6. Truth be told

Tyler

"Just take your time. I'll call Kayleigh if I need anything, the next couple of days will be about the transition. I will need your best game when we start with the re-launch."

"Re-launch?"

"Yeah, branding, I will have people from marketing, we will meet them and discuss more."

She sounded nervous when I call to check up on her. She was taking the day off and I was thankful that I didn't have to push her to take it. From our last meet, I learned that she's a far more complicated person than she appeared to be.

I ended the call when Elsie entered my office, last night we had our usual encounter. We would meet once a week sometimes more, she has been conveniently available for me. Though lately she's been getting too clingy and I know Larry would mock me once I need to transfer her to another department, just to end things between us.

"Is that her again? why isn't she in her office?"

"Why are you questioning her? she's our new partner, my equal, your boss, you need to respect her."

She pouted, trying to be cute, and apologized but I was at a stage where I was tired of her jealousy and that it was not cute anymore.

"Ty, baby...I'm sorry."

"Watch your language, we're in my office. You're dismissed."

She was out of my office, stomping out in annoyance and I was mentally taking note that I need to end things with her. Soon.

That afternoon I decided to check up on Larry. I need to clear my head and see the progress of the newly acquired company.

"Hey brother, have you had lunch yet? Kayleigh here is ordering pizza."

"Afternoon Kayleigh, sure, and one very cold beer, please."

"Pizza and a couple of cold beers and get us some chips to go with that."

The young assistant nodded and was out of his office moments later.

"So, you seemed to work well with her?"

"She's very knowledgeable, good personality, always on standby with her phone, I'm telling you Jessica has the best people working for her. She's far better than your flirty assistant that you bang a couple of times a week."

"Shut up Larry, don't make me regret coming here. Tell me, how are things going here?"

He laughed but laid out the company's cash flow in front of me, he was looking at me then nodded when I looked at the salary breakdown.

"No, this can't be right?"

"I've checked with Kayleigh. She said her boss was very persistent about it."

"But this would barely pay for gas and her meals, unless... oh fuck, that's why she was living from her office and eating sandwich dinner. She eats steak like she hadn't eaten them for months. Do you know anything about her?"

Larry rests back on the sofa and smiles while studying me, I know he likes to analyze everything that's why I was making him the frontman in our acquisition project.

"I found this report while digging through their payments and receivables. They're keeping it hidden and I asked Kayleigh about it and she doesn't seem to hide anything from us. She just said that her boss doesn't like people knowing about it. But I'm telling you, she's full of secrets."

He stopped his words when the said assistant came into the office with our lunch. But I didn't want to keep on guessing the things that her boss is hiding and that's when I told her to sit and join us for lunch.

"I'm not sure this is appropriate." She hesitated but sit as she was told.

"What? come on Kay, this is a business lunch. You just have to chew slowly while giving us details about your company." Larry joked and she laughed looking more at ease with her situation. She surely looked a bit uncomfortable with me being there, or maybe my reputation precedes me.

One more reason why I need to end things with Elsie.

"I'm asking about Jessica, why won't she takes the full salary and why won't she lives in her house?" I questioned her once she was back with her bottled water. Larry was already chowing down his second slice when I patiently waited for her answer.

"Jess is going to hate me for this, but you need to know about it to understand her better. She's been through too much already."

I didn't like where her words are going, but I stayed quiet and listened to her.

"She was cutting off her salary to help finance with their payments. As you know the company was going down, her brother was investing in some bad and shady business deals. I used to work under his assistant before Jess took me in under her."

"The last assistant is he or she still here?"

"His assistant quit the day, Troy, Jessica's brother was convicted of domestic abuse against his wife. People said some rumors about her being treated wrongly by her boss. But no one was conforming the matter."

I looked at Larry, and let Kayleigh continue her story.

"And why won't she stay in her parents' house?"

"Bad memories, that's all I'm telling you. Just don't force her to spend the night there, or her night terrors will be back."

I looked at Larry again and she shook her head in disapproval.

"No...no you didn't."

"She didn't say anything, shit... she's taking the day off. Could you go there and check on her after you finish with your work?"

"Did her brother?" I asked knowing the answer already.

She nodded but refused to give us the details.

"But he's dead now, why?"

"She has been seeing a specialist for her consultation, I think that's why she's taking the day off today. Sometimes things are just too hard for her and she would go back to her little corner."

Kayleigh managed to finish her slice of pizza and asked to be excused, Larry let her go and I nodded thinking she must be too close to her boss and didn't want to break her trust.

"Oh, Kayleigh please talk to my PA, you should be able to move her stuff by today. The apartment is just a couple of blocks away from our head office, she will have her corporate car and driver as her privilege package. Thank you."

She nodded and I was back to talking to Larry and chowing down more pizza.

"Do you think she's abused by her brother?"

"No questions about it, she's always jumpy around me. I found her last night waking up screaming when I got back  to the office to get my files for our afternoon meeting."

"Damn, I hope that we don't have to mind our words and our behavior around her."

"Larry, I don't think she's that fragile. At least she's getting help with her doctor right?" I patted him on the back assuring him that everything would be okay.

While in reality, I wish I didn't know about her situation. After the so-called business lunch, my mind won't stop thinking about her, about how could I made her feel better.

Not good Tyler, she's a mess.