Chapter Two

Her alarm went off. Blair reached out for her phone on the wooden side table. She stares at her screen and it is six in the morning.

“That was fast,” she said in a cranky voice.

She arrived at Alexander’s house a quarter to six, carrying her handbag in one hand and holding her phone to her ear. “ the usual, Mica” ordering Alexander’s morning coffee— he liked his coffee black with no personality. Her voice echoed through the huge living room as she entered. She let herself in, greeted the housekeeper, and headed upstairs to his bedroom.

Blair already knew what to do. She selected a white shirt and a charcoal-grey suit, then placed them carefully on the bed and she picked out a dark blue tie to go with them.

She was adjusting the cuffs of the shirt when the bathroom door opened.

Alexander walked out, a white towel tied around his waist and his phone pressed to his ear. Water dripped from the ends of his hair onto his shoulders as he continued speaking, he didn’t notice her.

Blair froze for half a second.

Then she quickly looked away.

“I'm telling you, the meeting cannot be pushed to Thursday,” Alexander said into the phone. “We agreed on Tuesday, and I have already adjusted my schedule around it.”

He walked towards the wardrobe without acknowledging her, apparently unaware—or entirely unconcerned—that she was standing beside his bed.

“Yes, I understand what the client wants,” he continued. “But understanding what he wants and agreeing to it are two different things.”

He opened a drawer, searched briefly for something, then turned towards her.

“Did you send the revised documents to Daniel?” 

She glanced at him, he was distracting her with his body, she returned her attention to the clothes.

“Yes. On Friday afternoon.”

“All of them?”

“Yes, Mr. Kent. All of them.”

“Did he confirm receipt?”

“He replied to the email.”

Alexander nodded once and returned to his conversation.

“Good. Then that should not be a problem. If Daniel has the documents, he has everything he needs to prepare for the meeting.”

Blair pressed her lips together.

He could have at least acknowledged her presence.

She picked up his watch from the dresser and placed it beside his cuff links.

“Listen,” Alexander said, his tone becoming sharper. “I don't want another meeting where we spend two hours discussing the same things we discussed last week. If they have a new proposal, they can bring it. Otherwise, we proceed with what we agreed.”

Blair heard him move towards the wardrobe again.

She turned to look at him.

For the first time that morning, Alexander looked directly at her.

There was a brief silence between them.

“Blair, what time is the meeting with Daniel?”

“Ten o’clock. Everything has been confirmed, Mr. Kent.”

He reached for his towel, and Blair immediately turned towards the wardrobe, pretending to be occupied with his clothes.

“Your coffee should be here shortly,” she said.

“Make sure it's hot this time.”

Blair closed her eyes briefly.

Good morning to you too, Alexander.

The conference room was already filling up for the usual Monday morning meeting.

Blair sat in the chair behind Alex, her eyes fixed on the clock on the wall, while the people settled into their seats. She tapped her fingers lightly against her thigh, stopped, just to start again a few seconds later.

Every few minutes, she rehearsed the words in her head.

Mr. Kent, I wanted to let you know something.

Too vague.

I've made a decision about my future.

She pressed her lips together and glanced at the clock again.

She knew that he did not take surprises particularly well, especially when they involved changes. She could already picture the questions he would ask, the way he would lean back in his chair and look at her as though she had just presented him with a problem that required an immediate solution.

Maybe she should just wait till Friday or maybe she should wait until the end of the month.

No. She had made her decision, submitted her letter, and given the required notice. There was no point delaying.

“Blair?”

She turned to find one of the executives standing behind her.

“Are we starting?”

“Yes. They're just waiting for Mr. Kent.”

Watching him lead the meeting, Blair was rehearsing her lines.

It was shortly after lunch when Blair finally stood before Alexander's desk.

He was signing a stack of documents, his attention fixed on the papers in front of him.

“Mr. Kent, I need to discuss something with you.”

“Go ahead.”

She clasped her hands together. She trembled slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice.

“I've submitted my resignation letter to HR,” she began. “My two weeks' notice has started, so I'll be leaving at the end of that period.”

Alexander's pen stopped moving.

For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he lifted his head and looked at her.

“Do you want an increased salary?”

Blair blinked. “Sir?”

“Whatever they're offering you, we'll double it.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but he continued before she could get a word out.

“Actually, forget that. We'll match their offer and give you more. Triple it, if that's what it takes.”

Blair stared at him.

Of course. In Alexander Kent's world, everything had a price, and every problem could be resolved with enough money.

She tried to keep the irritation from showing on her face.

“It's not about the money, Mr. Kent.”

“Then what is it about?”

“I want to start my own company.”

For a moment, he simply looked at her. Then he laughed, leaning back in his chair as though she had told him a joke.

“You want to start a company?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Blair, do you have any idea how difficult that is?”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“I understand that it won't be easy.”

“No, I don't think you do.” He shook his head, his grin slowly disappearing from his face. “I've built this company from the ground up. Do you have any idea what it took? The money, the time, the risks, the sleepless nights? And you think you can walk away from a steady job and suddenly become a successful businesswoman?”

She wished the ground would open up and  swallow her.

“I'm willing to learn.”

“Learn?” He let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “You don't learn your way through a business with enthusiasm and good intentions. You need capital, and experience, and connections, and you know what……..”

She felt the room grow warm.

“I've thought about this carefully, sir,” she cuts in.

“Clearly, you haven't.”

