Tales Of New Office, Marble And An Ex Next Door
Tales Of New Office, Marble And An Ex Next Door
Day 117 of The Andie Chronicles
I had to resist the urge not to hide my boxes from the moving men. But fighting the instinct to revolt was becoming a daily battle.
It wasn’t like I had the opportunity to protest either; James dragged me into the chauffeured car before I had time to contemplate.
The car was beautiful, but it had come from Douglas. It was one from his fleet. There were many times he would slip his hand under my skirt whilst we sat in the back seat.
I looked at James lapping up the moment. I couldn’t help but think about what he was buying into.
The Douglas hype.
James thinks he’s already made it when he’s borrowing off Douglas’ success.
We hadn’t earned this car ride. We hadn’t earned all the pomp of the moment. We wanted to earn it, we wanted this life, but I never thought like this.
The car pulled up at the underground entrance at 101 Collins. The public couldn’t access this private lift, something I was grateful for. I didn’t want anyone to see me leave this car.
Every minute we got closer to the office, the more ashamed I felt. It all felt wrong.
I didn’t even compute we were being toured around the 57th-floor office until I spotted the view. Breathtaking, I must admit. But so far away from reality, from the grounding we needed right now.
James kept pointing out amenities, like these shallow objects would appease the fact I had to work every day with my ex.
Who I hated.
Who broke my heart.
Who wouldn’t stay away from my life.
None of these bright, sparkly things could undo this decision.
James stopped at the door of a beautiful office, decorated with white marble benches and matching bookcases lining the longest wall.
“This my office. Do you like it?”
I nodded. “It’s very lovely. And very you.”
James looked like a pleased child. “And across the way is your office. It’s bigger than mine, you know.”
He wasn’t kidding. It was almost double the size of his. The same marble decorated the space, but it had this green tinge to it. It reminded me of the tiles in my bathroom at home.
Home. I wanted so badly to go home.
I stepped inside the office and walked around it. There was enough room for a desk and couches and a coffee table.
Yet, I didn’t want any of those things.
All I needed was somewhere to put my computer and a corkboard for my designs and brainstorming. I knew my desired simplicity wouldn’t fly with the aesthetically obsessed Douglas Gallo, or James for that matter.
“The decorator is coming to the house tomorrow to help you pick furniture.”
Great, what a way to ruin my weekend.
I stepped outside and noticed there was only one office left I hadn’t seen, and it shared the main wall with mine. I moved towards it. “I thought you knew whose office you were next to.”
Still, my gaze fixed on the door to Douglas’s office, my reply was deadpan. “When we were dating, Douglas never allowed me past the front desk. Now I’m next to him. It doesn’t make sense.”
“And he picked this office for you, too. He wanted you next to him.”
Of course, he did.
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
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