Page 162 of Come Apart
Chapter Thirty-Two
The rest of the day drags by.
It takes all the willpower I have not to pull out my phone and call Alyssa. But I have to wait until I'm sure. She won't take another false start.
By the evening I'm lost in work. It's comfortable. Easy.
And then Ryan decides to interrupt my zen.
He calls me into his office. No—like the dick he is, he has Janine, our assistant, ask me to go to his office.
He's sitting at his desk, his hands folded, his expression calm. He nods for me to sit.
I don't.
His neutral expression fades. "You shouldn't discuss personal matters with clients."
I smirk. "I have my methods and you have yours."
"It's not professional."
"So, dissolve the firm. You can be as professional as you want."
He moves towards a filing cabinet and pulls out some legal document. "Sell me your half." He hands me the document.
It's a contract to sell the firm.
Everyone is trying to buy half of what's mine today.
"You know I won't sell," I say. "There's a non-compete clause in our partnership agreement."
"I won't enforce it."
"No."
He narrows his eyes. "I'm not going to dissolve. The only way out of this impasse is you selling your half of the firm."
"No."
He offers me a look of pity. "I can manage my feelings, but it's clear that you're not able to stay professional while working with me."
Fucker. "Is that so?"
"Yes," he returns with confidence. "We've had our disagreements, but I do respect... your way with clients. I'm not holding on to what happened with Alyssa."
Bullshit.
"It’s not happening.”
He scoffs, rolling his eyes. "You're not as hard to replace as you think you are. There are plenty of attractive men in Los Angeles. Plenty who are more dependable."
I bite my tongue. He's trying to get a rise out of me. I won't give it to him.
His brow furrows. "If you’re going to be here, you need to be here. Not taking off without notice."
"That won't happen again."
"Really?"