The words caught her off guard.

Alexander picked up another document, glanced at it, and dropped it back onto the desk.

“Whatever idea you've come up with, I suggest you reconsider it. You have a stable job with a decent salary, and a future here. Why throw all of that away for something so uncertain?”

Blair lowered her eyes briefly. Her throat had begun to tighten, and she was growing increasingly aware of how hard she was clasping her hands together.

She had expected him to question her decision and even expected him to offer her more money.

Making her feel she needed his permission to want something of her own was not on her bingo card.

“Mr. Kent, I appreciate your offer, but my decision stands. I'm leaving.”

He put down his pen.

Slowly, he rose from his chair.

“Do you consider yourself irreplaceable, Blair?”

She looked up at him.

“I didn't say that.”

“Then what exactly are you trying to prove?”

“Nothing. I'm simply telling you that I've made a decision.”

His expression hardened and gave a humourless laugh. “You think walking out of here with some grand idea about running your own company means you're going to succeed? People spend years building businesses and still lose everything. But apparently, you know better.”

Blair's eyes began to sting. She blinked quickly and looked towards the window, hoping to keep the tears from falling.

“I haven't asked you to agree with me, sir. I'm only informing you of my decision.”

“Then allow me to inform you of something as well.”

His voice had dropped, becoming colder.

“If I wanted to replace you today, I could have twenty people lined up outside that door before the end of the afternoon. So don't walk into my office thinking you're doing me some enormous favour by giving me two weeks' notice.”

Blair's lips parted, but no words came.

“You want to leave? Fine. Leave. I do not care.”

A tear rolled down her cheek before she could stop it. She wiped it away quickly, embarrassed by the reaction, but another followed.

Alexander watched her, his jaw tightening.

“Just make sure you complete your handover and do your due diligence before you leave. I expect every document, every outstanding task, and every responsibility to be accounted for. I would not have you leaving a mess behind.”

She nodded, trying to steady her breathing.

“Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” she managed.

“Then get out of my office!”

Blair turned immediately and walked towards the door. Her vision blurred slightly, and she wiped her cheeks again before reaching for the handle.

She refused to look back.

The door closed behind her, shutting out the sound of Alexander returning to his work.

For a moment, she stood in the corridor, staring at nothing in particular. She took a slow breath, straightened her blouse, and wiped away the last of her tears.

She had made her decision long before she entered his office.

She wasn't going to change it now.

Alexander slammed the document onto his desk.  

“Maurice!”

The door flew open, and Maurice hurried into the office.

“Sir?”

“As you know, Blair has decided to leave.” Alexander's voice was sharp. “We've already started the recruitment process. I want someone who can do the job better than she can. Do you understand?”

Maurice stood silently, staring at him.

Alexander's eyes narrowed. “Didn't you hear me? Am I speaking to a statue, or are you deaf?”

Maurice straightened immediately. “Yes, sir! Yes, sir, I understand.”

“Good. Then make sure you find someone competent. I don't want someone who needs to be spoon-fed every little detail. I need someone who can handle the responsibilities without wasting my time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alexander leaned back in his chair, his jaw clenched.

“And Maurice?”

“Sir?”

“If you bring me someone who can't do the job properly, you can start looking for another job yourself.”

Maurice swallowed. “Understood, sir.”

“Now get out.”

Maurice hurried towards the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Alexander picked up his pen, intending to return to the documents on his desk, but Blair's words echoed in his mind.

I want to start my own company.

He scoffed and shook his head.

Let her try.

Blair rushed into the ladies' washroom, locking herself in the first available cubicle to catch her breath.

She was still trembling.

“Get yourself together, Blair,” she whispered to herself.

She had promised herself she would not cry. She had rehearsed that conversation over and over again in her head, imagining every possible reaction from Alexander, but somehow, none of those imagined scenarios had prepared her for what had just happened.

She stepped out of the cubicle and approached the mirror. Her mascara had smudged slightly beneath her eyes, and her makeup no longer looked as neat as it had that morning. She reached for her some tissue and carefully dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

It wasn't the shouting that hurt the most. She could handle being shouted at. What hurt was how easily he had dismissed her, how quickly he had made her feel small for wanting something beyond the life she was used to.

She had given that man her time, her energy, and more patience than he probably deserved. She made sure that even on his most difficult days, things ran smoothly for him.

And the moment she decided to do something for herself, he treated her as though she had lost her mind.

Blair lowered her head, letting out a shaky breath.

Probably he was right about some things. Starting a company would be difficult. There would be risks, sleepless nights, and moments when she would question whether she had made the right decision. She knew what was ahead.

But spending  the rest of her life choosing what was safe and familiar was exactly what she didn’t want.

She had dreams that existed beyond her job that seemed to consume every hour of her day. She wanted to build something that belonged to her. Something she could look at years from now and know that she had created it with her own hands.

And she wasn't going to let one man's opinion convince her she couldn't.

Blair straightened, wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks, and reapplied her lipstick. She fixed her hair, checked her reflection one last time, and lifted her chin.

Her eyes were still a little red, but there was nothing more she could do about that.She walked out of the washroom.

She still had two weeks left at the company, and she intended to fulfil every responsibility she had been given. She wouldn't give Alexander the satisfaction of thinking she was incapable of handling her departure professionally.

But when those two weeks were over, she would walk out of that building for the last time.

And this time, she would be walking towards something of her own.