“She makes me happy.”
Father dares to cringe and I heaves deeply. It is all I can do aside from bursting into laughter as I try to hold it in.
He looks over at me, a soft smile playing on his lips. An apology is something I know I'll never get from this proud man, but I'd take anything he throws at me, including the soft proud smile that grazes his lips at this moment. A smile I automatically return.
“Welcome home son,” he says. “Now let’s talk about what to do to that saboteur.”
And for now, this is enough.
CHAPTER24
MITCHELL
“You have done a great job. Thank you.”
Yung smiles widely.
“It was an honor,” he replies as he begins to pack up.
I returned to the office after the meet-up with my father and I found everything reset and ready to be uploaded on all platforms. The day had taken a strange but acceptable turn. I wasn't going to complain, it could have been worse. Dad had offered to take care of the Sam situation for me, including trying to find out why he had gone rogue, and I was happy to let him. He feels closer to me and I can focus on other more important things.
As my eyes sweep by the corner of my office space, where Sam's desk sits empty, a fresh wave of anger swamps me.
That disloyal piece of shit.
I’ll be more careful about my selection next time. Sam's situation is a lesson well learned.
My receptionist summoned a meeting with all department heads, and I made them all watch as I relaunched All4One. It’s a bitter sweet moment as we get this new victory, but Beth isn’t here to celebrate it with us. There was a grin on everyone’s faces and an undeniable, though sad one, on mine.
The whole situation has been dealt with, and turns out Beth was right. I hadn’t looked at all the sides of the problem. I hadn’t even considered it. And now, knowing that I caused Beth so much hurt makes me shake my head to dislodge the fog of sadness that clouds me. I was utterly wrong. And somehow, I know I'll have to pay for it.
I spend the rest of the day locked up in my office, buried in work. The All4One app has already begun to gain traction, and feedback has begun pouring in, and though some people are complaining that the app was down, rich people are a bit spoiled sometimes, the vast majority of the feedback is great. When the clock finally strikes five, I find myself picking up my phone and calling Aaron. When the call rings until it goes to voice mail, I give it another try. As he answers, right before he says anything, there's a quiet growl.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“To talk?” I hear myself quietly say. “A lot has happened lately, but I want you to hear me out.”
There's silence on the other end where I'm afraid that Aaron has hung up, but after what seems like an eternity, he says, “Where?”
“The Brunette bar downtown.”
It's the bar where I had first told him all about All4One and invited him to be part of it with me. Maybe, he remembers this too because his voice goes considerably softer when he says, “I'll be there in thirty.”
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I hang up and begin to pack. Twenty-five minutes later, I am stepping into the bar already filled with a few locals whom I can still recognize.
Going straight to the bar, where the bartender offers me a bland smile, I nod in his direction. “Margarita,” is all I say.
The bartender promptly pours me a glass. I am glad he does not try to start up a conversation, not like I would oblige. He slides the drink over, and I pick it up, taking a slow sip and sighing in pleasure. Nothing is as great as a drink at the end of an eventful day.
When someone takes the seat next to mine, I turn to find Aaron, wearing a sour frown. I nearly chuckle at the expression because I can remember that it's the exact way he behaved whenever I got a little reckless in high school. Not much has changed really.
“Glad you could make it,” I say as I turn to regard him.
“I should not be here,” is all he says as he gestures at the bartender to give him what I'm having.
“Yet, here we are,” I decide to tease a little.
When Aaron does not crack a smile, I sober up quickly.