“As long as I can dedicate my time to my patients, yes. You have absolute freedom to do whatever you want.”
I leaned my elbows against the table and looked at each of them. “Look, this doesn’t come as an easy decision, but it is definitely the right one. And I believe you will be able to find the suitable person to replace me.”
“Well, if that is what you really want, then I will support you,” Mr. Rowe said. “I believe in your judgment, and if going back to medicine is what you really want, then all I can do is wish you all the best with your future endeavors.”
“Thank you, Steve.”
“I also agree,” Martha added. “You’re a valuable part of this hospital and rather irreplaceable, in my opinion, but I’ll respect your decision.”
I nodded to her. “Thank you, Martha. I appreciate that a lot.”
One after another, all members agreed, making my decision a lot easier. A rush of joy spread through my chest and relief flooded my system. Now that this was over with, I felt completely free—like I had finally found myself—and I wanted to celebrate.
Immediately thinking of Chloe, I decided to invite her to dinner in the name of this.
“How about your brand-new assistant, Chloe Lewis?” Mr. Hernandez asked. “What should we do with her?”
“She has to stay. You have to keep her on for the transition and the next president, and that is my only demand,” I informed them. “Chloe is a valuable worker, and she showed one hundred percent devotion to her work. She is extremely knowledgeable, responsible, and ambitious, so I’m sure that whoever becomes a president can completely rely on her.”
“Well, if you insist and guarantee that she is a good worker, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t let her remain on her position,” Mr. Rowe remarked. “I agree.”
Mrs. Lewis smiled at me. “You know the best, Bryce. Besides, we don’t have to waste time on finding someone new. It’s better to have someone who has already shown their commitment to work and has good skills. I agree.”
They all gave their approval, and my excitement rose. Chloe wasn’t going to lose her job. Knowing her, I was sure she would make a lot of progress here, quickly climbing the ladder, and I was happy for her. I couldn’t wait to tell her the news.
Our meeting finished half an hour later, after all the details of the transition and the nominees were discussed. I exited the room feeling more carefree than ever. My smile was plastered across my face as I went back to my office, my footsteps light.
“Chloe?” I called her when I reached her desk.
She turned her gaze from her computer screen to me, looking at me questioningly. “Yes?”
“I think you’ll be pleased to know that the meeting with the board went extraordinary well. We’ve discussed your position, and they agreed to let you stay. So you don’t have to worry about losing your job.” Her lips parted, her face twisting in silent surprise.
I reached her and glanced around to see if there was anyone looking our way before I lowered my lips to her ear. “I miss you, Chloe. These few days you’ve been different, but I hope we can get over that and start fresh.” I placed a kiss on her cheek, wishing to do so much more to her.
“I want to invite you to dinner. We need to celebrate this, and I really hope you’ll say yes.”
14
Chloe
It was so easy for Bryce to mess with my senses and reason. Even though I had tried to put some distance between us, for the fear of losing my job was taking quite a toll on me, it wasn’t easy to ignore how I felt whenever he approached me.
My pounding heart and clenching mound reminded me whom I really wanted, making me feel worse because I couldn’t let myself fall more for him if I was to lose my job and never see him again. It was bad enough that we were having sex together, but actually expecting him to put his heart on the line for me was outrageous. Or so I had thought.
This morning, Bryce showed me that he cared for me more than I could have imagined, doing all he could to help me stay on my job, and I felt so grateful to him.
I had to admit that I hadn’t been fair to him. He had told me he wouldn’t let me lose my job, but I hadn’t believed him, spending these last two days sulking and going over all the grim possibilities in my head. I was already preparing myself for the tedious round of interviews as I tried to find something that would be as good as this job, which was almost an impossible mission.
I didn’t want to lose this job, and I didn’t want to lose Bryce. But hearing I wouldn’t lose my job after all raised my spirits, bringing me much-needed relief.
So when Bryce invited me out to dinner, I gladly accepted, growing more and more excited about it. After work, he sent me a dress and roses, completely taking me by surprise, and I couldn’t stop admiring the flowers or the short red dress that looked like it cost a fortune. I decided to wear it tonight, pairing it with black-red high heels.
Looking myself in the mirror as I applied makeup, I contemplated about the possibility that Bryce liked me too. Why would he try so hard and send me flowers and a gorgeous dress if he didn’t want something serious with me? Maybe this was a start of something real between us. Just the thought of being Bryce Evander’s girlfriend made me tickled pink.
I was unusually nervous when I got out of my building and found him waiting for me, leaning against his Audi. His eyes skimmed over the dress I was wearing, stopping on my bosom that was accentuated with the low cut of the top, and my pulse sped up.
“You look beautiful, Chloe,” he told me when he approached me and kissed me, putting a halt to all my thoughts.