Page 78 of Arrogant Boss

“Has my father been speaking to you about me being on the board?”

“No, are you interested?”

The lying son of a bitch. Of course, he didn’t, he wants to keep me under his thumb. I use my index finger and thumb to rub my forehead.

“Of course.”

“Well, we can have a Zoom me—”

“I would like to buy my father out, kick him off the board, and take his position. Name your price.”

“You have to have a certain inc—”

“My net worth is sixty billion dollars, suppressing my father’s two billion dollars.”

He sighs through the phone. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be in the middle of your family affairs.”

“It’s business, and I’m doing what’s best for me.”

“Give me three billion, and I’ll buy you in. I’ll talk to the other board members, and they will let you in. Do you have any ammo on him?”

“He’s having an affair with Bernard’s wife. I caught them kissing when I went to visit him at his home. He slid his hand up her dress a few times while I was around. And Bernard’s on the board.” He exhales. “Bernard suspects it happened, and he hired a PI to follow her. We have a deal, and I’ll draw up the board member paperwork and have them sent to you as soon as I speak to the members. Good day.” Then he hangs up the phone.

This is a proud moment for me, and I want to celebrate, but Lake is not here to celebrate with me. What if I call her to see how she’s doing? She’ll probably hang up on me, or not answer the phone. I grab my phone and send Jasper a message about her. He’ll know how she’s doing.

Me: How is Lake doing at work?

He sends a message in a split second.

Jasper: How would I know? You’re dating her.

Me: I ended it.

Jasper: So the rumors are true, Ember told me you two broke up, but I didn’t want to believe it. You’re a dumbass for ending it with her. She’s the only one who would love your crazy ass. BRB.

I set my phone down and wiggle the mouse on the computer screen. Thunder splits the sky in half, and if Lake were here, she would be having a bad anxiety attack. She hates the rain because of the car accident. I try to focus on the numbers for the company, but I can’t because Lake is on my mind.

My phone lights up with a text message from Jasper.

Jasper: I checked with Declan. He told me she hasn’t been to work the last few days, and she sent him an email saying she doesn’t know if she wants to take the position on the creative team.

I set the phone down. I know for a fact that she’s not okay, because that was her dream job, but now she is hesitating. This isn’t like her. And the thought of Declan being able to speak to her makes me jealous. It shouldn’t. I’m the one who broke up with her, and I have no right to care. I chose myself over her, and I will always choose myself, especially when my love is not reciprocated.

Lake

It’s been a few days since Atlas broke up with me, and my emotions have been all over the place. I’m miserable, and I wish I didn’t wake up missing him. I wish I didn’t wake up with him being the first thing on my mind. When I stand in the mirror, I grab the bottle of foundation and stare at it. I said I was going to practice self-love. I’m proud of the battle scar on my face. It shows I was a survivor of a car accident. It doesn’t matter what I look like to other people but what I think about myself when I look in the mirror.

I’m already beautiful, and I see what Atlas saw in me. Not a broken woman but someone who’s brave, caring, and full of strength. I always held on to my scar, because I wanted to suffer like my mother, but now I want to start a new life. I don’t want to wake up every morning and be reminded of the night my life changed. I want to be the old me, the me before the car accident. I want to be confident. So, I’m getting the scar lasered off, and I’m doing it for me, so I can feel like myself again—so I can love myself again.

Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I dial my mother’s old friend, Ellis, who specializes in removing scars. I set up an appointment with her. She’s able to see me today, so I drop by her office for a consultation. After I leave her office, I stop by a hair salon, I get my hair cut and colored pastel pink and later on, I meditate, go to the spa, and write in my journal, feeling like myself again.

A week goes by, and Dr. Ellis lightens my scar. When she hands me a mirror, I burst into tears, because I look like my old self. It’s still there, but it’s not very noticeable now. I can cover the scar with a little foundation.

Slowly, I feel like the person I was before the accident, and I’ve been loving myself more, reminding myself how beautiful I am. The paparazzi still show up to my building, so I leave through the back door, and some of them follow me, but I ignore them as much as possible.

A few days go by; I go to my yoga class, and afterward, I stop by the nearest Starbucks with my laptop and book a trip to Kauai, Hawaii to get away from the noise and to go somewhere relaxing for a month. My career can be on hold, and I can reflect and think about what I really want out of life. After I finish booking my trip, I head to Risqué.

I haven’t been to work since Atlas and I broke up. When I open the glass door, I hold my head high as I stride to the private elevators. Once I’m inside, I breathe in deeply before waltzing to the top floor. I already know what I’m going to do. Everyone knows about our love affair, and there is no reason for me to stay in a work environment that treats me like shit.

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