Page 13 of Through You
“Great. Thank you very much.”
She smiles politely and leaves. My doctor has strongly recommended that in order to avoid stress, I need to stop involving myself in every single detail that pertains to the operation of this company. Per his instructions, I need to trust my staff and dele-gate more, which I am unable to do, even though I’ve tried. I feel an overwhelming sense of obligation. My father placed his trust in me, and I would hate to disappoint him. I rub my face and sink back in my chair. I close my eyes and massage my temples.
I’m exhausted. My sleep-deprived nights are catching up with me.
“Well, this is a discouraging sight.” Alex’s voice catches me by surprise. When I open my eyes, he’s sitting next to my desk with his arms crossed. “I don’t mean to offend you, but you look awful.”
I met Alex, my best friend, in university. We were in the same faculty, although he studied finance. I hired him when I took over the reins of the company. He is one of the few people I trust. I try to ease the tension in my shoulders.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
His broad smile lights up his face. Alex is a cheerful type.
“Always the charmer. What, I can’t drop by for a visit with my best friend?”
“I’m working.”
“Really? Because you look like you’re about to pass out from exhaustion.”
“It’s fine.”
“If you die, I’m not attending your funeral.”
I try to seem stern, but my eyelids are heavy. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Alex makes himself comfortable, puts his hands behind his head, and leans backward. “I ran into Cristina in the hallway. I was under the impression you didn’t mix work with pleasure.”
I roll my eyes. “What are you insinuating?”
“Well, she looked like she’d just been screwed.”
“Please don’t talk about her like that.”
He removes his hands from behind his head and slowly stands. “My apologies, m’lord. You’re in a crappy mood today.” He pauses and pretends to ponder. “But then again, you always are.”
When I don’t reply, he studies me attentively. Alex knows me so well. “You’re more frustrated than usual. What’s going on?”
“I told you, I’m doing just fine.”
“Look, you can keep deflecting, and I can keep asking if you’re okay until I wear you down and finally manage to extract a confession, but why don’t we save ourselves the time and you just tell me what’s going on?”
I sigh. “I think I might have come down too hard on someone.”
He pretends to be shocked. “No.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“If you’re actually feeling guilty, then you must have been pretty harsh. Who was it?”
I look away and sink deeper in my chair. Alex arches an eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me . . .”
“Alex.”
“Oh—I know that look. It was Claudia, wasn’t it?”
I don’t even know how he remembers her. “I told you to forget that name.”
