Chapter Thirteen: Forty-Eight Hours
560 Words
Chapter Thirteen: Forty-Eight Hours
Katherine
Forty-eight hours.
That’s what HR said it would take to reach a decision.
It felt like a lifetime.
I spent the first day trying to distract myself with normal things — groceries, laundry, even watering a plant I’d nearly killed weeks ago. But every hour, my phone tempted me.
No calls from Andrew. No updates from the office.
When evening came, I finally gave up pretending. I opened my laptop and saw the latest article trending online:
> “Austin Enterprises Under Review After CEO Defends Secretary.”
My stomach turned.
There it was — my name, his name, our story turned into clickbait.
For the first time, I wasn’t just scared of losing my job.
I was scared of what this might cost him.
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Andrew
He’d been through corporate crises before.
This one felt different because this one had her name on it.
For two days, every conversation in the boardroom was a battle. PR wanted a public apology. Legal wanted a signed non-disclosure agreement. The board wanted silence.
He wanted the truth.
“Andrew,” one director said, rubbing his temples, “you’re letting emotion cloud your judgment.”
“Maybe emotion’s been missing from this company for too long,” he shot back.
That ended the meeting.
By the time he returned to his office, it was late. The skyline outside his window glittered, but all he saw was her face in that conference room — proud, hurt, and far braver than anyone gave her credit for.
He unlocked his phone and typed a message.
> Andrew: “They’re still deciding. Whatever happens, I won’t let them destroy your reputation.”
He hesitated before pressing send.
Then, almost immediately, the three dots appeared.
> Katherine: “You can’t protect me from everything, Andrew. But thank you for trying.”
He smiled, just a little.
It wasn’t forgiveness, but it was hope.
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Katherine
By the second morning, I was pacing my apartment when the call finally came.
“Miss Sandra,” the HR director said. “The board has reached a decision. You may return to work Monday. There will be no further action.”
I exhaled shakily. “Thank you.”
When I hung up, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Relief came first — then confusion.
Did this mean things would go back to normal?
Could they?
My phone buzzed again.
> Andrew: “They cleared you. I’ll see you Monday.”
No emoji. No warmth. Just the safe, polished words of a man who’d built a wall to survive.
But underneath that, I could feel it — the ache he wasn’t saying.
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Andrew
When he got the official confirmation, Andrew leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
He’d won the battle — for now.
But the war inside him was just beginning.
He couldn’t keep pretending Katherine was just another employee.
Not after what he’d risked. Not after what she’d seen.
As the office lights dimmed around him, he realized the truth that had been chasing him for weeks:
He didn’t want to protect her out of duty.
He wanted to protect her because somewhere between business trips and board meetings, he’d fallen in love with her.
And that — more than any headline — was the real scandal.
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(End of Chapter Thirteen)
- Writer
