Chapter 10 Bringing him down

You are fired!

That sentence echoed in my head. Mixed emotions flooded me.

I felt Joy and anger at the same time. Joy, at the thoughts that finally I've an excuse for Violet to be rid of Rowan for good. And anger, because of the way he spoke to me. His cup was almost filled anyway. I wasn't so sure of how much longer I could take his harsh and filthy words and even worse attitude. I stood there, staring at me.

He stood opposite me. We let the silence hang heavy in the air for a few seconds. Hate and disgust shone from his eyes and were directed at me. Pure hatred. If looks could kill, I would be very dead by now. I steeled my jaw and looked at him and hoped the hatred and defiance I felt towards him were clearly shown.

Then I turned abruptly, ready to leave his property and the stupid job I have hated since the first day and get him out of my life for good. I heard him suck in a breath, getting ready to speak again. "Lazy, incompetent, disgusting lowlife of a lady. A sorry excuse of a secretary." He muttered to himself, but loud enough for me to hear.

"From one mistake to another. One death plan to another. I'm still very sure you were involved in the attempted death threat on my life. You are very lucky to be walking around. Strutting like an overly proud peacock like your mama has the world." I straightened my shoulders.

I had heard all those before. I was used to it all, none of his words could hurt me. They never could anyway.

"A useless gold digger that would leave this world as a nobody!" That was new! Did he just call me a gold digger?

Me?

No! I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him. He still stood where he was, his fist was clenched and his normally styled to perfection hair was out of place and scattered like he had ran his fingers through it numerous times in the last few seconds. I walked towards him.

Perfect strides.

My arms were loose by my side as I walked with purpose back to him. I had no idea of what I was going to do when I got to him but I had a few options. I could head butt him. I have seen it done in the movies.

A smooth movement of my head, straight to his nose. If I did it right, he would go down like a sack of potatoes. But I would have a few setbacks. One, he was going to hit me with more numbers of law suits than I count, ranging from assault to battering to attempted murder.

I didn't enjoy the fantasy of spending my next few weeks or even months arguing in court. So head butting was out. Besides he was way taller than me. He was over 6 feet, and I was about 5 feet 9 inches. So it could not work. Well, I could also stomp down my heels into his toe. That would hurt really bad but it would not even come close to the hurt that he put violet through. He totally deserved it. And I wore pumps. I didn't want him commenting on my footwear again since that sneaker incident. There were still other options, I could knee him in the front area. But when I saw the smug look he had on his face and the amused glint in his eyes, like he was laughing at himself at what a 'lowlife' like me could do. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was about three steps away when he opened his mouth to ask.

"What else do you – " My right palm landed on his left cheek. The slap was beautifully done. The right amount of power behind it and the smooth curve of my arm and my fingers spread out. My palms were very soft and fleshy and the sound of meat against meat made a loud and sharp sound. The sound reverberated in the room and possibly through my office and down the hallway too. A slap was less painful than a head butt or a stomp on the toe or a knee groin, but it was more humiliating than all my other options. It brought him down. Lower than a low life. His head whipped to one side and I saw a stinging red mark made by my hand on his cheek.

That felt very satisfying. He turned to look at me with wide eyes like he could not believe what I had done. Well, I too couldn't believe what I did. He opened his mouth to talk but I did not care for any words that might spew out of his mouth, threatening me and stuffs like that. I turned and walked away from him. My back was straight, shoulders high and catwalks out of his office swaying my hips rhythmically. I walked into my office which was just outside his. You would expect me to be angry, but I was not.

I had transferred all my anger into the slap and transferred it to his cheeks. I felt happy. Happier than when he told me I was fired. But sad too, I had just blown violet's plan at revenge. Violet would not feel the happiness I felt when I slapped him. I packed my mac book laptop into my arm, grabbed my suede Louis Vuitton hand bag and threw my ID card on the table. I breathed in heavily and looked at the table.

