Chapter 19 Don is calling
Marie’s POV
I didn’t want to stop working for Don. I should have been more careful, but how did he even catch me eavesdropping?
And Jace, he couldn’t even cover for me a little. Now I’m in trouble. I really need this job, but Don doesn’t seem willing to compromise.
I should have known better. Don was ruthless, and begging would never make him show mercy, but it was all I could do.
“Please, just give me another chance.” His gaze was piercing, his expression frosty. My words didn’t seem to affect him.
“You know what I hate, and you did exactly that. The moment you start lying, you lose your credibility. I can’t continue working with you.”
His calm words shattered me. I had been loyal, working for him wholeheartedly, and just one lie and he was letting me go?
Tears welled up, but they didn’t move him.
“If you had told the truth, I would have just changed your office. But you chose to lie to me.”
I don’t know why I lied, knowing that many staff had been fired for the same. I should have come clean, but I lied, and now I faced the consequences.
“Sir…” I tried to plead, but Don’s demeanor was cold and unyielding.
“Jace, escort her out,” he ordered his robotic bodyguard. Jace and Zak were the most loyal bodyguards I had ever encountered.
Those two were willing to sacrifice their lives for Don at any time, and as Jace grabbed me by the arm, I knew it was all over.
My pleas fell on deaf ears, and all the while, I never glanced in Molly’s direction, forgetting that she was the root cause of everything happening to me until I heard her voice.
"Gianni..." she said, sending shock through me.
Was her relationship with Don so intimate that she addressed him so casually? Don's sharp response quickly dispelled my confusion.
"Not a word from you, Molly."
I sensed she might plead for me, remembering Charlie's words about Molly saving him.
He must have done something to provoke Don's anger, and Molly must have interceded for him, just as she was now doing for me.
It was no wonder Don was upset, but I was puzzled by her desire to beg for me. Weren't the rumors about her being a ruthless homewrecker? Why would she care about me?
As Jace dragged me out of the office, I turned forcefully, catching a glimpse of her pitiful gaze when our eyes met.
The jealousy that had clouded my perception before prevented me from truly seeing her at first, but now, as I looked closely, I sensed that something was amiss.
Were the rumors false? Don was too smart to be helping the kind of person described by the rumors. Perhaps I should find out more about her before I get myself into trouble.
Working here had helped me save enough to last a decade, but I still wanted to be with Don.
Jace opened the door with one hand and was about to push me out when I heard Don’s voice. “Wait.”
I swallowed eagerly, waiting expectantly. Was he going to change his mind? That was so unlike him, and if he did, then that would be a first. Did it mean that he liked me too?
I turned to face them, and his gaze was no longer cold, but neither was it warm.
Molly had a smile on her face, though she looked quite surprised too. Then it dawned on me. Everything Don was doing was because of her.
Even as he shut her up, he already knew what she wanted to say. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about this, but I felt like I was at her mercy.
“I have another job for you and will have Zac send the details to you in a week if you are up for it.”
Sorrow filled my heart. I wasn’t going to have my job as his secretary and would not have the chance to be around him.
“Can I think about it?” I had to come up with a way to return to him, but his response made me think twice. "Trust me, it will pay three times better, but if you don't want it, there is always someone else..."
"I'll do it," I interjected, not wanting to miss out on the opportunity. He nodded, urging me to leave.
Sorrow filled my heart as I gazed at my now former office. Jace had left me and was now guarding the door, perhaps until my replacement arrived.
On my way to HR's office, I detoured to the restroom to make a call.
"Marie, I'm very busy," Nora replied hastily. I found myself begging. If I didn't get this information before she found out I was no longer Don's secretary, I wouldn't get it at all.
"Nora, please be honest with me. Are the rumors about Molly true?"
There was silence at the end of the line, and I feared she wouldn't respond. "Why should you care what I think?"
"Trust me, I will believe whatever you say." I was so desperate to know what I was contending with and was glad she opened up to me.
"I worked as Molly's backup singer, and she was nothing like the rumors said. Molly is the kindest soul I ever met, and one day, I wish all those responsible for her downfall would kneel before her."
It all made sense to me. Don wouldn't be willing to help her if she was indeed guilty. I should have minded my own business. I was about to ask more when she spoke again.
"I have to go. Don is calling."