Niall slams the door behind Aiden, making Brielle and me jump. Instantly, Niall is yelling at Aiden, and I wince knowing I’m the cause, yet again. “For fuck’s sake, Aiden, how hard is it to hand out coffee? That’s twice she’s fucked up today! You say you’re in love with her? Well, your standards must be pretty fuckinglow, son, if you’ve fallen for that. If she doesn’t clean up her act, she’s gone. Do you understand me? I swear to God, if you don’t deal with her, then I will.” I tense all over. “The Andersons have the potential to be one of our biggest clients, and she chooses to screw up Robert Anderson’s coffee in such an important meeting. She may very well have fucked this up for us today, and that’s on you. If we lose the Andersons, it’s your fault. Do you understand me, boy?”
I sit at my desk and hang my head. Dammit! I knew Niall would be pissed. Poor Aiden’s taking the brunt of it all.
I shouldn’t be here.
I’m not good at this type of work.
I don’t belong in this world.
Niall hates me.
It’s not simply that he’s a grumpy old man, it is pure and simple hatred for me, and it runs deep.
I can’t hear Aiden’s response. Normally, he yells back at his father, but with tensions running high, I can’t hear anything.
Suddenly, Aiden walks out of his father’s office with his head down. His nostrils flare and his fists are clenching while his face turns completely red in anger.
Niall pokes his head out of his door. “You know I’m right, Aiden,” he yells across the room, then slams the door shut. I jump with the force of the action as Aiden continues to his office, slamming his door in return.
I bite my bottom lip in apprehension, but I know what I have to do.
I need to quit.
Perhaps I can go back to ADF if they’ll have me.
Aiden needs a new personal assistant, one who has his father’s approval. I can’t let this be the environment Aiden is constantly working in, not when he’s had the stress of being in jail.
I steady my shoulders as I stand, then walk to Aiden’s office and knock on the door.
“What?”
I open the door to see him on his sofa, his head buried in his hands. Seeing him defeated like this rips my heart to shreds. I walk over, exhaling heavily as I sit next to him.
“I know what I have to do,” I tell him with conviction.
He looks up at me, tilting his head. “What do you have to do?”
“I’m going to try and get my job back at ADF. It’s obvious I suck at this type of work. Your father clearly detests me, and I—”
He interrupts me by abruptly kissing me, and it’s like all the tension and worry escapes my body the instant his lips caress mine so tenderly. The chaos I’ve been surrounded in for the last few moments evaporates, and right now, Aiden’s the only thing on my mind.
When his lips leave mine, he exhales, bringing me back to this reality. “Stop it. You’re doing great, and I’m very happy with your work. The old bastard simply wants to make my life a misery, so he’s taking it out on you.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, a-fucking-gain. I feel like all I do is apologize for him. You have to know it’s not how I feel. I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling right now.”
“Like shit.” I snort out a laugh.
He winces and looks at me with saddened eyes. “Please, don’t leave. I love having you here, and if you go, Father wins. He’s trying to manipulate us both so we end up giving in. I can’t… no, I won’t, give up on us. I love you too much to let this affect our relationship, and believe it or not, you are doing well. So what if you got a coffee order mixed up? That shit’s not the end of the world. The Andersons didn’t even care about it. Don’t take anything Father says seriously, Jeni. Stay here with me, and we can get through this together.”
Tears well in my eyes, but I can’t hold them back. I bury my head into my hands as I softly cry. Aiden places his arms around me and holds me tightly to his chest. “Please don’t cry.” He strokes my hair and kisses the top of my head. “He isn’t even worth one of your tears.” His comfort begins to ease my mood as he caresses my hair, then he hands me a tissue from the coffee table.
“I’ll stay for now. But I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’m emotional all the time, and it’s just not me. I’m not like this, Aiden.”
He kisses my forehead. “I know, and I understand. Trust me, I’ve been getting this my whole life. Somehow, I’ve become immune to his taunts, but when it involves you, it’s a whole new level of pain.” He wipes a tear from my cheek with a tissue, places his hand under my chin, pulls my face up in front of his, and looks into my eyes. He moves in to kiss me, but we’re disrupted by a knock at the door.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Anderson is on the phone for you,” Brielle informs us quietly, as she peeks through the door.
“That’s quick. I bet they’re going to pass on the deal. I’m sorry.” I slump back on the sofa.
He kisses my forehead again, then walks over to his phone. Aiden turns from partner back into business mogul while I sit on the sofa trying to compose myself.