.
“What?” Ella shrieked. “Omg, you’re not coming back to Columbia with me next semester?”
“No.”
“I cannot believe this.” Ella’s voice was full of theatrics. “There is no way I’m going back without you.” She paused and smiled. “In fact, I think I’ll work for the family business next week as well.”
“What?” Sophie looked at her in shock.
“Maxwell is always saying I should take a greater interest in the business. And neither he nor my parents can say no, now that you are doing it too.” She grinned. “In fact, I think this will solve a lot of problems.”
“Uh ok.” Sophie studied her friend and frowned. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m positive.” Ella jumped up suddenly full of verve and vitality. “What should we do today?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Maybe we can convince Maxwell to take us out on the boat.” Ella grinned. “That would be awesome.”
“Yeah, that would be fun.” Sophie smiled. She’d love to spend the day with Max.
“And I can make sure he gives me a position that doesn’t require too much work.” Ella grinned and Sophie laughed. “Oh Sophie, thanks for making me feel better.” Ella gave her a hug.
“No problem El.” Sophie paused. “But do you think you could tell me something, anything about Maxwell?”
Ella sighed and stared at her friend. “Oh Sophie. Look I don’t really know exactly what happened but my parents had to get a lawyer and…” She paused to look around the room and lowered her voice. “I know that he went to jail for a bit.”
“Jail?” Sophie’s voice was shocked.
“Ssh.” Ella looked at her with concern. “Be quiet. No-one talks about it and I’m not sure exactly what happened but my parents sent Max to London for the next year to let everything die down.”
Sophie felt her heart ticking rapidly. “When did this happen Ella?”
“I can’t remember exactly. A long time ago.”
“When we were 14?”
“What? I guess, maybe.” Ella looked at her suspiciously. “Did you already know?”
“No.” Sophie looked at her friend thoughtfully. “I didn’t know but it explains a lot.”
“Huh?” Ella narrowed her eyes. “What aren’t you telling me Sophie?”
“Nothing. I just felt that Maxwell changed after that summer.” Her voice sounded wistful. Inside she was bubbling with curiosity. What had happened to Maxwell? What had he done? And did she really want to know.
“Yeah. He did.” Ella’s eyes glazed over. “I don’t know what it was but from that point on it seemed like the light had gone out of his eyes.” She sighed. “And now he’s soo busy running the company with Dad, it’s like he doesn’t have time for anything else.”
“But he still dates.” It was a statement of fact but Sophie really wanted to ask it as a question.
“I guess so. I wouldn’t call it dating so much as fucking.” Ella grinned. “You know men.”
“Yeah.” Sophie sighed.
“You’ll most probably meet some of them as his assistant.”
“Oh. You think so?” Sophie’s heart sunk.
“Yeah.” Ella laughed. “I’m sure he’ll have you send flowers and stuff. Just don’t sleep with him.”
“What?” Sophie gasped.
“I said just don’t sleep with him or you’ll lose your job.” Ella laughed again. “I heard dad telling him that he had to stop sleeping with his assistants because apparently one of them started leaking company information after he dumped her.”
“Oh.” Sophie remembered the confidentiality contract that Maxwell had asked her to review and sign. “Wow.”
“Yeah. It was crazy. Apparently, she tried to sell a story to a tabloid about him spanking her and handcuffing her.”
“Really? That doesn’t seem tabloid worthy.” Sophie tried no to picture him with someone else. The churning in her gut was making her feel nauseous and she felt a headache coming on.
“Well, “ Ella lowered her voice again. “Supposedly he did something extra.”
“What?” Sophie leaned in with her heart in her mouth.
“What’s going on girls?” Maxwell knocked on the door and the girls jumped apart guiltily and for the first time ever Sophie was disappointed to see Max.
“Nothing. I was just coming to see you actually.” Ella was smooth and ran up and gave her a brother a kiss on the cheek.
“Oh yeah?” He raised an eyebrow at her and looked over to Sophie whose cheeks were flushed.
“Yeah. We wanted to know if you’d take us on the boat today.” She grinned up at him. “Please.”
“I’m pretty busy today Ella.” He looked at Sophie as she spoke and she tried to maintain eye contact with him without looking too embarrassed.
“Please Max.” She pleaded with her brother batting her eyelids up at him.
“Well Joseph is meant to come over to go over a contract with me this afternoon.”
“Oh?” Ella looked surprised.
“You could invite him too.” Sophie added in her two cents. She liked Joseph, he was one of the Van Harkel’s lawyers and she had met him and his wife several times.
“I don’t know.” Max looked like he was debating it in his mind.
“I thought he was going to be in the City this weekend?” Ella interrupted.
“No, he got into Winterside with Lily last night.” Max spoke distractedly and didn’t notice the Ella flinch. But Sophie did. Though she wasn’t sure why Ella cared.
“I see.” Ella frowned. “Well I don’t think Joseph and Lily will want to come, let’s postpone it.”
Max looked at his sister’s sad face and sighed. “No, no. I’ll cancel with Joseph. The contract can wait to be reviewed until tomorrow. I haven’t gotten to spend an afternoon with my sister and her best friend in ages.”