REFINED ROMANCE

Ruben stood up for me

Well he wants to see us right now in his office, so we're both screwed." I watched him stand up. Ruben was always so brave, never backing down. "Let's go," he sent me a small smile. "I'll cover for you, don't worry. Come on, babe!" he gestured for me to get up fast. "Before we both get sacked today!"

So what went on in the lion's office. It really made me feel as if I was in high school again. Standing in front of the principal who sat behind that desk looking seriously deadly. Almost as if he was a volcano about to erupt. Arms folded upon the table, pink lips pressed together. I mean, I had been there when he asked me to choose either the red shirt or the black one. The black he said, suggested mourning. I had begged to differ since there was nothing to mourn about, starting afresh. So the red one was chosen. I even helped him slip into it, buttoning every single black button like a very kind and considerate girlfriend.

He made me choose the suit too. Asking if he should wear pants or casual jeans. The tailored pants was approved by me because I loved a man in suit It made him appear more sexy. So how could he honestly sit there and glare at...

Wait, come to think of it, I wasn't the one being glared at. Strangely enough, it was Ruben. All eye contact was avoided with me. Even when I kept on looking right into his face, he never returned the attention.

"So," he inhaled deeply and looked really powerful behind that desk, older too, "can one of you please tell me who the hell transferred that fool into my office -"

"It was -" Ruben was silenced with a hand lifted.

"Although I specifically ordered you not to do so because it is too much," he took up a red pen and clicked, eyes lowered. "I am stretched here. I really am. My patience has run out. After that trashy article packed with lies, I am at the end of my rope. I AM SEVERELY PISSED." The last part was stressed on and the tone of his voice had climbed up in volume. "What part of DO NOT TRANSFER do you not understand?"

Brown eyes latched onto me and I stared back without backing down. I stared back and tried to show him how much he had pissed me off too. With his tone of voice, his words, everything. And when he obviously noted my anger, his chest heaved. Blinking two times, Ruben was glared at next.

Ruben sighed. "Look, how it happened is like this. I took the call, and I accidentally transferred it directly to you. I was on the phone with Bookers and they were yapping away, talking about the article. So it slipped me. She called and I slipped my finger."

"You...slipped...your...finger," he said.

"No, it didn't happen like that," I spoke up, my chest hurting because Ruben was really kind and all. But I couldn't allow this to happen.

"It happened like that. And I get that you're having a shitty day, but so are we too. We're all angry out there with you. And to be honest, I don't care if you b***h on me for this, but I can't understand why you fired Terry."

I swallowed hard because Ruben had guts. Oh my goodness he had courage. I should have been the one to talk that way because of course, I was more than ever angry and after last night, he had given enough for me to demand control.

Liam was slowly about to erupt, full force. "You're angry with me? Because I sacked that ass?"

"That ass," Ruben said pointing outside, "was the best employee you had. And you know that. He did his job and did it well for over ten damn years. So don't sit there and pretend as if you're not aware of it. You're the one who gave him a medal for ten years straight for being the best worker."

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he discarded what was said with lowered eyes, suddenly finding a stack of papers interesting.

"Yeah?" Ruben stepped forward and rested his palms upon the desk. He leaned forward. "Go ahead and fire me then because I've been neck deep in all your mess from the first time I started working here. I've been here for twelve years. I know how you work."

Liam shook his head. "I don't have time for this right now."

"You pretend to be a big, powerful man but you're just a big ball of mush inside and I know that. It's your shitty private life so deal with it. Don't come in here and take it out on us, especially Sophie , She did nothing to you to deserve that kind of tone earlier.