She’d never been happier. Things were slowly coming together. And now this. Marvin was a little weasel with no sense of honor and completely lacking a moral compass. If his work held weight, he wouldn’t have to stoop to trashing her name or trying to put Nelson Industries out of business.
She couldn’t see a way out of this mess. Maybe walking away from her job—from Adam—was the only answer. Christmas lights from the balcony above her lit up her dark apartment. They taunted her. Reminding her she’d always been alone, unwanted, drifting through life with nothing to ground her. Alora covered her face with her hands and cried. So many emotions, old and new, came rushing to the surface.
Alora wanted the fairy tale, only it didn’t exist at all.
She drifted in and out of sleep, finally waking fully from a constant ringing. Alora sat up with a start. At first, she thought it was her cell phone, but it was her doorbell. She rarely heard it. Since the front door lock to the building was broken, even delivery drivers rarely pushed the button. She slipped from the sofa and hit the intercom by her door.
“Hello?”
“Can I come up?” Adam asked.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Please, Alora.”
She pushed the release buzzer on her intercom, even though it was pointless. Within minutes, he knocked on her front door.
Just opening the door a few inches, she blocked her apartment from view. “I told you I needed some time.”
“Yeah, that was nine hours ago.”
Alora glanced at her watch, shocked to see it was so late at night.
“Look, this isn’t meant to be, okay? I’m not going to let Marvin ruin everything you’ve worked for. I just won’t let you throw away everything for me.”
He chuckled, that confident sound that attracted her to him. “Baby, the only one who needs to worry is that asshole. He doesn’t know who he’s fucking with. One phone call and he’ll never be able to land a job in this city again.”
“You’re just saying that.”
Adam shook his head. “Can I come in?”
“I don’t want you to see my place.”
“I let you see mine. Remember, the cold, white condo with no soul, or so you call it.”
“Whatever.” She held her door open. Although her place was tidy, it was small and rundown. It was all she could afford in this overpriced city.
His presence in her apartment was larger than life. She watched him, wondering if he was judging her.
“Nice. I like it. It has soul.” He touched the Christmas lights around her window. “Why aren’t they on?”
“I was sleeping.”
He kept on exploring, occasionally checking his watch.
“Why are you here, Adam?”
This time, he turned to face her. “Did you think I’d let the best thing in my life just walk away without a fight?”
Then she heard the distinct sound of Christmas carols. It was ten o’clock at night. She walked past him to the window and pulled it up. Carolers stood on the sidewalk, dressed all in festive attire. And there was snow. Beautiful, lazy flakes fell down to the street below.
It felt truly magical.
When Adam’s arms snaked around her from behind, she instinctively leaned her head back against him. “It’s so late for them to be out,” she said.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that money talks.”
She turned around in his arms. “You did this?”
“I want you happy, Alora. We belong together, and you know it.”
“The entire building thinks I’m sleeping with you to further my career. I can’t live that down.”
“So you’ll give up on us that easily?”
He had no idea how much she wanted this to work. What was wrong with her? She seemed hardwired to sabotage her own happiness as if she didn’t deserve unconditional love. But she craved it no less.
Her eyes watered up again as her vulnerabilities began to peek through again. She attempted to smile but held on to him and rested her head on his chest instead. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, the carols drifting up through the open window.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For not giving up on me.”
“Let’s go home. We have an early start tomorrow.”
She wasn’t going to argue anymore or tell him she couldn’t face the people at the office again. It was time for her to stop caring about what everyone thought about her and focus on her own happiness.
****
Alora had been quiet all morning. They ate in silence. Dressed in silence. And drove to the office in silence.
“Have a good day. I’ll see you at lunch,” he said.
She visibly cringed but nodded and got off on her floor while he proceeded to his office on the penthouse floor. It was cute how she worried about Nelson Industries, but he didn’t get to the top by being a pushover. He was ruthless in business and not afraid to throw his weight around.