13
Bryce
I had no idea why Chloe had been standoffish since yesterday. I thought we’d had a great time with my parents—she even managed to relax and act as her usual self after our conversation in the kitchen—but I was apparently wrong.
After we returned to our hotel last night, I wanted to make love to her, ready to ask her to be my girlfriend, for real this time, but she refused me, saying she didn’t feel well. She went to sleep early, barely exchanging a few words with me.
Her excuse not to sleep with me didn’t sound plausible, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt, expecting her to go back to her old self next morning. However, she proved me wrong when we got up and started packing, being all distant and unresponsive.
We were flying home, and all this time she was quiet and in her own head. I wanted to start a conversation with her, but I didn’t know how. She was nervous because of her fear of flying, and it bothered me that she didn’t even allow me to help her and reduce her anxiety.
Clearing my throat, I turned my head to look at her. “Chloe?”
She was gazing through the window, not moving an inch. “Yes?”
I clenched my jaw, wishing she would at least look at me. “I’m worried about you. Talk to me.”
She didn’t respond immediately, glancing at the book that was in her lap. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“How do I not worry about you when we barely spoke today? You’ve been acting weird since yesterday, so don’t tell me you’re fine. You aren’t fine.”
She still wasn’t looking at me, and it was starting to piss me off. “Is this because of my decision? You’re afraid you’re going to lose your job?”
She met my gaze at last, maintaining her blank expression. “We already talked about this yesterday, Bryce. I told you I’m supporting your decision, so what more do you want?”
I winced, taken about with her bitterness. Something was definitely off. “What more do I want? I want you to stop acting like a sulking teenager and talk with me. We’re adults, Chloe. So we should talk about this.”
She crossed her arms. “There is nothing we should talk about.”
“Do you even hear yourself? Are you really leaving me with no explanation? You’ve been distant since yesterday, so don’t tell me everything is fine. If you’re angry with me, say it.”
“I’m not angry with you.” Her flat voice made me even madder, and I fisted my hands on my lap.
This was leading us nowhere. I was getting angrier, while she was becoming more reserved.
“Fine,” I said and looked away. “If you say so.”
We spend the rest of our flight in uncomfortable silence, which did nothing to tone down my anger and anxiety. Why did she have to be so difficult?
I went to the board the first thing next morning, ready to notify them about my decision to quit. Just like yesterday, Chloe gave me the cold shoulder, sticking to business and refusing to talk about things irrelevant to her work, claiming she was too busy.
My anger had diminished, leaving fear in its wake. I didn’t want to lose her. Now that I knew how much she meant to me, I couldn’t let her grow more distanced from me or even worse—to completely lose her. None of this would happen if I talked with her first and told her I wanted to be with her, but now it was too late to cry over spilled milk.
If my guess was right, she was distant because she was afraid to lose her job, so I had to make sure she stayed on her position. I wasn’t going to let her lose her job.
On my way to the conference room, I found her next to a photocopier in the hallway. My eyes instantly went down her slim back and lush ass, which were hugged tightly by her sexy gray suit. She was wearing sexy high heels, and once again, I wished to have her only in those.
Inhaling the sweet fragrance of her perfume, I stopped right behind her and leaned into her ear.
“I’m going now to the board to notify them about my decision,” I whispered, and she winced, startled by me. I placed my hands on her shoulders, reminding myself that we were in the hallway where anyone could pass and see us, and forced myself to maintain control over my urge to take her right here.
“I’ll also make sure they keep you on your position, so you don’t have to worry about losing your job.”
I planted a brief kiss on her earlobe and pulled away from her before she could even answer me. Spinning around, I headed to the conference room.
“Good morning, everyone,” I greeted the members of the board, who were already seated, waiting for me.
“Good morning,” they replied in unison.
The secretary offered me coffee, which I accepted eagerly, needing a big dosage to keep me energized. I leaned into my chair and glanced at all ten members that were present today.
“Let’s get down to the business. All of you have been with me since the beginning, so you’ve witnessed this hospital’s exponential growth from its humble beginnings.”
“It’s all thanks to you,” Mr. Rowe, my CFO, said. “Your business skills showed us time after time that you’re capable of achieving anything you want.”
“That is true, but all of that would be impossible without your help.” I motioned at them. “You’ve put a lot of faith in me, but you also gave me freedom to make decisions and proceed however I wanted. So I want to thank you all once again for everything you’ve done and enabled me to do so far.”
