Chapter Five

 I woke up with a splitting headache.

 I always imagined my first day at my big girl job would be perfect. I’ll wake up early to make myself a nice breakfast and watch my favorite show while I eat.

 I had picked out an expensive suit and some red bottoms because I wanted to make an impression on my first day. 

Now, I lay in bed with swollen eyes and an alarm that wouldn’t stop ringing. 

It’s been a week since Derek decided to ghost me and all I've done is rot in bed and wallow in self-pity. 

I was already late.

 I was about to throw out an opportunity I worked on for years because of a man.

  “Shit,”

I scrambled out of bed and nearly tripped over a pile of laundry. 

My apartment was a replica of how I felt, messy and sad. 

Instead of the outfit I had planned, I threw on the first blouse I could find. I paired it with some trousers and hoped no one would notice how swollen my eyes were.

My hair refused to cooperate.

My makeup looked rushed. 

Thank you very much, Derek.

By the time I walked into the headquarters of Blackwood's enterprise, I was ten minutes late and out of breath.

  The lobby was packed with employees who looked like they knew what they were doing. And then there was me.

  “Miss Smith?” 

A woman from Human Resources approached me.

I recognized her from the online interview I had.

I straightened my back and forced a smile. “That’s me,”

  “We’ve been waiting for you,”

My smile faded. 

She gave me a tour of the company, explaining policies which I had barely heard. 

Maybe it was the size of the company or the beauty of it or the employees that lifted my mood. I was living in my dream, and I wasn’t going to allow myself to wallow in self-pity because of a man anymore. 

For the first time in a week, my mood started to lift.

 “I’m going to take you to your office right after I take you to see the CEO,”

I nodded with a smile.

 I can’t believe I was getting my own office and people were going to report to me.

 It was amazing. A dream came true.

   “You’ll be reporting directly to our CEO,” she said as we stopped outside a pair of large double doors.

I nodded with a smile.

  “He’s looking forward to meeting you,”

Somehow, I doubted that.

  “But I must warn you that Mr Blackwood frowns at tardiness, so you must do better,”

I adjusted my shirt and smoothed out the flyaways in my hair.

I was determined to make a good first time impression on Mr Blackwood.

 In the coming weeks, I was going to show him that his company made the right choice by hiring me.

The lady from HR knocked on the door before letting us in.

 “Mr Blackwood, your new project manager is here,”

I stepped into the office with a polite smile plastered on my face.

The smile died instantly.

 My body froze. 

Suddenly, the office felt too small and suffocating.

Sitting behind the large mahogany desk was Derek. My Derek.

I blinked my eyes rapidly to be sure they were playing a wicked prank on me. 

The same Derek who made me feel like I was the only woman in the world. 

The same Derek who vanished without an explanation.

My stomach dropped so violently that I almost thought I was going to throw up or burst into tears. 

For a few seconds, I just stood there staring at him.

His expression remained unreadable.

My heart slammed against my chest so hard that it hurt physically.

The HR lady continued speaking, completely oblivious to the fact that my eyes were now watery.

 I was able to blink back the tears before they dropped.

For a moment I thought there was another man behind the desk that just happened to look exactly like Derek. 

But there wasn’t. It was him.

 “Mr Blackwood personally approved your application, it’s the first time he’s done it. We are beyond thrilled to have someone with your qualifications join us.”

Personally approved?

I wanted to scream. He knew I was his staff?

I felt like I was going to throw up.

Derek's eyes met mine briefly. It lasted a split second, but it was just enough to remind me of every stupid butterfly he had given me.

The HR lady continued excitedly. “Miss Smith will be overseeing the new project,”

He nodded. “Excellent,”

I clenched my fists behind my back before it landed on his face. The absolute nerve of this man.

 “Miss Smith,”

My head snapped up. What happened to El?

  “You were exactly four minutes late. I expect punctuality from all employees.”

His words landed like a hot slap. My cheeks burned. 

 “I understand, sir.”

I laid emphasis on sir. If he was going to pretend like he wasn’t undressing me a few days ago, I was going to pretend like I never met him.

The HR lady smiled awkwardly. She could feel the tension between us. 

 The office door flew open suddenly. 

A beautiful blonde woman walked in with an air of confidence, a designer handbag on her arm. 

Her smile widened the moment at the sight of Derek.

   “Derek, why aren’t you answering your phone?”

She stopped when she noticed me. Then she smiled warmly and extended her hand.

 “You must be the new hire,”

I stared at her blankly, not sure what to say to her.

  “I’m Vanessa,” she smiled. “Vanessa Blackwood,”

The surname hit me first. 

Then the shiny rock on her finger.

I looked at Derek but he wasn’t looking at me.

Was Derek married? 

My chest tightened.

I knew he was too good to be true, but hiding his marriage hurt more than him ghosting me.

I felt used.