Chapter 63 Effective Immediately
Tuesday Afternoon - 1:45 PM
Elena stood outside Thorne Empire for the first time since Sunday.
The building looked the same. Glass and steel. People streaming in and out. Business as usual.
Like nothing had changed.
Except everything had.
She took the elevator to the fifty-third floor. Stepped into the familiar hallway.
Jenna looked up from her desk. Her expression shifted—sympathy mixed with discomfort.
"Elena. Hey."
"Hey."
"They're waiting for you in HR. Third floor."
"Thanks."
Jenna lowered her voice. "Are you okay?."
Elena nodded. Didn't trust herself to speak.
Back in the elevator. Down to the third floor.
The HR office was sterile. Beige walls. Corporate art. A woman in a gray suit waiting behind a desk.
"Ms. Moreno. Please, sit."
Elena sat.
The woman—her nameplate read Jennifer Chen—folded her hands on the desk.
"I'll get straight to the point. Given the recent changes in executive leadership, we're making some adjustments to staffing."
"I'm being let go."
Jennifer blinked. "I—yes. We're eliminating your position effective immediately."
"Because Victoria's gone."
"Because the executive assistant role is no longer needed in its current capacity." Her tone was careful. Scripted. "We're offering two weeks severance and will provide a neutral reference for future employment."
"Two weeks."
"It's standard for your length of service."
Three months of work. Two weeks of pay.
The property tax bill was due next month. The roof had been leaking since January. The furnace made concerning noises.
"Is there anything else?" she asked.
"We'll need your building access badge. And any company property—laptop, phone, files."
"I don't have a company laptop or phone. Just the badge."
Elena pulled it from her purse. Set it on the desk.
Jennifer picked it up like it was evidence. "Thank you. Your final paycheck will be processed Friday. Direct deposit."
"Okay."
"HR will email you the severance paperwork. Sign and return within seven days."
"Okay."
Jennifer's expression softened slightly. "For what it's worth, your performance reviews were excellent. Victoria spoke highly of your work."
Elena stood. "Thank you for telling me."
"I'm sorry it worked out this way."
"Me too."
Elena left the building without looking back.
Outside, the afternoon sun was too bright. The city too loud.
She walked without direction. Just needed to move.
Her phone buzzed.
Alexander: How did it go?
She stopped on the sidewalk. Typed: Let go. Two weeks severance.
I'm so sorry.
It's fine. I expected it.
Where are you?
Walking.
Want company?
She thought about it. Yes.
Where?
The park near the community center.
Be there in ten.
She walked slowly. Giving him time.
The park was mostly empty on a Tuesday afternoon. A few parents with toddlers. An elderly man feeding pigeons.
Elena sat on a bench. Stared at nothing.
Alexander arrived exactly ten minutes later. Sat beside her without speaking.
They watched the pigeons for a while.
"I got two more rejections," he said finally. "Automated responses. Didn't even read my resume I guess."
"I'm sorry."
"Three others haven't responded at all." He leaned back. "I have eight applications out there. Maybe one will actually consider me."
"Something will work out."
"You don't believe that."
"I'm trying to."
He took her hand. Laced their fingers together.
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know."
"We should make a plan. Figure out our options."
"Okay. What are our options?"
He was quiet. "I could ask Victoria for a loan. She has savings."
"No."
"Elena—"
"She just walked away from everything too. We're not taking her money."
"Then what? We both need income. The house, Leo's school, food—"
"I'll find something. Waitressing. Retail. Whatever pays."
"That's not sustainable—"
"It's what I did before. I can do it again."
"You shouldn't have to."
She pulled her hand away. "Shouldn't have to? Alexander, I've been barely keeping that house from falling apart for three years. The roof leaks. The furnace is dying. The water heater is held together with duct tape and prayer." Her voice rose. "I know how to survive on nothing. This isn't new for me."
"I know. I just—"
"You just what? Thought it would be different? That loving you would somehow fix my grandmother's roof?"
"That's not what I meant—"
"Then what did you mean?"
