The Last Word

Chapter 10

My office was re-painted not on Wednesday as Darrin promised but on Friday the following week. Which meant I got to work from home for two weeks. Not that I was complaining. I loved working from home, I was able to chill on my couch with Kitty beside me and my laptop on my coffee table.

William hated it. He was even more demanding, as if he thought I was constantly having naps or watching television. Although I was tempted to watch the newest adaption of his book, A Lovely Wild, which had just been added to Netflix, I waited until the weekend to enjoy it in peace with a tub of bubble-gum ice-cream Sabrina had brought me. She was always buying me snacks and treats, I often wondered if she thought I'd collapse if I didn't have at least a packet of sour worms a day. I had a sweet tooth for sure, but I wasn't a glutton. If I have too much of something I get sick of it, that's why I like things in small doses.

Regrettably, my working from home dream came to an end all too soon. Friday morning, I walked through the firm's glass sliding doors with a slight anxiety pulling at my heart, making my chest tighten with every step. I'd chosen to wear my usual ballet flats with a navy blouse and black pencil skirt slightly shorter than I usually wore. Sabrina had convinced me to buy it, it was on sale and she had said my butt looked great in it. I didn't care if my butt looked great or not but the skirt was comfortable, the viscose fabric soft against my skin. There was a small slit up the back, I was self-conscious about it but Sabrina had said all pencil skirts have them so women can walk in them.

I swiped my keycard and entered the elevators, instantly stepping to the side. It had become a habit of mine, thanks to William.

As soon as I exited the elevator on level six, Darrin approached me. "Lizzie, hope you like your new office layout," he smiled through clenched teeth. I could feel all the rest of my colleague's eyes on my face.

I followed him towards my office, trying to imagine red paint smeared all over it. Why red paint? Was it for the blood-like effect or something else? As Darrin reached for the door handle, the door swung open, and William stepped out.

His eyes immediately looked me up and down, his expression unreadable. For a spilt second it looked like his eyes seemed to linger on my skirt or rather my legs before he dragged his gaze up to my face.

"About time," he said pompously. I went to check my watch and then remembered it was still missing. I was almost certain it wasn't even 8:30AM yet, if anything I was early to work.

"William, what a pleasure to see you! As you can see, we did as you asked. Look, everything is brand new. Look Lizzie," Darrin tugged my arm, dragging me towards my office and making me almost trip over my own feet. He wasn't looking at me though, his eyes were on William who was glaring at his hand on my arm. Letting me go like he'd been burnt, Darrin hurried back to his office, probably to have a lie down after being hit with a William glare so early in the morning.

I walked past William and gaped at my office. It was completely unrecognizable. The walls had been painted an eggshell white and a new desk sat in the corner of the room. It was made of transparent glass and twice the size of my old one. A brand-new computer screen monitor sat on it and a sleek black filing cabinet with a matching shelving unit was placed beside it.

"There's no way the firm would have paid for all this, not for me," I waved my hand around as William closed my office door behind me.

"It's hard to believe, but that's what happened."

I placed my bag on my desk and set my laptop up, plugging it into the monitor. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

He shifted on his feet and put his hands in his pockets. I noticed for the first time since arriving that his hair looked unkempt, unlike his usual style it was slicked back from his face, making him look younger and more boyish. "I may have made a suggestion or two to Darrin."