I obeyed and by the time I returned to the meeting, he had concluded everything. The deal was signed, the project was now his, a project my team members and I worked nights and weekends for.
I literally broke down in tears. The deed is done, we all dismissed the meeting and as I was about to get into the car with him, the door was still locked. Just as I was about to signal for the door be unlocked, he drove off without me. I was in a state of disbelief as I watched the image of the car fade away.
Chapter 16
Ashley
"Are you in a cab now?" Justin asked over the phone, he could tell that I was becoming frantic and tried to placate me.
"Yes, I eventually found one. I didn’t remember the address but the cab driver knows where the hotel is.”
"Please Ashley, please calm down." Justin pleaded, his voice sounded very serious and convincing.
"No Justin, I won't. I have had enough. At this rate, I don't even want this job anymore. He is not the only one who owns a tech company in New York. Why would he treat me like a worthless piece of shit? ” I was spitting pure rage and bitterness.
"But you know how he can be most times. It's just his nature, don't stoop to his level please." Justin was trying his best to calm me down but he knew it’s futile. I was going to be confronting Ian soon and no one was going to stop me.
"Exactly it’s the reason why someone needs to put him in his place. And I've longed for so long to be that someone. I won't pass up the opportunity to give Ian some brutal truth. He should thank his stars that I am not a man, or I would have beaten the shit out of him."
I can't control my rage. The driver can feel it as he keeps peering at me through the rearview mirror. I didn’t care, I had every right to be furious.
Justin had given up trying to dissuade me from confronting Ian, perhaps because a part of him also felt that Ian had truly done enough to push me over the edge this time. He eventually ended the call while I tried to put together exactly what I was going to say to Ian, .
I finally arrived at the hotel. The driver gradually brought the car down to a halt in front of the hotel and I got out of the car after giving him his fare.
"Thank you".
As I walked through the parking lot I spot Ian’s car, confirming that he had made it back to the hotel. I walked into the building and instead of walking to my room, I walked to his instead with a rage that can tear down the grounds of the hotel.
I get to the front of his door and knock loudly for the first time. I do not wait for long to get a response before the second knock.
He opened the door just as I was about to land the fourth knock on the door and immediately walked back to where he was sitting and drinking wine.
"Sorry I had to leave without you. Did you bring my lunch?" He asks, barely looking at my face. I bit my tongue in fury. The nerves he has to pretend like nothing happened and even ask me for his lunch!
"Oh no Mister, absolutely not!" Ian was surprised at the tone of my voice. He turned sharply towards me, looking like he had just seen a ghost.
"I beg your pardon? You are out of line!"
I laughed hysterically, what a joke! Did he just say I was out of line? For real?
"Don’t wait for my apology because you are not going to get it! And out of line you say? I'm the one going out of line? You are the one who has been out of line from the very start of this trip, acting like a deranged psychopath. First, you turned me into your errand girl, sending me on all kinds of humiliating errands that is not within my job description."
"Well, technically you're my personal assistant."
"You hired me as a creative director! And even if I was your personal assistant that doesn’t mean you can send me to do whatever the fuck you want! I endured all of the humiliations and abuse because I kept giving you the benefit of doubt, that perhaps, you would come to your senses."
"Ashley!" He retorted, trying to remind me to us use caution, the very same caution I had thrown to the wind before I had gotten into his room.
"I am not done Mister! And all for what, to feed your narcissistic and over bloated ego? Oh, what?! You enjoy seeing people around you suffer because of you? Is that what it is? Does it make you feel in control? Like you own their lives, which you clearly do not!"
"All these because what? I didn't give you a ride back?" Ian scoffs. "Are you that petty?"
At this point, I can barely hold myself back from slapping him.
“You drove off without me for no damn reason! I had to go get a cab, wasting my own time and money.”
“Oh ,stop whining, if the cab fare is too financially straining for you, send an invoice to the company.”