Chapter 34

Tick Tock. Time remains sluggish. I am anxiously waiting for two pm to finally come face to face with my uncle. I have done nothing productive, I feel disoriented. Social media is neither giving me the high I desperately need. I go through the papers as they trash talk me. They all speculate. I am Quinn's mistress and even bought a house for me. He did but that was before he was married and I have never set a foot in it. I am not a homewrecker I tell myself neither am I the other woman worst his lover... I switch to playing candy crush, my mind still wanders. I go through my WhatsApp contacts and their status. I respond to some of Kelly's funny videos. She is an angel always kind enough to lift my spirits. I never shared that with Roxanna I was the one to dig her out of her shit. Maybe I should do it for the last time. Should I? I contemplate talking to her parents, it is not my business to meddle in her affairs but I can't help but feel sorry for her. No one deserves to go through abuse. I put my phone away. She is an adult she can fight her battles. My Aunts', Jenny, face flashes before me. She was my mother's elder sister, her husband was abusive. He was rich and powerful and for that My grandparents defended him. The title was all that mattered to them. They disowned my mother when she married a simple gardener, my father. She only spoke of them during my aunt's funeral. She finally committed suicide. My grandparents never showed up to say their goodbyes, they termed her weak and evil for quitting on life. Her suicide was a disgrace and curse to her child. My grandmother was "ed in the newspapers, she said, 'Men beat their wives to straighten them.' I have hated my maternal relatives with every fibre in me. They are very wealthy but brutal. They neither showed up at my father's funeral nor my mother's. I take my phone and unanimously tip Roxanna's parents of her abuse. It would kill me to see her end up as my aunt while I had the power to intervene. When I look up I find Quinn staring at me, my office mate squeak when she notices him too. "Could you leave the room?" Poor girl, first it was Courtney now Quinn. They deserve each other. "No, She is staying, you are leaving." He ignores me and turns to the girl. "Now!" It is a command. I try to remember her name with no luck, "You are not leaving." I order her. She stands confused. "Are you going to your superior or a fellow intern?" Quinn asks. "That won't be long," I mutter. "I'll leave." The girl grabs her folders before dashing out. I ignore Quinn and pretend to be occupied. The next thing I hear is the forceful bang of my laptop. My body starts to heat up as my anger raises. "Get the fuck out of my office." I stand and shout I don't care if the entire building can hear me. "Don't raise your voice at me." He orders. "I can do whatever the fuck I want Quinn," I answer rudely. He huff and bites his lip. He is super angry. Good, he has no idea how angry I am. "Why are you always this damn stubborn?" He asks. I roll my eyes. "You have no idea how darn stubborn I can get," I say. "I am not interested to know." He declares. There is a moment of silence before I break it. "Did you lose your way?" I ask. "Why?" "Just want to make sure that you are with your senses and aware of YOUR actions, you never know what the devil can make one do," I say. "Are you done with your sassy mouth?" He asks. "How long do you intend to stay before I answer?" "It is none of your business." "Then no." "I am sorry if you felt attacked by my speech." "You did? I had no idea." I say Sarcastically. "So you do understand why I had to do that?" "Yes, I do understand that you are a coward." "I had a lot at stake to lose." "Still a coward," I say. He walks towards me and I have to hold my breath. He is so close I can smell his breath. "What exactly do you want from me?" He asks. "Own your mistakes. You pursue me, sleep with me and I get blamed for everything." Disappointment masks his face like he expected a specific answer however he is quick to hide it. "I thought you knew the rules of our agreement?" "Which rules? We terminated it long ago." "I didn't know Courtney would come back, things are complicated now I am trying to sort them." "I don't need your explanations, just stay away from me I have my complications to sort and don't ever sent me your stupid I need your text." My alarm goes off, time to meet uncle. "What is the alarm for?" Quinn asks. "I have a meeting with the C.E.O," I answer. "Me too, although he stated that the other board directors will be there." Fuck! I am getting fired, why didn't I think of that earlier. I start to align the folder I was asked to bring with me. I expect Quinn to leave but he just stands there so close, glaring making me uneasy. Why? After everything, he has done to me. "Aren't we done?" I ask though I can remember anything meaningful we have talked about just useless argument. "Here." He moves behind me I feel his hand touch my hair and I tense, my breath gets caught at the back of my throat. I feel the tension at my back of my head and sides ease up before I feel my hair fall on my shoulders free from its tight ponytail. He runs his hands through it. I am tempted to lean in more for his gentle touch. "You should let your hair down more often." He takes a step back and I stand to find my mirror God knows what he might have done to my head to embarrass me. The moment I stand he move forward and our chest collides, I freeze. What is wrong with me today? He removes a strand of hair from my face. He is going to kiss me and everything stops. Get hold of yourself, Cara! I can see him trying to lean in, my senses come back and I move away before he accomplishes his sinful mission. "We should go, " I suggest. His adam apple moves up and down. He leans forward like he just caught a stomach bug. "I will be with you soon." He says as I reach for the door.