He ran his hands through his hair. "I meant you deserve better. You've worked so hard. You've sacrificed so much. And now you're losing your job because of me."
"Not because of you. Because of your family."
"Same thing."
"It's not." She turned to face him. "You didn't fire me. You didn't force me to date you. You didn't make any of this happen."
"I brought you into their world. That's what made you a target."
"I walked into their world willingly. I knew the risks."
"Did you?"
She thought about it. "Maybe not all of them. But enough."
A toddler ran past, chasing a ball. The mother followed, laughing.
Normal life. Continuing.
"I need to pick up Leo from Mrs. Chen's soon," Elena said.
"I'll drive you."
They stood. Walked back to his car in silence.
At Mrs. Chen's building, they climbed the familiar stairs.
Elena knocked. The door opened immediately.
"Elena! And Alexander. Come in."
Leo was on the floor, dinosaurs spread everywhere.
"Mama! Dad!" He scrambled up. "Look what Mrs. Chen and I built! It's a dinosaur city with roads and everything!"
"Very impressive," Alexander said.
"Can we keep playing?"
"We need to go home, baby."
"But we just started the city! The T-Rex hasn't even moved into his house yet!"
"You can finish tomorrow."
"Promise?"
Mrs. Chen smiled. "Promise. Your city will be waiting."
Leo carefully gathered his dinosaurs. "Bye, Mrs. Chen. Thank you for the excellent city planning."
"You're very welcome."
In the hallway, Mrs. Chen touched Elena's arm. "How did it go today?"
"They let me go."
"I'm sorry." She glanced at Alexander. "Both of you?"
He nodded.
"Well. You're both smart, capable people. You'll figure something out."
Elena wished she had that confidence.
At home, Leo immediately started rebuilding his dinosaur city on the living room floor.
"This one is the mayor. He makes all the important decisions. And this one is the police officer. He keeps everyone safe from bad guys."
Elena made dinner while Alexander helped Leo with the city.
"The roads need to be wider. For big dinosaurs."
"Good point. How wide?"
"THIS wide." Leo spread his arms. "So everyone fits."
Over dinner, Leo talked non-stop about his day.
"Mrs. Chen taught me how to play checkers! I'm not very good yet but I won TWO times! And we made cookies but we can't eat them until tomorrow because they need to cool down which takes FOREVER. And we read a book about a bear who goes to the moon which doesn't make sense because bears can't breathe in space but it was still good."
Elena picked at her food. Thinking about bills. About the property tax due in six weeks. About the water heater that wouldn't last another winter.
"Mama, are you listening?"
"Yes, baby. Bears in space."
"Not just bears. A SPECIFIC bear named Gus who wanted to see the stars up close."
"That's nice."
Leo frowned. "You're not really listening."
"I'm sorry. I'm just tired."
"From not working?"
"From—" She stopped. "Yes. From not working."
"That doesn't make sense. If you're not working, you should be LESS tired."
"You'd think so."
After dinner, Alexander helped with dishes while Leo watched a show about dinosaurs. Again.
"I've been thinking," Alexander said quietly.
"About what?"
"About options. Things we haven't considered."
"Like what?"
"I have savings. About six months' worth. Maybe eight if I'm careful." He dried a plate. "I could help with the house. Get the roof fixed. Replace the water heater."
"No."
"Elena—"
"I'm not taking your money."
"It's not taking. It's—we're together. Your house, my money. It's all shared now, isn't it?"
"That's not how this works."
"Why not?"
She set down the sponge. "Because the second I start depending on your money, I lose the one thing I've always had. Independence."
"But you're not alone anymore—"
"What happens when you decide this is too hard? When the struggling gets old and you want your comfortable life back?"
"That's not going to happen—"
"You don't know that. Nobody knows that." She faced him. "I've been abandoned before, Alexander. By my stepmother. By my father. I learned to only count on myself. That's how I survive."
"I'm not them."
"Everyone says that. Until they leave."
He pulled her close. She resisted for a moment, then let herself lean against him.
"I'm not leaving," he said into her hair.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
"We'll see."