THE OTHER WOMAN

Chapter 16

I walked into my office with a bounce in my step. I was in high spirits. Isabella was seated at the reception, working on a pile of papers.

"Good morning."

She looked at me in surprise. I rarely talked to her, leave alone greeting her.

"Good morning. You are in good moods."

"You have no idea." I replied with a smile.

I walked into my office and searched for my ear pods in my handbag. I plugged them in and shrugged off my blazer. I danced around the modern and sleek office, stopping for a moment to stare at the city from my office window. With the loud music blasting in my ears, I never heard the door opening until I felt a slight tap on my shoulder and I whirled around.

Isabella was standing there, frowning at me.

"You are very energetic this morning. It's weird."

Shit. She must have witnessed my poor dancing skills.

"I think you should be at the reception doing your work."

I was trying to salvage some dignity.

"Jack is at the reception."

My smile grew and my mood brightened further.

"Send him in."

I stuck the ear pods into a drawer and straightened my clothes hurriedly. I sat in my chair and put on my most professional face.

The day was finally here. It was the end of the month.

Jack walked in and slammed the door behind him. Jeez, he was angry. He stood opposite my desk and glared hard at me, his Adam's Apple bobbing us and down, his anger almost palpable.

I stared at him impassively, giving nothing away. I was excited and I wanted to jump up and down but I sat there, looking at him, feigning little interest.

"Julie..really?" He spoke in a menacing low tone and for a moment I thought he was going to strangle me.

I kept my innocent look on and stayed quiet, eyeing him. Isabella came in and stood by the door.

Great.

"Julie, I know you're crazy and you should see a psychiatrist, but right now it's my job I'm worried about, not your mental health."

He was probably right. I did need psychiatric help at this point.

"What do you want, Jack?"

"I want my goddamned job!"

His voice was high pitched and it irritated me to no end.

"How about no?"

"Who the f**k do you think you are?" He was sneering at me and I wanted to hit his jaw hard.

"Your boss! That's who the fück I think I am!"

He laughed loudly, sarcasm dripping from his laughter.

"My boss is Paul. He would never sack me willingly. I know you fúcked him. I know you had sick s*x games with him to get him to fire me!"

It was my turn to laugh out loudly.

"I don't have s*x with men in exchange for favours, Jack. But I happen to know someone who does."

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

I opened the safe, took some documents and handed them to him. "I'll show you in a minute. Look at this.."

He looked at the papers suspiciously for a moment before he took them and flipped through, his mouth dropping open with each flip.

"What the f**k! You own the company??? How?"

His voice had dropped to a near whisper and my jaws were aching from my wide smile.

"I have my ways."

He stared at the papers, then at me and back at the papers and collapsed on the chair.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe you own the goddamn company."

"I do. Now get over it. There is something else I want to show you."

He looked at me with the meanest look he could afford.

"What is it now?"

I opened my laptop and turned it around to face him and Isabella.

"This." I flashed him a small smile and moved over to his side, bending over on the table provocatively. I pressed play and he froze in his chair.

I didn't bother with with the introductions, I forwarded the video to the steamy part. Isabella's moans filled the room. She was cursing and thrashing like a foal as an o****m hit her.

"Damn. That must have been powerful! Do you even know where the G-spot is?" I said breathlessly, my mouth only inches from Jack's ear to irritate him.

Isabella looked at me in horror and it dawned on her that I had set the whole thing up. She screamed, turned on her heel and disappeared from the office.

Jack slammed the laptop shut and stood up, looking around him, bewildered. He stared at me in despair for a long moment and finally, a single tear rolled down his left cheek. He was done. He was jobless, wifeless and almost lifeless.

A second tear escaped from his eye and slowly, very slowly, he went down, looking at me straight in the eye until his knees touched the floor. His shoulders slumped and he bend his head, staring at his feet.

"Julie, I have no idea what to say.I hurt you and treated you like s**t. I wish I could take back my actions." He lifted his head and looked at me. "You have done enough, Julie. Please leave me alone now. I am sorry. I will never cross your way again."

I looked at him for a while and reminisced the old days. I had once loved him senselessly. I had planned to spend the rest of my life with him at some point.

I had done enough to him.

"Get your sorry ass out of my office and never come back."

He stood up and walked to the door.

"I'm sorry, Jules."

I knew he meant it. I showed him my middle finger and he walked out and closed the door behind him.

I went to the cabinet and poured myself some whiskey. I moved to the window and stared at the city below.

I was at peace.

I wasn't an empty broken shell anymore. I was karma.