Page 60 of The Life Experiment
The constant dance of the brilliant and the brutal was so overwhelming it often made tears spill down Layla’s cheeks, but the intensity proved one thing – she was alive. For now, at least.
‘Seriously, what’s gotten into you?’ Rashida pushed. ‘First you disappear, then you come back like… well, I don’t even know. Did you have a lobotomy or something?’
‘Smiling means I’ve been lobotomised?’
‘It does in this office.’
Layla looked around and realised how deep a line had been drawn between her and everyone else. The experiment started it, but it couldn’t take credit for everything that came after. It hadn’t instructed her to read Jayden bedtime stories in silly voices or spend time with Angus – she had done that.
But is this fair on Angus?her brain nagged. It was a voice Layla hadbeen doing her best to shut out. The problem was, the more she came to accept her limited lifespan, the louder the question shouted.
As her heart cracked, Layla busied herself with her laptop. Skimming over her inbox, she calculated which emails were most important and ranked them in a to-do list. Some she would respond to today. Others, she would push to tomorrow. Some things could wait, Layla had come to realise. Some things weren’t that important, and spending all your time obsessing over them meant there was a danger of overlooking the things that were.
Watching Layla calmly work through her to-do list, Rashida shook her head. ‘That’s it,’ she said. ‘You’ve been lobotomised. It’s the only explanation.’
‘It wasn’t a lobotomy. It was a much-needed reset.’
Rashida raised her eyebrow and readied herself to say more, but something over Layla’s shoulder caught her eye. Immediately, Rashida was silenced.
‘Layla?’
Spinning in her chair, Layla turned to find Michelle Beckett standing behind her. Dressed in a suit that likely cost more than Layla earned in a month, Michelle looked every bit as impressive as her credentials suggested she was.
‘Can I have a word in my office?’
Rashida’s head snapped to Layla, wide-eyed. A word with the boss was either good news or bad. There was no in-between. Given Layla’s recent attendance, there could only be one outcome.
With a nervous nod, Layla rose and followed Michelle. Walking behind her, Layla couldn’t take her eyes off Michelle’s shoes. They couldn’t be comfortable when the heel was both impossibly high and alarmingly thin, but Michelle walked in them as if they were a pair of slippers. Confident, strong, with no hint of a wobble. A woman who knew what she was about to do.
Yeah, fire you,Layla’s brain snapped.
As Michelle opened the door to her office, Layla bit the inside of her cheek. It was all going to come down to this. Layla and Michelle in a sleek, wooden office, with Mayweather & Halliwell taking the best years of her life and dropping her when she dared to take her foot off the gas.
Everything Layla had worked for, gone.
It was as she walked towards Michelle’s desk that Layla realised that although her relationship with her job had shifted, it still mattered to her. Being successful was always going to be an important part of who she was. It was just the way she was built. Besides, Layla’s achievements weren’t void because she only had two years left to live. If anything, they were more important than ever.
But, as Layla took a seat opposite Michelle, it looked like her achievements were about to come to an end.
‘Layla,’ Michelle began, smoothing the sleeves of her suit. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m good, thank you,’ Layla croaked. ‘Yourself?’
Michelle waved her hand. ‘Oh, constantly on the go and permanently tired, you know how it is.’ Michelle laughed, giving Layla permission to smile weakly. Then, as quickly as Michelle’s laughter had started, it stopped. ‘I’m guessing you know all about those feelings though. That’s why you’ve been away so much recently.’
Fear flooded Layla. This was it – the moment she was going to lose it all. A moment she had spent her entire life trying to avoid.
Something in Layla’s gut kicked. Something that felt similar to the time Joey Marron accused her of cheating in a maths test because she’d beaten his score. The feeling reminded Layla of all the times others had used their status or power to minimise hers. Making her feel small, like she should be grateful to have a seat at the table, even though she had worked damned hard to get there.
Squaring her shoulders, Layla sat taller. ‘I know I haven’t been as committed recently as I have in the past, but I don’t think currentpersonal circumstances should override years of hard work. I am an asset to Mayweather & Halliwell. If you look at my stats—’
‘Layla, please,’ Michelle cut in. ‘I know how hard you work. Trust me when I say I’m more than impressed with your output. In fact, I see a lot of myself in you. That being said, I have noticed a change in your performance. Specifically in regards to your attitude. You’re no longer the first one in and the last one out.’
Layla opened her mouth to explain, but she stopped when she saw that Michelle was smiling. ‘I don’t understand. Are you… are you firing me?’
Michelle’s finely plucked eyebrows lifted. ‘Firing you? No! I really need to work on my tone if you think that.’
Layla’s lips parted to let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or run down the corridor cheering.
