Page 90 of Not As Advertised

Feeling sufficiently ashamed after my trial-esque experience with Indie, I had to work to compartmentalize the hurt and pressure within me. I still had the entire workday to get through.

It seemed that the hits were going to keep on coming when I reached my office door to find a nervous Miles glancing between his work and Ethan, who was leaning against my office door and scowling.

Knowing Ethan was here to talk about Abbie, I didn’t want to keep him waiting, but I needed to check in with Miles first. He’d had an awful lot on his plate too lately. More than he signed up for when he took this job.

That seemed to be the case for all of us. And it didn’t sit right with me that I’d caused so much upheaval for my employees in addition to my personal failings.

“Miles. Everything going okay, considering?” I didn’t need to elaborate on rumors I was referencing, nor would I say anything out in the open in the office.

Miles pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his tell for the times he needed a moment to formulate his words.

“Hi, Aiden. Um. Glad to have you back. I have the morning updates for you when you are ready. But, um, Ethan wanted to meet with you first?”

Poor Miles. I had to let the guy off the hook.

“No problem. Let’s ease back into things, okay? We can sit down after Ethan and I have a chance to talk, and then we’ll make a plan to get me up to speed.”

I made my way to my office door, where Ethan stepped out of my way so that I could open. Meanwhile, Miles’s surprised expression was followed by his shoulders relaxing slightly.

I just didn’t have it in me today to be my usual efficient self. I guess Abbie was right that I could be a little bit of a taskmaster when I was focused. I remembered her laughing in my bed about me having to control everything. My chest ached at the thought of never holding her again.

Shit. Are all the memories going to be this painful?

I gestured for Ethan to proceed with me into my office and shut the door behind us. Not bothering to take a seat, Ethan didn’t pull any punches.

“I heard you met with Jack already. How much shit are you in?” He stood in front of my desk with his arms crossed. Clearly, this wasn’t a pleasant social visit.

“Goddamn. How fast does gossip get around this place? They should have put that little fact in the job description when I interviewed. I might have reconsidered applying.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? This building is worse than high school, Aiden. This is the biggest scandal that’s ever happened at Appeal. You’re lucky we don’t have rows of chairs set up with the downstairs employees watching your every move like you’re on an episode ofThe Bachelor!”

“Does everyone know?” I winced at the thought of my private life being fodder for the masses.

“Yes, everyone. Even the security guards have bets on whether you and Abbie are going to get back together or not.” He gave me a pointed look that said he wasn’t joking.

“They’rebettingon my personal life?! In what universe is that appropriate?” I aggressively scrubbed my face, hoping I could somehow wipe away this nightmare.

“Well, you’ll be glad to know that no one on our floor is spreading it. They are all too scared of you giving us mountains of bids as punishment. No one wants to be the next Phillip. The smaller teams downstairs don’t know you well enough to be frightened for their work/life balance. You should really get on that.”

Seeing the stress I was surely radiating had somehow softened Ethan’s wrath. The corners of his mouth curved upward as he delivered that piece of sage advice.

Too beaten down to continue this conversation while standing, I made my way around my desk and collapsed in my chair. Thankfully, Ethan took the hint and sat down across from me. He already had reasons to look down on me figuratively. I didn’t need him to do it literally as well.

“My reign of tyranny aside. Did you come here to say I told you so?”

Leaning back in the chair, Ethan took further stock of my defeated posture. His features softened with what was probably pity, but I’d reached the point where sympathy was welcome.

“Oh, I don’t need to say it. You’re living it, boss. But as wild as the rumors going around the office are, I doubt there’s much fact in any of them. They run the gamut from running off into the sunset to the more sinister theories of true crime fans among us. Things happen when a bunch of creatives get together. How is Abbie with all this?”

“Fuck. I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her in days.” I spoke through my hands, which were scrubbing my face with frustration and worry. “I fucked up big-time while I was in LA and ended things in a moment of panic when Jack called while I was waiting in the hospital with my niece.”

After dropping my hands to my lap and leaning back in my chair, I could see Ethan’s eyebrows shoot up in disbelief.

“Oh, shit. No wonder you look wrecked. No offense.”

“Yeah. Thanks a lot. I’m well and truly fucked. I need to come up with a plan to get her back and get the pleasure of proving myself to Indie Layne before I can do that.”

Ethan winced on my behalf. “Better you than me, man. That girl is scary. There’s a rumor that she’s a child prodigy trained in interrogation and has been planted in Amado by the FBI as an undercover operative.”

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