I can’t believe this shit. I can’t understand why she’d run away from something this good.
“Do not say that, Rocco,” she says. “None of this has been easy for me. I’ve tried my hardest to make this work. I didn’t think he’d follow me or you around like he did, but apparently he has all the time in the world. He’s already got it in his head you want to bring him down.”
“Well, he’s right. I am going to bring him down. I’m going to destroy that whole company of his,” I say out of spite.
I’m so infuriated, I can’t see straight. Here I am, thinking she came over to see me, to fuck me, but now I’m dealing with this bullshit?
No thanks.
“That’s my father’s company you’re talking about,” she says. “Don’t you dare.”
“What does it matter to you? It’s not like you work there anymore. He’ll likely boot you out from the board. Trust me. He’ll make it happen sooner or later,” I say.
She stares at me blankly, unsure what to do. Her crying has stopped, but I still feel for her. I’m angry, but I can’t help. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to comfort her at the same time.
All I want is for her to see that I’m on her side. I’ll make things right for her. I have to. Her happiness is all I want.
I sigh and decide to tell her the truth. She’s going to kill me, but I can’t keep this under the table any longer. “I think my team is going to bring up merging with the Napolitano Hotel chain,” I tell her. “We’re losing money every year. Things are on the upswing, but it’s still been difficult. I know it’s been worse for Byron. They want both companies to come together.”
“What?” she asks, stunned.
She processes the information and stands, headed for the door.
“I thought you should know. I didn’t want to hide that from you,” I say.
“Fuck off,” she says.
Boy, does that sting.
She stomps toward the door, but before opening it, she turns back around, eyes glazed with tears. “So, you’re just going to buy us out then? Is that your magical, little plan?”
“Actually, yes,” I say. “What else can I do? We’ll go bankrupt in two years if I don’t. Look, I know it sounds bad, but it’s a good thing. You could get your job back.”
“You think I care about having a job again?” she asks.
At this point, I don’t care. If she doesn’t want a job, she doesn’t have to have one. I’m just trying to come up with real solutions.
“Fine. You could do what you’re doing now for all I care,” I say.
“And the rest of the workers? You’ll just fire them all to allocate funds in the right areas. I know how this works, Rocco. It’s a typical buyout,” she says.
“You’re not listening,” I tell her.
Big mistake.
“Oh, I’m listening, and I hear you loud and fucking clear,” she says, swinging the door open. “Look. You can go ahead and act like the shady business man you are. I’m done with this anyway. Byron reassigned me to Colorado.”
I stop dead in my tracks. I want to break everything in this damn house, I’m so angry. I have to force myself to take deep breaths, but they’re not calming me down one bit.
“What did you just say?” I ask, fuming.
“I’m leaving in a week. Just thought you should know,” she says. “I guess this is goodbye.”
“Wait, don’t—”
I rush toward the door, but she slams it in my face. I could chase after her, but I’ve done too much of that. I can’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want it.
If she thinks I’m a monster, that’s fine. Maybe I need to let her go.