Liar

19

This was the best decision. Not the one I wanted to make but a clean break was the only option. If I cut out my need to come down here, I cut out seeing him. If I cut out seeing him this little addiction would end and I'd be able to beat this pathetic girl crush I had. He'd left me with no other option because this entire weekend, his texts coming through even when I stopped replying on Saturday morning, each one I was having to force myself to stop replying. I don't think I've ever left my phone in my glove compartment. I never go anywhere without it. I did on Saturday. Mum said it was bizarre that I hadn't brought it with me and I just shrugged.

I desperately needed to get back to normal. Back to a me who had fucking vanished the past few weeks and I hated it. This new me that had popped up was uncontrollable. She sat in bed and sobbed on Friday night. She spent time with her mum and wasn't focused on what she was saying. She had dinner with her family and just pushed the food around her plate. She worked out for nearly 4 solid hours until Emmett came in and dragged her out before she killed herself.

"Hey." My chest tightened, looking up to Asher with a soft smile. "You know it's Monday right?"

"Yeah."

"You don't work Monday's."

"I know, I needed to speak to your dad real quick. I've got meetings all day so it's only a quick drop in but he's with Ellen right now so I'm just waiting." I was scrolling through my emails on my phone, replying to ones from departments throughout dad's company. He better be serious about giving me more money for quitting here.

"You stopped replying."

"I'm a very busy woman." He sighed. I really really didn't want him to be here right now. "Don't you have work to do?"

"A little break never hurt no one."

"Pretty sure it did." The door opened beside me, Ellen stepping out and quickly disappearing down the hall. "That's me." I stood up, locking my phone.

"Want to grab a coffee when you're done?"

"No can do. I'm needed elsewhere. Thanks for the offer though." He tried to follow me in. "I need your dad, not you."

"Why?"

"Because I need to talk to my boss about something personal that doesn't need his son to be included in. Go find some work to do." His eyes narrowed slightly and I smiled, walking into his dad's office. "Morning Mark."

"Tori! To what do I owe this pleasure on a Monday morning?" He looked up from his desk as I put my bag on it carefully. He looked at my face and I realised right now that he was the spitting image of his son in 30 years' time. Still a damn good-looking man. Gutting. "I don't like the look on your face Tori." I sighed, opening my bag and holding out the resignation for him. He took it slowly, reading over it quickly before putting it on the desk.

"I'm really sorry. I just need to put 100% behind Kennedy Finances. There's talk about another office potentially with a few more departments I'd be heading and it's getting hard to manage that and everything else and here. I put down um- 3 weeks notice but I can't be in office for it. I can manage it all whilst I'm setting up the other stuff with my dad but I can't be here and there. I can train whoever els-"

"Tori." He sighed, standing up slowly, walking around the desk and leaning against it. "Breathe. It's okay. We knew this wasn't a permanent thing."

"I feel like I'm leaving you in the stick."

"Are you kidding? This place has never been in a better position. I'll just shift your duties to Asher. It's okay." I breathed out heavily. "I'm glad your dad's giving you more. You work too damn hard to be taken for granted Tori." I nodded quickly. "I can write you up a reference this week so you have it for future use."

"Thanks Mark, I really appreciate it. It's been brilliant working with you. You're doing a fantastic job and honestly, if I can be half the owner you are, I'd be happy." He smiled and we both headed towards the door. "I'm not changing my email or phone number so if you need me, you know how to find me."

"I'll run across town if I can't get a hold of you." I chuckled as he opened the door to let me out. "Well good luck with your dad's place Tori. I'll always have a place for you here if you need it."

"Thanks Mark. I'll see you around." I turned on my heels, heading back out of the office, shaking slightly. I could hear him talking across the office. Probably didn't even hear me leave which gave me time to block his number before I even got out to the lifts. I was shaking beyond belief. Just completely on the edge of breaking down. I needed to get out of here before he found out what I'd done.

I managed it, waving bye to the girls on my way out. I hated this. I never thought leaving a job would physically hurt in my chest but this was. It was making me feel sick. Walking across town in my feelings, it was just my luck that it started raining. Spitting really and I was in the office before it started really pissing it down, but that didn't stop it ruining my neat hair and turning it into my natural curls instantly.

I knocked on dad's office door, waiting for his standard monotone welcome before pushing it open and taking a deep breath.

"There you are. You're late."

"I had to stop by Caswell's. Handed in my resignation." He sat up straight, placing the pen in his hand gently on the table. "I'm here 100% but I need a pay rise to reflect it."

"Why?"

"Why what dad?"

"Why'd you quit?"

"I didn't quit. I resigned."

"Fine, why'd you resign?"

"Because I want to move into my own place and the easiest way to do that is to increase my income and I can do that the easiest by getting it from you. You would have used leaving Caswell's as a bargaining chip anyway so I just did it beforehand." He stared at me for what felt like forever. As much as me and Emmett both used that silence as a power move to get the answers we were looking for, there was only one place we learned it from and it wasn't our loud-mouthed mother.

"Why do you want your own place?" I groaned, dropping my bag onto a chair.

"Because I'm a 25-year-old woman dad. I don't want to live with my parents forever, I fucking hate the commute. I want to finish work on a Friday and not be having work conversations on a weekend. But I'm barely over halfway to the amount I'd need in savings so I need more money."

"I'll buy you a house if you want to move Victoria. You know that."

"I can do it myself it's just going to take some time." He sighed.

"Okay Tori. Sit down. Let's talk about it then. I'm guessing you have a figure in mind?"

"You think I'd come in here without an amount in mind? You taught me better than that." He laughed as I slumped down into the chair opposite him.