Page 48 of Crazy in Love

“Brother, sister?”

“No.”

“A sudden sickness?”

“No.”

“Then your request is denied,” I tell her. I let all my staff have an emergency two weeks off work, but there has to be a good reason for it, and death is the top one. Anika doesn’t move, and I look over at David, wondering if she has anything else to say, but he shakes his head at me.

“Mr. Kane, this is my dream job. I’ve wanted to work for this company for years”—she stops for a moment and finally looks at me—“but I’m taking my week off, and if that means you fire me, then so be it. But right now, my best friend, who is like a sister, needs me. She is heartbroken because her boyfriend thought the worst, without even talking to her, then not even five minutes later, the world around her crumbled into a thousand pieces.” She stands up, and I try to keep my emotions together, because she’s blaming me for Saylor’s heartache, but what about what she did to me?

Anika stands by the table and looks over at David, before looking over at me. “She had no idea that man was Frankie Fair. That was her new client, Mr. Jones. If I had seen him, I would have told her, and because she loved you, she would have let him go, even though she needs the money.” Anika walks away from my desk.

“Anika-”

“Mr. Kane, right now, she won’t talk to you. She won’t even listen to you.” Anika turns to face me, and I see the water building up in her eyes. “Saylor’s dad died... and-” She moves her weight from foot to foot.

I have nothing to say. A lump builds up in my throat, and I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe. I know how she is about her dad. He was her world.

“Anika, take as long as you need,” I tell her, because I have nothing else to say right now. She gives me a nod and leaves my office, and I glance over at David walking closer to me.

We stare at each other for a moment, because neither off us know what to say.

“I told-”

“Don’t fucking start,” I snap at him.

He did tell me not to just accuse Saylor, he told me to talk to her. But I was so angry because I thought she was working with my competition, that she helped him hack my company, and told him things which I never told anyone else.

But I was wrong, so fucking wrong, and the one time she needs me the most, I can’t be there.

“Go over to see her.” I hear David, but I shake my head. “She will hate you, tell you to leave, but you stay there.”

I lean back in my chair, biting my inner cheek, looking at the staff outside while I wonder how much Saylor is hurting right now. She’s lost the only man she felt safe with, so how can I make anything in her life good now?

“I think I’ve fucked up any chance Saylor will-”

“And you fucking beg her to give you another chance. Fuck, Aiden, you’ve never been in love before.” He stops when I look over at him. “Come on, Aiden, you fell in love with her. Why else would anyone drink a bottle of whiskey to numb the ache inside them.”

“Fell? I’m still in love with her, but Saylor-” I stop when I see my mother and Cathy walking towards my office. “Seriously not in the mood for this.” I shake my head, and David turns around to see what I’m talking about.

I stand up when they walk into the office. “Mother, Cathy. No phone call?”

“So you can leave? I don’t think so,” my mother tells me, and I roll my eyes at her as I walk back to my chair.

“So what can I do for you both today?” I look over at David walking around the desk to me.

“Wanted to talk about the charity event. Before we book a date, we wanted to see which date you have free, that way you can’t say we didn’t talk to you about it,” my mother says, and I look over at Cathy when she pulls out her planner.

I hear David clicking on the mouse to pull up my calendar, and he tells them both a few dates they can pick from. I honestly didn’t think this event would go through because Cathy normally gets bored of things, and gets someone else to do it for her.

“I will talk to the venue, and once I have a date, I will let you know.” Cathy writes the dates down, and I turn to my mother.

“Is there anything else?” I ask, because I’m really not in the mood for a long chat.

“Cathy has a wedding to go to and-”

“No, I have a lot of things happening at work.”

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