“Why does this sound like goodbye?” Mrs. Lewis, one of the shareholders, asked.
“Because it is goodbye.” My answer was met with shocked gasps and frowns, all of my members equally surprised. “I’ll be completely honest with you. For years my business has been everything to me. I planned to expand it, hoping to make an empire that would bring us billions one day. I hoped to create a hospital network, which would expand across several states and serve millions of people.”
“And we gave you our full support,” another shareholder said.
“Exactly. So, that had been my mission and top priority. But the thing is—I didn’t always want to be in the business. That is not why I started studying medicine. My dreams and goals were completely different back then, and I’m afraid I’ve forgotten them completely in my pursuit for money.”
Mrs. Lewis leaned toward me, intertwining her hands on the table. “What are you saying, Bryce?”
“I’m saying that I’ve completely disregarded my original dream. I’ve forgotten that my first and biggest dream was to save lives. But thanks to a special someone”—I broke out into a huge smile, thinking about Chloe and her words—“I managed to remember what truly matters to me. I want to see more patients. I want to get back to research, which will allow me to help more people. I want to dedicate myself to what truly matters to me.”
No one said a word as they waited for me to continue, still bewildered.
“So I decided that I won’t be in charge of the hospital anymore. As of today, I’m stepping down as a president.”
Mr. Hernandez, my COO, was the first to break the silence that stretched on after my revelation. “Are you absolutely sure about this, Bryce? You are aware that this can change a lot of things, right? If we assign someone else to take your place, we will have to postpone the new hospital project.”
“I’m perfectly aware of this, and I’m fine with it. After all, the future of my business now lies in your hands.”
“Let me make this clear,” one of the shareholders said. “You are okay with any outcome?”
“As long as I can dedicate my time to my patients, yes. You have absolute freedom to do whatever you want.”
I leaned my elbows against the table and looked at each of them. “Look, this doesn’t come as an easy decision, but it is definitely the right one. And I believe you will be able to find the suitable person to replace me.”
“Well, if that is what you really want, then I will support you,” Mr. Rowe said. “I believe in your judgment, and if going back to medicine is what you really want, then all I can do is wish you all the best with your future endeavors.”
“Thank you, Steve.”
“I also agree,” Martha added. “You’re a valuable part of this hospital and rather irreplaceable, in my opinion, but I’ll respect your decision.”
I nodded to her. “Thank you, Martha. I appreciate that a lot.”
One after another, all members agreed, making my decision a lot easier. A rush of joy spread through my chest and relief flooded my system. Now that this was over with, I felt completely free—like I had finally found myself—and I wanted to celebrate.
Immediately thinking of Chloe, I decided to invite her to dinner in the name of this.
“How about your brand-new assistant, Chloe Lewis?” Mr. Hernandez asked. “What should we do with her?”
“She has to stay. You have to keep her on for the transition and the next president, and that is my only demand,” I informed them. “Chloe is a valuable worker, and she showed one hundred percent devotion to her work. She is extremely knowledgeable, responsible, and ambitious, so I’m sure that whoever becomes a president can completely rely on her.”
“Well, if you insist and guarantee that she is a good worker, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t let her remain on her position,” Mr. Rowe remarked. “I agree.”
Mrs. Lewis smiled at me. “You know the best, Bryce. Besides, we don’t have to waste time on finding someone new. It’s better to have someone who has already shown their commitment to work and has good skills. I agree.”
They all gave their approval, and my excitement rose. Chloe wasn’t going to lose her job. Knowing her, I was sure she would make a lot of progress here, quickly climbing the ladder, and I was happy for her. I couldn’t wait to tell her the news.
Our meeting finished half an hour later, after all the details of the transition and the nominees were discussed. I exited the room feeling more carefree than ever. My smile was plastered across my face as I went back to my office, my footsteps light.
“Chloe?” I called her when I reached her desk.
She turned her gaze from her computer screen to me, looking at me questioningly. “Yes?”
“I think you’ll be pleased to know that the meeting with the board went extraordinary well. We’ve discussed your position, and they agreed to let you stay. So you don’t have to worry about losing your job.” Her lips parted, her face twisting in silent surprise.
I reached her and glanced around to see if there was anyone looking our way before I lowered my lips to her ear. “I miss you, Chloe. These few days you’ve been different, but I hope we can get over that and start fresh.” I placed a kiss on her cheek, wishing to do so much more to her.
“I want to invite you to dinner. We need to celebrate this, and I really hope you’ll say yes.”