Liam
He's a snake.
He's a bad friend.
He's the enemy I never saw coming.
Evan's an asshole and I can't believe I didn't see it before.
I pace around my office, fuming. I need to calm myself before calling Trish to tell Evan to come in here. I unclench my fists. I'm ready to face him.
It's gonna take all my willpower not to get violent. He's earned it. But I don't need a lawsuit coming my way. I'll fire him and cut the cord for good, but he'll least walk out of here in one piece. He doesn't even deserve that. But I am more than that.
Evan knocks on my door and I tell him to come in. All I see is red. Rage consumes me but I'd like to hear his explanation, no matter how flimsy it is.
"Hey Liam," he says, approaching me. "About what happened. I was trying to protect—"
I cut him off. On second thought, I’ll lose control if I hear one more word.
"Evan, you're here because I want you to know that you just got fired. You really fucked up today. I never want to see you again and if it's up to me I'll make sure you never work in this town again. Got it?"
He looks at me before he spews venom.
"You think you're so great Liam, don't you? You'll never make it without me. I did all your dirty work. Always have. I'm the one that keeps this company together."
He's so wrapped up in himself, it's ridiculous. For him to think he has any authority in my business is just the most delusional thing I think I've ever heard.
"Evan, you're the wrong fit for this company. I can easily replace you and now I want you to go."
He begins to act fanatical.
"You're a goddamn fool, Liam. You let some girl come between us. She's not even worth it. She's a nobody. By the time you realize that and leave her, I'll be gone and you'll be left to fend for yourself. You can't run this company without me. I've been doing everything for you. I'm the brains behind this operation."
I'm fuming as he has the nerve to reference Claire. I can't forget about what he did to her today.
"You're off your rocker. None of that is true. What you did to Claire was awful. You really did dig your own grave. Now leave."
This triggers him to scream and act crazy.
"You'll see Liam. Everything's gonna fall apart without me. How can you be so blind?"
"Evan, leave now or I'll call security."
"Whatever," he says as he leaves and slams the door.
I'm glad it didn't get messier than that. But just in case, I pick up the phone and call security to make them aware of the situation. I tell them to personally escort Evan out of the building if he doesn't leave willingly.
It's all making sense now. Evan's ruthless desire to destroy Claire was a set up for his own success. For some reason, he thinks he’s more valuable to this company than he really is.
I never should've let him in my inner circle. He has his good points but all that’s overshadowed by his faults. He's a bad friend, jealous of my success.
And it took losing the love of my life for me to realize that.
Now that Evan's gone, I turn my full attention to figuring out how to win back Claire. Her voice on the phone sounded so wounded and sad that it crushes my heart just thinking about it.
I sit at my desk and deliberate the various options. I think about heading over there right now and professing my love. But first I have to do the right thing.
I pick up the phone and call the people at Velvet Luxe. I’ll personally amend this situation.
Immediately, they put me through to one of the execs. I love that my status means never having to wait. The secretary tells me the executive's name is Sarah.
"Sarah, this is Liam Alton. I just need to set the record straight that everything my vice president told you was not true. Claire never stole any ideas for her campaign. It was all original."
"Are you sure about this Liam? Your vice president was pretty clear that he had evidence of Claire's cheating," she says.
I could easily take advantage of this opportunity. I could steal the Velvet Luxe campaign right from under Claire. But that was the old me.
The new me believes she actually deserves it. I really and truly am proud of her and I know that this campaign was hers all along. I don't want to take advantage of the situation at all, I just want to fix things for Claire.
"I'm absolutely positive. I've just fired my VP. He's a bad egg and quite frankly, he's acting crazy. I want you to know that Claire deserves this. She worked hard for it. Please, give her another chance," I say, hoping that I've convinced her.
"Well," she says. "Claire's campaign really did shine against all the rest. She’s our first choice and if all you're saying is true, then I don't see why she can't take over the project once again."
"That's great. Thanks a lot. I promise you won't regret this," I say to her.
"Then, there's only one thing left to do. Do you want to tell Claire personally or shall I call her?" Sarah asks.
It's a perfect opportunity for me to sweep in and try to convince Claire that it's been her all along.
"Don't worry about it Sarah, I'll call her. I would love to be the one to deliver the good news considering it was my VP who ruined everything for her," I say.
"Okay, Liam, please tell her that we're so excited to work with her, now that this new information has come to light."
"Thank you, and goodbye," I say, feeling elated.
Now I have some clout, something that could sway Claire. I don't want to just call her and deliver the news, I want to see her in person.
But I feel like right now isn’t the right time. I'll give it the night, let her cool down, and approach her tomorrow.
I decide to leave the office early so that I can go back to my place, clear my head and prepare for Claire.
The limo ride only reminds me of how she's uncomfortable being spoiled with luxuries. I miss her being by my side.
At my penthouse apartment, I spend the night thinking about her. I got her the campaign back but that doesn't necessarily mean she’ll take me back.
What if I can't convince her that it was Evan's idea? What if she doesn't trust that I believe in her talent?
What if I lose Claire?
I push those thoughts aside. Whatever I want, I get because I’m prepared to work hard for it. There’s nothing I won’t do now just to win her back.