Forever Lies

4

“Says the woman who’s never worked a day in her life,” I smiled back teasingly, knowing the comment wouldn’t bother her in the slightest. “You should be so lucky … oh, wait—you are! You have plenty of money; you don’t need to deal with this bullshit.” “What am I supposed to do, go shopping and host parties all my life? I’m not my mother, that’s not enough for me.” “Too bad,” she mused. “I’ll have to find someone else to accompany me on my shopping runs and spa treatments.” “Whatever. That’s not you either, and you know it.” I narrowed my eyes and tossed one of my chips at her. She laughed, her vibrant green eyes shining. “I know no such thing. What I do know is if you don’t do something about that boss of yours, I’m going to come up there and raise holy hell. Got it?” “I get it,” I smiled at my best friend. “And I promise I’ll file a complaint with HR. In the meantime, he’s gone for the rest of the week!” “Nice! Maybe we need to take a long lunch break and hit Saks later this week.” “You’re incorrigible.” “So, is that a yes?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Yes, I think that could be arranged.” “Boom! Now, get your ass back to work and file that damn complaint,” she ordered with every ounce of moxie in her five-foot frame. “Yes, sir, Colonel, sir.” I saluted her as I stood, then hugged my amazing friend. Not every girl was lucky enough to have a Giada in their life. I thanked my lucky stars on a daily basis that I’d somehow managed to score the best cousin ever. I walked back into work feeling optimistic and empowered. I would file the dreaded HR complaint and finally get Roger out of my life. There would be interviews and an inter-office investigation, but it would be worth it in the long run. Inappropriate comments were one thing, openly assaulting me was an entirely different can of worms. Not to say the comments were acceptable, but they hadn’t seemed nearly as threatening when his attempts were purely verbal. When I rounded the corner toward our offices, my eyes found Roger’s assistant, Beverly. She was a middle-aged woman who was pleasant enough, but I’d never spent all that much time talking to her. Roger preferred to work directly with me, of course, and Beverly mostly kept to herself. She peered up at me from her desk and gave me a tight smile that was laden with pity. She knew. It was there, etched in each of her features, leaving no room for question. She had called into the office as a distraction, knowing exactly what Roger had been doing. A blur of emotions turned the lunch in my stomach into a heavy lump— gratitude to the older woman for helping me and excruciating embarrassment. We both knew I wasn’t to blame, but that didn’t stop the waves of shame from bringing a heated glow to my skin as I scurried into my office. OceanofPDF.com 2 Alessia By the time I made it home that night, I was exhausted. I never got around to filing the complaint but swore I’d do it by the end of the week. The emotional toll of dealing with the incident itself had been enough for one day. I’d save the drama of dealing with HR for another day. After changing into something comfy, I warmed up one of the dinners delivered by the meal service I used and poured myself a glass of wine. Deciding to take advantage of the beautiful May evening, I opened a couple windows and sat at the kitchen table. My apartment was my sanctuary. What Giada had said about money had been true—my family had always been wealthy. I was exceptionally fortunate to be able to afford a beautiful two-bedroom place in downtown Manhattan straight out of college. The living area and bedroom boasted floor-to-ceiling windows, and even the backsplash in the kitchen was a series of horizontal windows looking out onto the city. I had accentuated the light, airy feel of the space with cream-colored fabrics and a glass-top dining table. Paintings and throw-pillows offered bursts of color and added a homey feel to the contemporary design. Unlike most twenty-three-year-olds in the city, I wasn’t forced to live with a roommate—the apartment was all mine, and I loved it. I didn’t have to worry about someone eating my food or bringing home uninvited guests. It was my space to unwind and allow the stress from the day to fall from my shoulders like an unwanted scarf. The atmosphere was perfect, assuming there were no interruptions or disturbances, such as my mother calling. I should have expected her call— she’d been in constant contact about my youngest sister, Sofia’s, upcoming graduation party. I’d had dinner with my parents just the day before, but we hadn’t discussed the party. My father had already declared himself fed up with the discussions and forbade the topic at our weekly Sunday dinners. It would never have been an issue if Mom had settled for a small affair, but that wasn’t her style. She was throwing a graduation gala and planned to invite a few hundred of her closest friends. I was certain Sofia would have preferred no party at all, but she had humored our mother and allowed the production. We were closing in on the final weeks, so my mom’s calls had been coming more and more frequently. “Hey, Mom. How’s it going?” I said brightly into my phone. “You are not going to believe this,” came her coarse voice. She had been a smoker for many years when she was younger, and though she had quit, she still bore the scratchy voice of a smoker. “What happened? The caterer running low on pâté?” I teased. “If only! Vica decided she’s bringing a man. Can you believe that? I’d already made all the table assignments, and now she’s gone and screwed it all up.” Maria Ludovica Francesca Elena Genovese, Vica for short, was my father’s younger sister. She was an Italian wild-child who gave her two big brothers, and their wives, constant grief. She’d been married three times already but had refrained from having children—a small blessing, according to my mother. Apparently, Vica had met someone new and wanted to bring him to the party. “The graduation is still three weeks out; there’s plenty of time to rearrange things,” I reminded her, hoping she would realize how absurd she sounded.