Page 93 of Corporate Escapades

“Yeah. I thought I could keep it separate, but I'm quite positive I was wrong.”

“Reach out to him!” pushed Paris.

“Fine,” replied Mya in resignation. She retrieved her phone out of her purse and began typing up a message which read:Ithink we need to talk. I thought I could do this, but something has changed for me. Let me know when you can meet.When she finished, she pressed send. “Okay, it’s done.”

“Hey,” Paris said as she gave Mya’s shoulder a squeeze. “You have nothing to be anxious about. I’m pretty sure he has the same feelings for you.”

Mya nodded. “I hope you’re right and this isn’t a mistake.”

“You only live once, girlfriend. Now, what did you do with the movie?”

“It’s already in the machine. You need only press play,” she pointed out. Hopping up, Mya headed for the kitchen. “I’m heating the leftovers. With all this stress, we both need to eat something before we consume any more wine.”

“I’m glad you’re here. Don’t worry, Mya, things are going to be fine.

Chapter eighteen

Thursday morning was by far the most awkward morning Vic had experienced in a long time. Angela had made a point of walking into his office multiple times for next to no reason. She reached out and touched him twice. She smiled, laughed, and winked at him. As usual, she wore a low-cut top and short skirt to draw his attention. The display she was putting on repulsed him, but like Paris, he had to keep up appearances. He worried she’d notice he wasn’t getting into it. To save himself from further interruptions, he asked her to dinner that evening and told her he needed to head out for a one o'clock meeting. She blew him a kiss and retreated to her desk. As soon as she was out of sight, he locked his office door and headed for the boardroom.

He stopped at Paris’s office on the way. “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

“Not particularly, but what choice have we got? We need to make a stand for ourselves and the company, and I would lovefor nothing more than to see Angela and Tom go down in flames,” she replied in a hushed tone.

Vic cocked an eyebrow at her as they headed down the hall. “Sounds like you’re a little keyed up.”

“Damn straight, I’m keyed up! No human being should ever treat another so cruelly.”

“You mean like how you treated Mya?” asked Chase as he joined them.

“Yes. I agree, I treated Mya poorly, but I didn’t sleep with Mya to work my way up in the company. I didn’t throw myself at you to get an excellent report each week during this hellish ordeal,” she stated angrily.

“Chase!” shouted Mya. She had shown up just in time to hear him scolding Paris. “I’ve forgiven her. What Tom and Angela have done to Vic and Paris isn’t even close to the same level as what went on between Paris and me. Paris was hurting, and people often take their pain out on those who are closest to them. I don’t need you to stand up for me when it’s already done and over with,” she said.

“Okay, guys,” said Vic. “Let’s all take it down a notch. I’m sure we’re all feeling a little stressed right now,” he said as he stepped into the elevator. The rest of the group followed him. The elevator was silent for the rest of the ride.

Outside the elevator, Paris stopped and turned to Mya. “You have the recording, right?” Mya held up her phone in response. “Great. I figured you did, but like Vic said, I’m a little stressed out right now, and I want this to go smoothly.”

“It will,” she said and patted Paris on the arm. “You’ve got this.”

The board had already taken their seats when they entered the room. “Good morning,” said Vic. He wasted no time getting down to business. “We’ve called you all here today for an important reason. Over the past weeks, Paris and I havemade some major changes in our lives. We’ve done our best to overcome our grief from the loss of Brody and Alli and to get back to living our lives more purposefully. In the middle of everything we ran into, for lack of a better way to word it, temptations of the flesh.”

“Oh, my God, Vic!” blurted Paris. Her face had turned crimson with embarrassment.

“Let him finish, my dear,” rebuked her mother.

Vic took a deep breath and continued. “Amid everything, Paris and I became close with our counterparts, Tom and Angela, which hurt us both quite a bit. Mya is going to play a recording for you, and then we can discuss it if there are questions.”

Mya pressed play on her phone. She placed it on the table in front of them so they could all hear. No one spoke a word while the recording played. As a matter of fact, no one spoke a word for at least two minutes once it had finished. Everyone appeared to be in shock, and then Nicola stood up. “Will you four please wait outside for a moment while we discuss something?” Silently, they filed out of the room and closed he door behind them.

“What do you suppose that’s about?” asked Paris. “Aren’t they angry? This isn’t the response I expected.”

“Me either,” replied Mya. “I thought there’d be an angry outcry of rage toward the situation. I never could have dreamt they’d be so quiet and then ask us to wait outside.”

“I’m sure they’re discussing the details of the situation and what the appropriate response should be,” said Chase.

“That’s probably it,” said Vic. “Who knows what’s going on behind the scenes these days?”

Paris fidgeted nervously. “I hate waiting.”

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