Colleagues

Chapter 23 | Sadie

"Wait here," Cody stated, turning to me. "I'm going to get the both of us some drinks. Thank God, Christian isn't bartending today. He did it last year and I feel like he slipped some of his douchiness into my drink." This made me giggle. Cody mirrored my smile before disappearing into the crowd.

I scanned the room, my mind arriving to the late realization that I was looking for Margot. I knew I was being pathetic, but I couldn't help but wish she was here. Even if we weren't talking, her presence would've been comforting. But I couldn't seem to find her, which was uncharacteristic for the prompt employee that she was. Maybe it was protocol to arrive late at these gatherings.

An associate I was semi-acquainted with walked passed, acknowledging me with a subtle nod. "Hi," I said, praying I didn't sound as awkward and wooden as I felt.

Another associate, notorious for his cutthroat nature inside the workplace and his playboy persona outside of it, greeted me, his hand slipping around my waist as he spoke. I fought the urge to gag, sighing with relief when he finally left me. Where was Cody? He should be here with my drink by now. I figured he was probably charming some of the higher-ups.

As someone who worked in Human Resources, opportunities for promotion were even harder to come by, so it was important in events like these to form and leverage connections as much as possible. But that didn't extinguish the slight sense of betrayal I felt at him leaving me to fend for myself.

"Grow up, Sadie," I muttered to myself, walking over to one of the more friendly paralegals that I knew. She had been working at Parker & Johnson for three decades now and was well established as a competent and trustworthy figure in the firm, a rare thing to come by.

But before I could make my way towards her, I felt the energy in the room shift. I looked around, trying to pinpoint the catalyst for this sudden change. Then I saw her.

Margot was here. And she was fucking gorgeous. She was wearing an elegant green dress that accentuated every curve. Her hair cascaded down her back in effortless dark curls. She was mesmerizing and I couldn't look away, no matter how hard I tried to.

My mind immediately went to Evelyn Hugo. I truly believed that emerald hue suited her better than anybody else in the entire world. It was no surprise that she managed to captivate the attention of more than half the people here. And then there was Christian.

I stifled a gasp when her eyes met mine. Her gaze was so intense, my knees threatened to buckle beneath the weight of it. She didn't look away.

Finally, after what felt like a millennium, I turned away. I couldn't stand looking at her any longer. Even now, I could feel her penetrating gaze on me. Like the knight in shining armor he was, Cody suddenly reappeared by my side, two Cosmos in hand.

"Did you see that Margot is here?" he asked, with an insouciance that caused me to wonder if Margot's effect didn't impact him as much as me.

"Oh, really?" I said, the strange inflection of my words threatening to blow my cover of indifference.

"Yup," he continued, unaffected. "With that tool by her side. What an asshole," he murmured under his breath. I fought a smile of my own. Now that was something we both could agree on.

"How was wooing the management?" I asked, giving him a knowing look.

"Yeah, sorry I took so long," he replied, apologetically. "Rent in Chicago isn't going to pay itself."

"Tell me about it," I muttered, grabbing the drink a little too aggressively from his outstretched hand and downing a bit. I'd never been much of a drinker throughout college and law school but something about working in one of Chicago's most prestigious firms made the bitter taste of alcohol a little bit more bearable.