Scandal

Chapter 9-4

WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE office, I ascended to the top floor as slowly as possible. I was not looking forward to speaking with my father as I knew no good would come from it. He was pissed about the affair as well as the fact that the entire world now knew about it when it had been kept a secret from him.

I walked into my office to find my father and my new stepmother.

“Good morning, Marie, it's wonderful to see you again.”

She smiled warmly, seemingly unfazed by all the hype. The whole office had been buzzing, but when I walked onto the floor, it immediately got so quiet you would have thought the hundreds of employees had vanished in an instant.

“It's great to see you again, Sol, as always.”

“Let's cut the formalities here, Sol. Tell us what the hell you were thinking!” Roger yelled.

I closed the office door and turned back to my father.

“It just happened, Father. Neither of us planned it, and it's not that big of a deal. We aren't actually related.”

“I don't care if you’re related or not. You should not be dating someone you’re working with, and you should especially not be performing s*x acts right here in the office. That temp really screwed you over. The two of you being related is just the cherry on top of this fiasco.”

“Yes, we made some mistakes. I can admit to that. But we just got caught up in the moment. We’re both adults, and it's really not the end of the world. The gossip will blow over, it always does.”

“That's not good enough, Sol. You have a choice—you can either end this little fling you started, or the both of you are fired. Sasha won’t be the only one looking for another job.”

“Roger! I think that's a bit extreme,” Marie stated.

Roger turned to Marie while I sat behind my desk in shock. I couldn't believe my father was threatening to let me go, after all I had done, over something as ridiculous as an office relationship. Didn’t he care at all about the work I had put into the company or the fact that he would be turning his back on his own son? Was it more important for him to get his own way?

“So you think it's okay for them to have carried on the way they did, Marie?”

“Oh come on, Roger, they aren't kids. And I don't believe this is a fling. I know your son well enough that he wouldn't risk this much if he didn't have feelings for Sasha. I don't see this in the same light as you do. In fact, I think it would be really good for Sasha.”

I smiled at her, liking her more every minute.

“So let me get this straight, Father. You would be okay with losing the CEO of your company just to ensure that Sasha and I don't see each other anymore? That’s absurd.”

“I will not sit around while you make a mockery of my company.”

“I think at this point, Father, you could at least admit that it's my company, too. I’ve worked my ass off for years. It's my life's passion to be here and make sure the company is successful, yet you would toss all my work aside because I started seeing someone at the office. You must have lost your mind.”

“You made your decision when you started things up with Sasha after I specifically forbade it. You knew how I felt right from the beginning, and you still carried on with her—and right here at the office. So how much respect do you really have for the company?”

“Roger, I think this is getting out of hand. I don't think Sol purposely set out to upset you. Things happen, and I don't think you should lose your son over it. Please think about what you're doing here.” She rested her hand on his shoulder.

“I'm sorry, Marie, I know she’s your daughter, but I don't agree with this at all. In fact, I think it's appalling for something like this to happen at my own company without my knowledge.” He then turned to me. “So you make your decision, Son. You either break your relationship off with Sasha, and she can find another job, or you can stay with her, and you both can find another job. That's all I’ve got to offer you at this point, so think long and hard about where you see your life going. Is this little fling really worth jeopardizing your career?”

I looked to Marie, who was shaking her head sadly, and she just shrugged her shoulders. I knew how she felt. I also knew that she understood how pointless it was to convince my father of anything once he had his mind set. If he wanted me to end things, then I would not be able to reason with him no matter what I did.

I walked out of the office, knowing I had some really hard choices to make. I had to see Sasha.

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