Laura
I was in my office at the Hextec offices while finishing my work that afternoon. In short, the time i had spent in Manhattan working with Nemesis had been such a success that nowadays what we mostly have here at Hextec is work, both small companies and large
renowned firms sought out our marketing services because of Nemesis’s recommendation.
For example, lately, I have been working with a renowned company called Williams Jewels, which is a producer of luxury jewelry, so my entire staff and I were busy doing great work with that firm, which would attract more clients from that pantheon.
My door opened, and I already knew who it was because the only one who entered my office without my secretary telling me was Richard, my partner. Richard came in, only he had a big bouquet of red roses in his hands, and he brought it to me with a seductive smile.
“Wow, what a giant bouquet!” I exclaimed, standing up and receiving the bouquet he gave me.
“It’s for you because you deserve great things,” he said flirtatiously, hugging my waist and I smelled the flowers, giggling.
“You’re so romantic, that pleases me,” I said with a smile on my face.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he said, kissing my lips. The kiss took me a little by surprise, but I shouldn’t have been so surprised since he was my boyfriend. However, Richard wanted to deepen the bond by pulling me closer to him, but I moved away with a small smile.
“I’m going to put the bouquet in the vase so it doesn’t wither,” I said as I walked away and went to put it in the vase. I was trying not to be
+25 BONUS
awful and not remember the day my ex-husband gave me a whole room of bouquets of roses. That was so exaggerated, but deep down, 1 enjoyed it so much.
Richard followed me, approaching me and hugging me from behind. ” What do you think about you and me having dinner out tonight? Just the two of us,” he invited, sniffing my neck, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“Hmm, that would be cool,” I commented.
“So let’s go?”
“I’m afraid not. Anne arranged to watch her favorite cartoon with me tonight at night, you know how she is,” I said, giving a justification.
“But you can very well postpone this moment with our daughter because I’ve been trying to create a private moment between us for a long time now,” he said, chuckling and then resting his chin on my shoulder. We were both looking out the window that looked outside the building. “Look, it’s snowing. It’s perfect weather for a dinner for two, don’t you think?”
“A dinner? Is Anne going to be home alone? She’s still too young for that.” I reluctantly held my hands still on the bouquet as I stared at the snow outside.
“I know Anne is young, so I’m going to call a babysitter to stay with her until we get back,” he said, seeming to already have everything
planned.
I kind of broke away from him and walked away, going to organize the files on the shelf next as unconscious pretexts to keep him away. “Ah no. Anne is a bit annoying, she doesn’t get along very well with strangers. She can cry all night. How about we go out another day?” I asked with a smile at him.
“When? When Anne is ten will you feel safe letting her spend a night
away from you so you can be with me? Or when she is fifteen or twenty?” He asked, not smiling anymore now. There was a hint of disappointment in his tone that made me uncomfortable.
+25 BONUS
But I couldn’t blame him so much, Richard was trying to stay close to me and I was always moving away, making him stay away. Maybe he was just getting tired from waiting for me.
I checked the time on my watch. “Wow! It’s pretty late, isn’t it? It’s time to pick Anne up from daycare,” I said, laughing to ease the tension that had formed in the place.
Richard sighed and said, “You’re still busy with the Williams Jewels project, I can pick up Annie from daycare.” As always he was there offering himself. –
“No need, you already do a lot for her. I can continue work tomorrow. Now all I can think about is going home and making her favorite food, “I said smiling, going back to my computer and starting to close the folders.
“Why are you saying that I already do a lot for her? She’s my daughter, everything I do for her will be insufficient,” he said, making the nonsense I had said.
otice
I had practically implied that Richard wasn’t my daughter’s fat it was hurting him. “No, it’s not like that. Don’t talk nonsense, Y the only father Anne has and will always be,” I said in a carefree wa
Richard sat at the table in front of me. “So if you know that, why don’t you leave her with a babysitter today just so her parents can be together?” He insisted, playing with a strand of my hair.
“Um, how about we ask Anne what she thinks about this?” I
suggested, grabbing my bag to leave the room.
“Then I’ll go with you to pick her up from daycare,” he said, standing
+25 BONUS
“No need. Finish your work and then we’ll talk,” I said to him, already leaving my office.
“I insist on going with you,” he insisted, and didn’t look like he was going to change his mind.
“Well, since you insist so much. Let’s go then,” I said, smiling at him even though inside I was nervous.
We went to the parking lot and Richard continued to be as friendly and helpful as always. While he was driving the car I asked him.
“Where do you want to take me for dinner?” I should try to like him, Richard didn’t deserve all my indifference.
“How about Charme? Remember I wanted to take you to dinner there one day?” He said, making my smile freeze instantly and look at him
in shock.
“Charme? Why at the Charme restaurant?”
“Because it’s a good place and I liked it,” he said, shrugging.
“But you know what I think of that place. You know what happened to me there,” I replied, feeling my throat go dry.
“Why? Because of your ex-husband? Is that why that place still affects you so much? Why can’t you go have a romantic date with your boyfriend in one of the most beautiful restaurants in New York? Just because your ex-husband traumatized you there? Why can’t you just forget about it and move on with your life? Why do you still have to be tremendously connected with your past, so connected that you can’t even take a step forward? Because to me it doesn’t seem like the restaurant is affecting you, but rather your ex-husband. Have you by any chance not forgotten him yet, Laura? Haven’t you gotten over him yet?”