Nothing else there was mine, they were all company issued. So I walk out the door and into the parking lot where my white Ford was waiting for me. I drove home and parked in our garage, I didn't park properly but I don't really care about that now. What was in my mind was how I was going to face Violet and what I was going to tell her. I don't want to tell her I got fired. It might get upset and even cry and bring back our deal and how she kept to her part and I just failed at mine by getting fired.

I walked in the front door and saw Violet sprawled out on the sofa. The TV was on but she wasn't watching instead she was concentrated on her phone. She seemed to be sending a text to someone. Then she looked up and saw me and her face brightened with surprise.

"Hazel!" She shrieked, getting up and coming to meet me with her arms wide. "What's up?" I asked her as she enveloped me in her arms.

"You seem to be in a good mood." "Because I am. Oscar just secured a huge deal and I got a gig to perform in the biggest concert in California." Then she shook her head and said, "but enough of me, why are you home early? Did you get fired?" She laughed at her joke even as my heart must have stopped beating for a second.

"Um, No.. " I suddenly couldn't have the guy to spill the truth.

"Oh my God! What's wrong?" She held my arm and led me to a sofa. "You look deathly pale. Do would want a drink?" I nodded. She scooted over to our refrigerator that was also a mini bar.

"Whiskey?"

"Y-yeah" I said, raising my voice so she could hear above the chatter from the TV. I picked the remote control and pressed the off button. The TV banked out and I saw my reflection.

God, I was white. Like really white. Violet came back into the room carrying two glasses of whiskey. "So tell me, what's wrong? What happened at work?" I drank my whiskey and felt the drink burn my throat and warm me from my belly.

"Nothing." I said. "I got a little migraine while at work. You saw how pale I looked." I sipped my drink again before I continued. "and you wouldn't believe it but that monster of a boss I work for actually gave me the rest of the week off." Violet sipped her drink and looked thoughtfully into space.

I started getting a little nervous, thinking that she wouldn't buy the lie. But she did. She swallowed it all. She smiled widely.

"That is actually quite caring and considerate of him. That's strange. Although maybe it is because he got scared you got something contagious like influenza... or covid. All he really cares about is his own ass." I nodded, urging her to continue.

"Anyways... that would mean you are available and you..." She pointed at me. "... are coming with me to California. Here, I'll text Oscar to save another first class seat on the plane." Before I could protest, she was tapping away.

"Sent." She sighed and drank again. "And then we'll go on a tour, scouring every fashion boutique on the way.

And attending every high class gala this week has to offer... we'll be doing it together!"

"Cheers to that." I raised my glass and drank. I was happy to see her happy and happier to see our conversation had drifted away from my work issues and most importantly, Rowan.

ROWAN

I was boiling. My blood must have risen to a thousand degrees. I felt like a ticking bomb, counting down and waiting to explode at the slightest disturbance. The bitch slapped me. Me... Rowan Hugo. Slapped by a good for nothing low life slut! I took in deep breaths and tried to calm myself the way my aerobic and gymnastics teacher had taught me when I was still a kid. I closed my eyes and sucked in air with my nose, held it for a few seconds and released it through my mouth. But that did not calm me down one bit. Instead, as I closed my eyes, I saw the proud sway of her hips as she walked out.

"ARGH!" I swept my hand over my table top, wiping all the computers and files to the floor. I got up and walked the length of his office. I still felt the slight stinging of her hand on my left cheek. Her palm had left a mark. A red mark.

"ARGH!" I yelled again, this time stomping my foot on the floor, where the laptop had fallen, smashing in the screen. It was not a cheap laptop. It had cost me about 5 thousand grand to get it, but money was least in my problem right now. I kicked out at the papers on the floor and sent them flying, my brain told me that I didn't have a secretary any more to arrange the office. But that didn't bother me, not one bit I didn't have a secretary any more.

I fired her! Fuck! God, that reminded me of Grandma. Mrs. Madrigal Hugo and her threat to relieve me of my position and one thing I knew was that she didn't make empty threats.

What she says, she means exactly and that was what she would do. I groaned out loud and loosened my tie. I had to call her and tell her before she learns it from another means. That would be worse.

And then, I would call my lawyer, there was no way that bitch was getting away with slapping me. Right in my office. On my property.