At some point during my stalkerish watching, a buzzing sound comes from the living room. What the hell? Who calls at this time? I check the nightstand. My phone is here, so Ava’s is buzzing.
I ignore it, resuming watching her. Whoever is calling will take the hint that it’s late. Except they don’t, and if the phone continues to buzz, it’ll wake her up. Grudgingly, I get up and go into the living room. I turn the phone on silent mode, but the caller doesn’t give up. There’s no caller ID either, so I can’t send a message telling them to fuck off.
I decide to answer. “Who is this?” I bark into the phone.
“Who is this?” An unpleasant and vaguely familiar guy’s voice sounds from the other end of the phone. My insides boil.
“Listen, douche bag. It’s 2:00 a.m. and this is my girlfriend you’re calling. I get to ask the questions.”
“You just answered mine, Sebastian Bennett.”
The phone switches off. What the hell? I stare at it, expecting him to call again, but after five minutes, I give up and go to bed. This better not be some idiotic reporter trying to get th
e scoop on my private life, because I’ll sue the fuck out of him and his entire family tree.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ava
I arrive at the office at noon the next day. Despite having downed one too many tequila shots last night, I only have a slight headache. Sebastian woke up early. He’s not at the office when I arrive, because he and Logan are at the bank, caught up in a daylong meeting.
Nostalgia grips me the second I arrive at my desk. I can’t believe my last day is finally here. Taking a deep breath, I start packing my belongings, trying to focus on my upcoming trip with Sebastian, and push out the thought that I won’t see him again after the trip ends.
Last night, we had a moment—at least, I think we did. I let my guard down. I know that for sure. I can’t believe I told him I want four kids. And there was that moment just before I fell asleep, he might have told me to stay. I might have imagined it, and I don’t have the courage to ask him. Maybe on our trip. . .
Smiling, I fetch a small box to put the gifts I’ve gotten from him in. I kept one chocolate, and let one rose dry. I place them carefully in the box, ignoring the feeling of finality sweeping over me as I close the lid.
I sit at my desk and check my e-mail, looking for any unanswered request from Sebastian’s team. My eyes freeze on the subject of the newest email.
Termination of contract
With trembling hands, I click it open.
Dear Ms. Lindt,
We regret to inform you that your employment at our agency was terminated, effective today. The fourth clause of your contract was violated. As you were informed, this is grounds for immediate and irrevocable cease of work. You also lose your right to the contract termination compensation and to the bonus for your work with the client in this case.
We wish you best of luck.
I stare at the screen, reading the text again and again, until my eyes water.
No!
Sweat dots my palms, a strange coldness gripping me. I am on the brink of panic, unable to fight it much longer. Barely keeping it together, I call Dirk. He picks up immediately.
“You are firing me?” I’m surprised at how calm I sound. “What is going on?”
“You know perfectly well what is going on,” he sneers. “You are fucking Sebastian Bennett.”
I draw in a sharp breath, clutching the phone forcefully. “That is not true. I don’t know where you get your facts—”
“From Bennett himself. I spoke to him.”
“You spoke to him,” I repeat. My hand trembles on the phone, so I grip it tighter. Sebastian wouldn’t do this to me. He knew I’d be fired if Dirk found out.
“Yes, last night. He answered your phone and I recognized his voice. He proudly announced you are his girlfriend. He had no idea who I was, but that’s beside the point.”
Despite everything, I let out a breath of relief. He didn’t do it on purpose.