REFINED ROMANCE

I screwed up

Chapter 19

865 Word Update date:2023-08-18 13:26:45

Yeah?" Ruben leaned in my direction. "No one gives a s**t about anything else right now than hating his guts for what he did to Terry. And this article. Let's see how he clears his name."

I thought about it and felt like 1% better. But it helped anyway. "I need to use the washroom quick," I said, sending him a quick look.

He studied my face and frowned. "Aw babe, don't cry. Go on then. I'll cover for you."

Slipping out from my chair, knees weak, I walked off. Actually no one looked up to consider me. Everyone had their heads joined together behind cubicles and were reading the article. Gossiping. Even Larry, the IT technician had come out of his office to join the talk. I noticed him seated on a chair listening to Annie, a pregnant woman talk about it.

"Ignore the witch," Will said, coming into view and throwing an arm around me. He was also an IT guy. "Off her knockers, that one. Did you read the paper?"

I nodded.

"Right old b***h he is. Very soon he'll be sacked and we'll see who'll be laughing then."

So I reached the washroom, spent like five minutes crying my eyes out and thinking about the night gone by. I was so confused. No really I was because stupid me had allowed this woman I had never met to lure me in. He had this way, with his eyes especially. To just draw me in and keep me there. And I fell for him, honestly believed everything he did.

What about Doctor Hopper?

I started reading into his words more and realized that his urgent visit last night must have been spot on. He was probably in dying need of help or something, mentally. Having a psychiatrist seek you out after hours to ask about your mental health? Surely he had reasons! And then how do I explain the fact that he claimed he fell in love with me just like that? Now it seemed so freaking ridiculous!

Girls close to my age. Like more than three of them. And then he discarded of them just like that. After getting what he wanted. I was just another one I bet. Except now he was outed yesterday and I was the first girl to f**k up. Now there would a string of girls after me obviously. I slammed my fists into the stall door and growled. Then washing my face, with fists clenched, I strode out of there and back to my desk.

Oh he really harassed people that morning.

We could hear the conversations from his office. Yelling at people on the phone and asking Ruben to find the newspaper's editor in chief's number. He wanted to sue them. I was dying, in the midst of a serious migraine and had to take a Tylenol. By the time it was lunch, I was let off for an hour and spent that time outside.

The time flew by that day, so fast. But just around three, Ruben had left his desk to use the washroom. Our phones rang in unison and when I saw L.A HEAD OFFICE, KATE H. calling, I held my breath. Oh s**t. Picking it up, I swallowed.

"Good day, you're onto Dazzle Magazine. This is Sophia speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hi, Sophia morning, this is Kate calling." So that's what she sounded like. She sighed. "Put me onto Mr Abbort, please."

When I realized that I'd have to ring him first to connect, my fingers grew numb.

Where are you Ruben?

I desperately eyed the area, trying to seek him out but he was nowhere in sight. Sucking it up, I dialed the extension.

You wouldn't believe what I did, guys.

It works like this. When someone calls to speak to him, you have to dial his extension and ask if he's going to accept the call. I dialed his extension and because I was nervous, my finger accidentally pressed TRANSFER immediately after. So that means, the call went through just like that.

When I realized what I had done and saw Ruben coming, I felt my entire body wash over with coldness. He stared at my face and froze up.

"What happened?"

Covering my face with shaky hands, I folded up. "Oh shit..."

"What did you do?" He moved his chair closer. "Did he...did he do something again? Did he say something?"

When our phones rang, I almost died. I lost my third life out of nine, obviously.

"Yes, Mr Abbort, "Ruben answered curtly. I lifted my head and watched his face. "Okay, will do. Yes."

Resting the phone upon the cradle, I was stared at with wide eyes. "What happened, Sophia?

"I transferred Kate to him right away," I confessed, my eyes stinging.

"What do you mean you transferred her right away?"

"She called, I dialed his extension and accidentally pressed TRANSFER immediately," I explained.

"Oh f**k," Ruben's eyes were wide as saucers. He swallowed, blinked. "When you left, he called to tell me not to put Kate through to him, We're in for it now. Geez."

"I screwed up," I moaned, covering my ears.