Everyone gathered their things, assuming the meeting was over.
“I’m not done.” Calloway’s deep voice echoed in the room, making everyone flinch in their seats. His employees respected him and the company he built, and they rarely heard him turn dark like that. I was used to it, but I knew they weren’t.
He tossed the remote on the table and placed his hands in his pockets. “I have to say how disappointed I am in all of you for the way you’ve been treating Rome.”
Oh god.
No.
What the hell was he doing?
“Yes, I’m sleeping with her. Yes, she’s an employee. But frankly, it’s none of your concern. Rome is the hardest worker here. She picks up your slack without expecting a thank you, and we’ve never been so productive as we have since she came on board. All the improvements we need to make are coming from your negligence, not hers. So instead of ostracizing her like this is a high school lunchroom, I expect each and every one of you to treat her with respect just as you did before we made our relationship public. If you can’t do that, I’m more than happy to replace you.” He grabbed a stack of folders and dropped it on the table. It made a loud thud once it hit the surface of the wood. “These are all the applications I’ve gotten—in a month.” There had to be hundreds in the pile. “Just so you know.”
I was mortified.
He dropped a bomb I had no idea was coming. I just assumed it was going to be a regular quarterly meeting, like the others we’d had in the past. But he took the opportunity to put our relationship on blast.
I was certain he’d just made the situation worse.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in my office, trying to hide from everyone else so they wouldn’t see how red my cheeks were. It would take at least a month for everyone to stop talking about it.
Maybe longer than that.
“Hey, Rome.” Alexa knocked on my open door before she stepped inside.
Maybe I should have kept my door closed. “Hey, Alexa. How can I help you?” When my colleagues needed something from me, they usually just sent an email. Since they used to come to my office, I knew that was just a tactic to avoid me. It was very rare to speak to someone face-to-face.
“I’m going to the café downstairs. You want anything?” She didn’t look at me with that judgmental stare I was used to getting. She’d even personally given it to me a few times.
“Uh…” I couldn’t think quickly on my feet, so surprised by the offer. “Yeah, I’ll take a black coffee.” I didn’t even want any coffee, but I just wanted to make this conversation go well. I grabbed my wallet and searched for some cash.
“I got it,” she said as she walked out. “You can get me next time.”
Now I wasn’t sure what was going on. Were people going to change their attitudes just to keep their jobs? Or did they realize they were all being assholes to me? I wasn’t sure, but I hoped it was the latter.
Calloway came to my office when he was finished with his day. Sometimes he worked later than everyone else because he had more things to do, so I just worked until he arrived at my door.
He leaned against the doorframe and silently announced himself. His presence was powerful enough that I could tell when he was walking down the hallway toward my office. I couldn’t hear him, but I could certainly feel him.
Like usual, I organized my things then walked out with him.
Calloway walked with his hands in his pockets and said goodbye to the few people who remained at their desks.
They said goodbye to me too, which was a nice change.
The second we were in the elevator with the doors closed, I spoke my mind. “Are you crazy?”
“Yes.” He stared straight ahead of him. “But you already knew that.”
“I can’t believe you said all of that at the meeting.”
“I don’t care. I own this company, and I can do whatever the hell I want.” He glanced at me, his eyes radiating authority. “If they don’t like it, they can get another job. I offer great salaries, full benefits, a ridiculous amount of time for sick and maternity leave, and a pension. So maybe they should appreciate what I’ve given them and show it by treating you like a human being and not a whore.”
I knew he meant well, and that touched my heart. “I just don’t want people to hate me even more.”
“Again, if they have a problem, they can just leave.”
Alexa brought me coffee that afternoon, and Bill said hi to me when I grabbed a muffin from the break room. Instantly, everyone was treating me like I wasn’t invisible anymore. They were probably just doing it for show, but it was still a nice change.