Flaw in Our Code

One-shot

— Ma’am, you have a meeting scheduled with the new investors. — a sweet, soft voice came from the woman in a black tailleur, catching Olivia’s attention. — Ma’am?

— Sorry, Rue, I was lost in thought. — Olivia said, slightly shaking her head, then, took a deep breath. — What were you saying? — she brought her left hand towards her temple, emphasizing the concerned look on her face.

— You have a meeting scheduled with the new investors, Carl is already discussing with them in the conference room.

— Oh, okay. Let him know I’ll be there shortly.

It’s been almost a year since I last saw the villa; since Carl and I won the game; since I decided to split the prize money. When we came back to the UK, our lives had turned upside down. Everyone knew our faces, our names, our love story. We saw ourselves in magazines, journals, TV shows. And, last but definitely not least, we had fifty thousand pounds to spend.

So, we did what anyone that came back with loaded pockets from a reality show would do; we founded our own technology company.

Everything was going smoothly. Carl was really good at his job, always coming up with innovative ideas, which, alongside with my management skills, made our business grow impressively fast. A few months went by and we already had a staff of about fifty employees, one of whom was Rue, our secretary.

Rue is hardworking and competent, not to mention extremely attractive. She’s a beautiful woman in her late twenties, with coily hair that she always kept in a perfectly styled high puff and a sculpted body that was always accentuated by the suits she wore to work.

Since she started working at our company, my relationship with Carl, which was already bad, got even worse. But don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t Rue's fault; it was mine, actually. She made me feel things I had never felt with Carl. And, of course, as time went on, it got harder and harder to keep that feeling to myself.

So far, I had managed to hide my feelings for Rue; at least that’s what I believed. Sometimes I’d notice her looking me up and down, making eye contact with me, smirking at me. But I thought that was only happening in my head; that I was misunderstanding her.

She was even prettier this morning, with her shirt one button open more than usual, which brought a blush to my cheeks. Rue noticed, letting out a muffled laugh.

— Are you okay, ma’am? — she said with a smirk on her face, emphasizing the last word. I coughed, trying to regain my composure.

— Yes, Rue. Thank you for your concern. You are dismissed. — I responded in a firm tone as I stood up and straightened my dress, so as not to show my nervousness at the sound of that word leaving her lips.

The meeting couldn’t be more boring. Old white men talking about technology and finance. Every time I tried to give my opinion, Carl talked over me. I was getting more and more tired of the way he was treating me, but I tried to keep a straight face while in the presence of our potential investors. When they finally left, I was heading towards my office, but Carl held me by the arm, preventing me from moving.

— What do you want? — I said as I released my arm from his grip.

— Don’t talk to me like that. — Carl said at a volume lower than mine, crossing his arms as he realized what he had done. I took a deep breath before continuing.

— I’m sorry, okay? — I turned around to face him. — I’m sorry I shouted at you. But I’m not sorry for standing up to myself. It’s not the first time you’ve interrupted me when I’ve tried to make a suggestion at a meeting; in a room full of men, my own boyfriend talks over me like a fucking sexist. — This time, I’m the one crossing my arms. I frown, staring at a speechless Carl in front of me. — What? Cat got your tongue? — he rolls his eyes.