Chapter Eleven: Distance
553 Words
Chapter Eleven: Distance
Katherine
Three days.
That’s how long I’d been away from the office.
Technically, I wasn’t suspended — just “temporarily relieved of duties pending review.”
But it felt like punishment all the same.
The company issued an official statement denying “any inappropriate conduct,” but it did little to stop the gossip. My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing — news alerts, messages from coworkers pretending to “check in,” and one text from Andrew that I read too many times to count.
> Andrew: “Please stay calm. HR will contact you for an interview tomorrow. I’ll handle the board.”
Handle the board.
As if I were another item on his endless list of crises.
I didn’t reply.
Instead, I sat by the window of my apartment, watching the rain streak down the glass. For the first time since joining Austin Enterprises, I wasn’t sure I’d have a desk to return to.
I kept replaying that rooftop night — the laughter, the quiet between us — and wondered if I’d imagined it all.
If it was real, why was he letting them treat me like I was disposable?
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Andrew
The boardroom felt colder than usual.
Seven men in tailored suits, one woman with a stare sharp enough to cut glass.
He’d been through tougher meetings — mergers, lawsuits, crises — but this was different. This time, it wasn’t about business.
It was about her.
“Mr. Austin,” one of the directors said, flipping through a printed tabloid article. “We have to protect the company’s image. Your... association with an employee has raised concerns.”
Andrew kept his tone even. “Miss Sandra is a valued member of our staff. The claims are false.”
“Even so,” the director continued, “optics matter. Until this dies down, it would be prudent to keep her on administrative leave.”
The word prudent made his teeth clench.
He wanted to slam his fist on the table, to say she’d done nothing wrong — but he could already see the headlines forming if he did.
‘CEO Defends Secretary Amid Scandal’
He forced himself to stay composed. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. The dinner was my suggestion.”
The PR head, Melissa, folded her arms. “And yet, she’s the one people are talking about.”
Andrew met her gaze. “Then that says more about them than it does about her.”
The silence that followed was heavy — the kind that said he’d just made things worse.
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Later, in his office, he sat staring at the city below.
Rain hit the windows in dull rhythm.
He’d told himself he was doing the right thing — protecting her, protecting the company — but every minute she was gone, the building felt emptier.
He reached for his phone again, typing and deleting three messages before finally sending one:
> Andrew: “They’ll want your side of the story tomorrow. Tell the truth. Don’t protect me.”
Seconds later, the reply came.
> Katherine: “You don’t need my protection, Andrew. You just need to choose what matters more.”
He stared at the screen until the words blurred.
Because he knew — deep down — she was right.
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(End of Chapter Eleven)
- Writer
