Avoid The Meeting, And You End Up In A Private Press Conference; Mondays At The Office
Day 176 of The Andie Chronicles
I tried to be late for the Monday meeting.
I desperately didn't want to be the first one sitting alone in the big boardroom like a chump, waiting for everyone else. James was already doing a fine job of looking like the class suck-up.
I even purposefully went to the bathroom the minute it was meant to start. Still, I was the only one there when I arrived.
Angela came by just as I took my seat with the pastries and pots of coffee, confirming I had the day and time correct.
"Morning dear," she squeaked, "Would you be a love and hurry everyone along? They're all in the kitchen for some reason."
"Sure," I responded, instantly wondering what I was missing. As I traipsed to the break room, I could hear GG's voice, followed by Sophia's gentle cooing and James' sassy tone.
"Ah, here you all are. Angela sent me to round you up, so let's go."
"Wait, wait, wait, babe," demanded James, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me into the little circle around Sophia's phone.
I noticed she had the Instagram app open, and they were staring at a photo of me. I noticed my beaming smile before anything else; I was happy in this picture, elated about the man in my arms and the sun in my eyes.
It was a picture of me and Cooper, taken the day before I left, leaving the beach. He asked a stranger to capture the moment, who was very obliging, considering they knew who Cooper was and would do anything to impress their favourite champion.
I hadn't seen how the photo came out until now, but I loved it. We looked like we were made for each other.
"Naww, isn't it sweet? Who posted it?"
"Cooper did," Sophia offered, pointing at the name below the picture and showing me Cooper's handle. "And look, he tagged you in it too."
She pressed the picture, and my Instagram handle appeared. Sophia searched my face for my reaction, but I clearly wasn't giving her what she wanted. "And that's a good thing, right?"
"Of course it is. Do you know how many followers you got today because of that tag?"
The last time I was on social media was last night. Even then, I didn't go onto Instagram. I spent my train ride designing this morning, seeing if I could produce another image before I got to work.
I had to use every spare minute to work on this takeover. If I wasn't working for Douglas, I was working on this. I had to. I knew the date of Douglas' Highway launch would be coming very soon. He was yet to announce it, but the rumours were swirling around the office.
It was silly of me not to assume it would be a crushingly short time before it was too late.
Sophia clicked on the tag, and up came my profile. I had about five-hundred followers before; now, I was at twenty-five thousand. And rising.
"Fuck," I said, looking at the number in complete disbelief, "That's a lot of new followers."
"So, who is this Cooper guy?" GG asked.
James didn't say anything, but I assumed he had told GG and Sophia there was a new man in my life.
"Don't play dumb. You know I met someone in Queensland."
The women in my life began to grin, their toothy expressions delighting in my story. "He's a wrestler, and he's the current champion and…"
I felt myself pause. I looked at my friend's faces, holding onto each word. I didn't want Cooper to be another Douglas, another powerful man, more successful and influential than me, being the thing everyone was excited about for me.
"And he amazing in the sack."
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
