I shook my head.
“This is my business.”
The car pulled up in front of my office building, a modern glass-and-steel high-rise.
“Thanks,” I said, unbuckling my seat belt.
“What about after work?” he asked.
“I’m meeting Maya.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Call me if you need anything.”
I got out and walked into the building without looking back, but I could feel his eyes on me. The atmosphere in the office was strange. The receptionist’s eyes darted away when she saw me.
“Morning, Chloe.”
“Morning.”
I tried to act normal as I walked to my desk. A few colleagues who had been chatting fell silent and scattered back to their cubicles, pretending to be busy. Their whispers followed me like mosquitoes. I had just turned on my computer when Rick Donovan, a project manager from another team, sauntered over with his coffee mug.
“Well, well. Chloe, heard you tied the knot yesterday. Congrats.”
His voice was loud enough for the whole floor to hear. The office went dead silent. Every ear was tuned in. I had taken the day off for the explicit purpose of getting married. Everyone knew.
“Thanks,” I managed a weak smile.
“So who’s the lucky guy? You kept him under wraps pretty well.”
He leaned against my cubicle wall.
“When are you bringing him around? We’ve got to celebrate properly.”
“He’s busy. Maybe some other time.”
I stared at my screen, tapping random keys.
“Nobody’s too busy for a celebratory dinner.”
Rick pressed on.
“What, you scared we’ll get him drunk? Don’t worry. We’ll behave.”
“Rick, the morning briefing is starting,” my assistant, a young woman named Sarah, said, appearing at just the right moment.
“Oh, right.”
Rick slapped his forehead.
“Chloe, almost forgot. Nine-thirty. Main conference room. The Blue Sky Group pitch. How’s it looking? Today’s the big one.”
“It’s ready,” I said, relieved.
“Great. It’s all on you.”
He finally walked away. I gave Sarah a grateful look. She winked. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Alex. I declined the call and blocked his number. A WhatsApp message popped up immediately.
“Chloe, answer the phone. We need to talk. Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Who is that guy? You get back here right now.”
One message after another, frantic and demanding. I blocked him on WhatsApp too. Finally, peace. The morning meeting was tense. My boss made a point of saying,
“Congratulations, Chloe.”
