Scandal

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I felt like s**t, and that was putting it as simply as I could. I got to keep my job, but the sucky part of it all was that Sol had left me. Somehow, through all the s*x and long talks, I hadn't seen it coming at all. Even after he had left me that morning, I hadn't seen it coming. Maybe I was just a fool, and that was probably the case. I was a fool to have thought that Sol would have stayed with me, would have fallen in love with a girl like me. I truly was an i***t.

I didn't know what to do. I knew I needed to get out of bed—that much was for certain. Sol had called yesterday after his meeting with his father and assured me that my job was still intact, but he’d also told me that he wouldn't be able to see me anymore. He didn't believe it was right for him to continue a relationship with me, and he was also concerned that it would affect my continuing career at Jacobs Empire. It mattered not how much I had pleaded with him that the position meant nothing to me. He’d left and wished me good luck with my job.

I had literally not left my bed since that call. What had I expected, really? It was pathetic for me to have thought that a guy like Sol would have stayed with me. Ridiculous, actually.

It was time to get ready for work. For the job that had cost me everything. Was I just being stupid? I would never have even gotten together with Sol had I not walked into that office. I was devastated, and that was the truth of it. I had wanted him, wanted him more than anything, and now he was gone. I should have seen it all coming.

I wondered what he was going to do with himself now that he had left the Empire, left his position as CEO. It was all so crazy to me that someone in his position would do something like that. Why didn't he just have me fired and stay with the company? He had ended the relationship anyway, so why not keep his job and make his father happy? He didn't owe me anything, so why not just cut me loose and call it a day?

I rolled out of bed and hurried to the bathroom to clean myself up. It was time to go to work whether I liked it or not. I needed to let it all go, no more beating myself up over the whole situation. I was a strong woman. Screw this! I would pick myself up and move on. It was time to go after what I wanted, not wallow in self-loathing. So what was it that I wanted? Sol? Did I want him even after he had ended things? Could I forgive him after he had left me, seemingly for no reason at all?

Fuck it. I'm getting ready, and I'm going to do it. I’m going to get everything I want in life. A career, a man . . . everything. But was the man going to be Sol?

I finished getting ready and went to get dressed. My mind was buzzing, a million miles away. I didn't know what to do or how to feel, but I knew I had to take control. I’d been dealt a hand that I didn't want, but I was going to deal with it. I wasn't the kind of girl who would just to sob my days away. No, I was going to take action, and whether or not I lost Sol, I would still be okay. No matter what, I would be okay.

I took a cab into the office. It was cold, bone-chilling day. I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with the stares and the whispers, but the worst was over, right? Of course it was. It was going to be okay. I hadn't been into the office in almost a week—surely people weren't still talking about this. Rose and I had been watching Gossip Girl, and scandals happened in every episode in that world. The elite survived scandals that normal people couldn't even comprehend and then started all over again the next day. And then another scandal would hit that you figured would kill them, and still they survived. So surely at Jacobs Empire, they would already be talking about someone else by now. This was nothing, and I would survive, too. I was a survivor.

––––––––

I GOT OFF THE ELEVATOR, and there was such a quiet to the floor that at first I thought maybe the whole floor had shut down. But no . . . it was just the effect of me entering the office. Apparently, my scandal had not quite ended. I would still have to endure a little more. I tried to smile at everyone I passed as I headed to my desk. I didn't know anyone there well enough to strike up a conversation. The only person I’d known was Sol and, well, he was gone. Even his right hand man Chuck didn’t seem to be too keen on me. I couldn't really blame him—he did look kind of lost without Sol. And at that point, the new successor had not yet been announced, so I had no idea whom I was assisting or Chuck would be winging.

Roger approached my desk, which shocked me. I’d had no idea he was in the office.

“Can I see you for a moment?”

“Sure.”

I followed him into Sol's old office.

“I'm glad to see you back to work, Sasha. Things were a little crazy there for a while, but now that things are back to normal, it's better for everyone.”

I stared at him, shocked by his words. “Normal? Is that what you think this is? Where’s your son?” I paused and then sighed. “Look, Roger, I quit. I can't do this. I think the reason should be obvious. I choose love.”

I had nothing to fear any longer. I knew now that Sol was nothing like his father. He’d given up everything for me. How had I not seen it until now?

“Is this truly how you feel?”

“Yes, sir. I'm sorry.”

“Well, to be honest with you, Sasha, I really did think this was all just a fling. Something I could squash and never think about again. I didn't know he really loved you, or that you loved him back. I can't afford to lose both of you. I was wrong.”

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