Hang in there a little longer

SERAPHINA

“Wow,” I heard Darren say, as he pushed the door of my office open and stepped inside. He was accompanied by that fly of his; Greta, who was always buzzing by his side. “That was honestly inspiring.”

I looked up from my desk slowly, pen still in my hand as I met his grin with a flat stare. I could still remember the conversation we just had after the presentation.

It had barely been an hour now and here he was pretending like every single thing was rosy between us. I had to admit it was surprising, but in a way I knew exactly what he was trying to do.

“What do you want?” I finally asked, in a cold voice as my eyes shifted between the two of them.

Greta let out a little laugh, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Oh, come on, Sera.” She said, teasingly. “You were incredible in there. You know, at the back of my mind I kind of always knew that you would pull yourself out of all of this… exceptionally if I might add.”

I still didn’t say anything as that blank expression lay etched on my face.

“That pitch?” she continued, a bit more nervously now. “It was absolutely outstanding. Project Requiem. You had the whole company looking forward to it.”

“Absolutely.” Darren nodded, with added enthusiasm. “You really showed them. Showed all of us.”

I leaned back in my chair and studied the both of them as they stood there with their polished smiles and careful tones. I wondered how long they had rehearsed this whole presentation between each other and what had given them the audacity to actually come in here and think that this would smooth things over between me and them.

Darren had been a pain in my ass ever since I got into the company and decided that I wasn’t going to be one of the girls that he was going to just be able to come up and toy with. And Greta, well Greta had been a bitch by association, nothing more, nothing less.

This sudden warmth that they were showing now just proved the kind of two timing fuckers they were.

I let out a laugh at that exact moment.

“Please,” I said, in between. “Don’t strain yourselves.”

“Excuse me?” Greta said.

“The ass-kissing,” I clarified. “Don’t you think it is a bit much? Even for this place.”

I saw Darren’s smile falter ever so slightly, as I crossed my arms in front of me.

“You both have spent the past couple of days making it very clear you thought these were my last days in the company.” I said, “If anything, I believe I can even say that this whole thing was your fault to start with. So, let’s not pretend that whatever this shambolic display is, is admiration.”

Greta opened her mouth to say something and then went quiet again.

After a couple of seconds, Darren finally cleared his throat as he stepped forwards, his expression hardening a bit.

“You should remember,” he said, “that even though you have been made lead on this project, I still outrank you. I am still your boss.”

I met his gaze evenly. We both knew exactly how he got into that position to start with, but I wasn’t in the mood to unpack that with him.

“And there it is.” I said,

He let out a slight smile again, even though it was obvious he wasn’t amused by the situation one bit.

“I am just saying. It is better to have us on your side than as enemies.” He said, “Remember, you need a full team to get a project like this off the ground. It would be a pity if someone tried to… derail things.”

He let that last part hang in the air a little longer, showing the subtle threat that it was meant to be.

I watched as Greta shifted around a bit uncomfortably as me and Darren stared at each other and then I gestured toward the door.

“If that’s all you have to say,” I said, “I have work to do.”

They stood there for a couple of seconds, as I walked right back to my desk and sat down, staring at the screen in front of me. They left shortly after.

I tried to work, but Focus was impossible.

My thoughts kept on circling back To Tristand and the talk that we had just had.

Two million dollars.

The number still felt very unreal to me. Even now, part of me still expected that the whole thing would be some sort of elaborate joke. I mean, he had proven himself to be a bastard so far in the true sense of the word, but then again, the memory of the will was still in my head. I had seen the clause myself after all.

The truth was, I had told him I accepted for the money and that wasn’t entirely a lie, but then it wasn’t the whole truth.

I could still see the look he had in his eyes when he shook his head at the predictability of it all, but then, he didn’t know what I needed that money for.

And I certainly wasn’t about to correct him.

….

“Hey,” I said softly, as I stepped into the room. “The doctors told me you were asleep.”

Aurora turned her head towards me and shot me a smile. Even though she tried her best to hide it, I could still see the tired expression on her face.

“Sleep and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms these days.” She said, as she struggled to sit up.

I crossed the room quickly, already fussing. “You should have called me.” I began, “I will tell them to up your dosage or…”

“Sera,” she interrupted, laughing. “I’m fine. Really. You worry too much.”

I let out a little sigh, as I dropped into the chair beside her bed. “There is no way I’m not worrying about you.”

She reached for my hand and squeezed it in hers.

“I am fine.” She said, reassuringly as she looked into my eyes. “Did you bring it?”

There was a smile on her face, as I could see the eagerness in her eyes. I smiled, as I reached into my bag and pulled out a nylon-wrapped chicken sandwich.

“You are going to get me arrested one of these days.” I said, “I feel like an accessory to a crime, especially with how strict they have been about bag searches lately.”

I watched as her face lit up immediately as she took it from me and began unwrapping it with excitement. She took a bite and sighed happily.

“Oooo… that’s the stuff right there.” she said, “Fuck this hospital food.

“I love you, Sera,” she said, in between mouthfuls.

“I love you too, Ro,” I replied, “You need to get better so I can stop sneaking contraband into a fucking medical facility.”

We laughed together, until she started coughing. I grabbed the cup of water beside the bed, holding it steady as she took a few sips. After sometime, she settled back against the pillows, studying me.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.” She said, “Work?”

I hesitated a bit. “Something like that.” I said, “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, “That’s my line.”

“If things work out,” I said, carefully choosing my words, “very soon we will finally be able to get you out of here for good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I said. “So, just hang in there a little longer, okay?”

She squeezed my hand. “Always.”