Entangled (Phoenix 1)

CHAPTER 15

"Yes, sir." Adrian and Fiona both saluted him with two fingers at the same time.

This made Justin nod his head in amusement. It seemed like there were lots of internal jokes between Adrian and Fiona, but he couldn't accuse her of anything. They have been working together for a long time, so it was only natural. But he just slightly wished that he knew about it as well.

"Anyway, I will take my leave. I will see you later, Fiona." He purposely mentioned her name to give her the clear message that he would no longer ignore her.

The last statement made Fiona smile.

"I still can't believe you two got married, and even post that, you've managed to keep it so professional." Adrian made a thoughtful comment.

"Personal and work-life balance, and I have told you before. We are both not big fans of public displays of affection, and we wanted to keep it close off." Fiona lied.

He could not know the truth. Till date, everyone is still baffled as to how Fiona and Justin got together. Since both Justin and Fiona were private people, everyone around them assumed that they had hidden their relationship to avoid being part of office gossip.

Though there were a few remarks where people believed Fiona was able to ascend the ladder of success due to her relationship with Justin. Fortunately, Adrian supported her and dispelled all their worries. He also went out of his way to curse one of his co-workers for accusing Fiona.

She was relieved that there were a lot of people in her office who didn't question her credibility. Even though she was still learning every day and yet there was a lot of experience she needed to master her skills, she knew that she was good at her job and was more than glad that Adrian trusted her. He was a mentor and a friend. He never pried into her and Justin's relationship, although that didn't stop him from teasing her, which always made her roll her eyes at him.

Fiona was pleased with her day. Justin trying to find her was indeed a good thing because at least the path was becoming smoother. She wasn't sure what to think of their current circumstances, but it was merely the beginning with no clear end in sight.

By the end of the day, she chose to return to her temporary residence. Justin had to leave early since he had a meeting, and it wouldn't have been practical for him to pick her up from the office. She was surprised that he offered her a ride twice in a day, but she was able to persuade him otherwise.

Well, not her, but Emily's words made Justin butt out.

Emily and Fiona were both eating lunch at Emily's desk when Justin walked by, seeking out James. He asked both the girls.

"Have you seen James anywhere?"

Emily raised her eyebrows. "Do you think I would be present in the room if he was here?"

"Point taken. If you find him, ask him to meet me. We have to head out for a meeting." He told them.

"Can't you just call him?" She asked him as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Emily, don't you think I would have done that foremost?" Justin was the one who now cocked his brows.

"If we see him, I will tell him to meet you." Fiona stepped in.

"Thank you so much, Fiona. Anyway, send me a text when you are done. I will pick you up."

"She is not a kid, Justin. She is a self-sufficient woman who knows how to look after herself. You don't have to go out of your way to pick her up after your meeting." Emily glared at him.

"Jeez, Emily, we live in the same house. It's more convenient..." But she cut him off.

"Took you two months to remember that. Standing applause. Woo-hoo..."

Emily's words made Justin flinch, and he looked down guiltily.

"Em..." Fiona hissed. "Ignore her, Justin. But you don't need to pick me up. James mentioned that you guys do not need to head back to the office. So it really doesn't make sense for you to come here just to get me." She smiled and assured him while earning a kick from Emily.

Justin softly nodded and walked away, leaving them to complete their meal. He was clearly trying too hard to absolve himself of his guilt for treating her so badly over the previous two months. Even though she didn't appear to be holding a grudge towards him. This was a good sign, but Emily was hell-bent on making his personal life difficult. She never disrespected him professionally, but it didn't stop her from being snarky whenever the chance appeared in front of her.

By the end of the day, Fiona was exhausted and was dragging herself to reach home as soon as possible. It was ten o'clock. Even though she and Em had finished their work by seven, her best friend insisted on having dinner together since Justin had to attend a business dinner with one of the clients.

Fiona slowly unlocked the lock and entered Justin's home, but as she walked tiredly, she suddenly came to a halt due to her husband's loud conversation. She rushed towards the sound of the voice and stood in front of Justin's room.

She was about to knock on the door when she heard her name from the other side. Even after a thick barrier between her and Justin, she could clearly hear Justin's voice.

"... No, Grams. The stunt you pulled was not fair. You had no right to throw Fiona into my life without even consulting me. You bloody coerced me into marrying her when it should have been my choice."

After a minute of silence, he started talking again on the phone.

"I am not a kid. You can't expect me to take over her responsibilities overnight... Grams... It's one thing to take care of myself, and it is altogether another to look out for another human being, much less a stranger. Because of you, I was made to feel foreign in my own goddamned home. "

This was the last line Fiona heard before discreetly exiting from there into the guest bedroom without listening to anything else further.

She didn't have to.

He had said enough, and she had tolerated enough. Everything was done and dusted. The moment she thought things started to get better, he made the reality and truth of their so-called relationship clear.

The worst part is that he doesn't even have the guts to say it to her face.

Fiona sought to comfort herself in the embrace of her blanket after changing. She tried to sleep but couldn't get any.

She knew what she had to do.

It was about to be midnight. It was just around 11:30 when she sensed Justin checking on her while carefully opening her door. She pretended to be asleep. If it were any other day, she would have found this gesture sweet, but not today.

Fiona was calm. Too calm. She had to get out of this place, so she called Emily, who picked up her call on the first ring.

"Hey, babe." Emily greeted Fiona cheerfully, but there was a lot of background noise.

"Hi, are you busy?" Fiona asked her curiously.

"Nah, not really. Jake, Kate, and Max decided to crash here for the night. You know how Jake is. He doesn't like me staying completely alone." Fiona could feel Emily roll her eyes.

Before she could say anything, she heard Jake call Emily's name.

"Anyway, why did you call?" Emily asked her.

"I was bored. Any good shows to watch?" Fiona changed the subject. It was normal for them to wake each other up in the middle of the night to ask each other random stuff like which show to binge.

"Schitt Creek. It is epic. You will love David." Emily told her excitedly.

"Thanks. Anyway, you should go back to your slumber party. I will see you the day after." Fiona then hung up the phone.

Emily will be busy tomorrow. Much to her friend's dismay, she has to visit her father. She cannot burden Emily with her problem when she knows how much energy it is going to take for her friend not to punch her dad.

Fiona got out of bed and changed her clothes. After an hour, she gently closed the door of Justin's place, picked up her two bags, and silently left his apartment.