I stared at her message and felt a slight smile move onto my lips. Yes.
I’m editing your pages at the moment and saw that you’re working on the document. I couldn’t believe it, so I had to ask. Wasn’t sure if my computer was glitching on me.
No glitch.
Wow, that’s amazing. I’m so happy to see that.
I could hear her voice in my head as I read her message, could hear the sincerity in her tone. She was my personal cheerleader, always pushing me to be better because she knew I was capable of it. Why are you working on a Saturday night?
Wanted to stay caught up. You don’t have any exciting plans tonight?
I pictured that club again and felt no regret for leaving. No. I rarely went out anymore, and the only time it did happen was because I was forced. That was what happened tonight, but I could barely make it through an hour without getting annoyed. Former lovers had texted me for hookups, but I didn’t even bother texting them back.
Well, I won’t distract you any longer. We’re going to be done with this book soon, and I’m so excited for that. Your readers will be so happy to see this on every bookshelf all over the country.
I set the phone down and stared at my computer screen, seeing my cursor blinking. Her message didn’t distract me from the story, but now all I could think about was her. I grabbed the phone and typed a message. You want to get a burger or something? I stared at the message I’d typed but didn’t send it. My thumb was anxious to hit send, but I knew I shouldn’t. It was ten in the evening, and I already took up all her time during the week. My thumb hit the delete button and erased the words I’d typed. Then I set the phone down and got back to work.I left the lab and headed to my corporate office, where Emerson had been working all morning. We needed to leave for my lecture, so it was easier for me to pick her up on the way to Ronnie.
Lily sat at her desk, and the first look she gave me was ice cold. She was normally diplomatic, so this sudden descent into hostility was inexplicable.
I slowed my gait as I came close to her desk. “Everything alright, Lily?”
She glanced toward my office, the inside invisible because I didn’t have windows facing the office. “I think your assistant is a real piece of work, Dr. Hamilton. Not sure if she’s the right fit here…”
I stared at her for several seconds because I didn’t know how to process the implication in her words. Emerson was the kindest person I’d ever met, bending over backward just to help me, and when she said it was more than just a job to her, I believed her. I was the one who had been unkind, but she never held a grudge. “You’re mistaken.”
Lily stared at me like she couldn’t believe what I’d said. “So, should I just pack up my stuff and leave?”
The question caught me off guard. I just stood there, unsure what to say.
“Since that bitch waltzed in here and—”
“You’re done here.” I didn’t need to call security because I could handle this myself. “Pack up your stuff. Now.” I’d stepped into a situation I didn’t understand, but the second I heard her speak of Emerson with such disrespect, I lost my temper. I didn’t need to raise my voice to share my rage. It was written all over my face.
She breathed a deep breath. “I’m sorry. She just—”
“I don’t tolerate that kind of behavior in this office. If you insult Emerson, you insult me. Now pack your shit and go.” I was furious Lily had spoken that way about Emerson, the most harmless person on the planet. If she were a man, I would have punched her.
The door to my office opened, and Emerson came out, in a long-sleeved black dress with knee-high boots on underneath. She was always dressed impeccably, like she wasn’t just my assistant, but the CEO of my company. “What’s going on here?” Her eyes shifted back and forth between us, probably because she’d heard me raise my voice.
I kept my eyes on Lily in case she tried something. “Lily has been dismissed.”
Furious, Lily started to throw her things into her purse.
I turned away as I spoke to Emerson. “Call security and ask them to escort her out.” I headed to the office.
Emerson stood there for a moment, stunned by the events she hadn’t witnessed. Then she followed me inside. “Derek, what happened?” She shut the door behind her.
“I fired her.” The second the confrontation was over, I stopped thinking about it. “We need to leave for my lecture.”
“But why did you fire her?”