Drowning While He Fed Her Strawberries - Chapter 3: Chapter 3
You are reading Drowning While He Fed Her Strawberries, Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Read more chapters of Drowning While He Fed Her Strawberries.
The next day, the secretary's Instagram was at it again - another post featuring Ethan's shadowy outline.
This time, it was dripping with sarcasm:
[Got dragged into office gossip yesterday. Ugh. So over it. Ethan and I have a completely professional relationship, but apparently some people's imaginations are running wild. Whatever.]
[My incredible boss treated me to a shopping spree! No one's ever spoiled me like this. Beyond happy! I'm never letting this man go, no matter what anyone says!]
I closed the app without engaging. As I was arranging more time off, Jane's message popped up:
[Emma, thanks for always having my back. I'm out.]
My stomach dropped. Then the work chat exploded with the official notice about Jane's termination.
I called Ethan immediately.
Chaos echoed in the background as he barked into the phone, "My company has zero tolerance for toxic gossipers. I even gave her a severance package! What else could she possibly want?"
Click. He hung up.
Jane had been with us since the beginning, helping build this company from scratch. And just like that, she was gone - outranked by the secretary's whispers.
The disappointment settled in, though by now, I was numb to his betrayals.
I reached out to a contact and got Jane an interview. After a quick text exchange with her, I returned to packing.
The designer clothes went up for resale. The unsellable items got tossed. Sophie's pajamas? Straight in the trash.
When I finished, only one suitcase remained.
Ethan walked in just as I was rolling it out. "You're leaving?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Business trip in a few days," I lied smoothly.
He nodded, completely unsuspecting. "Perfect timing actually. Sophie's lease is up. I was thinking she could crash here for a bit."
"Since she's stayed before, I assume you're fine with that?"
The audacity. He'd already made up his mind but still pretended to consult me. If I objected, he'd just throw that word in my face again.
"Sure, let her stay," I said flatly. "But the guest room gets no light. She should take the master. I'll clean it for her."
My easy agreement caught him off guard. "Okay... I'll take the guest room then. When's your flight? I can drive you."
"No need. My ride's arranged. It'd be rude to cancel now."
Ethan's expression shifted from confusion to irritation. "Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment over Jane?"
"A company needs unity, Emma. I didn't fire her just because of Sophie—"
I blinked at him. "Why are you explaining yourself? It's your company. Your decisions. You gave her severance."
As I stifled a yawn and headed for the door, he grabbed my arm.
"What now?" I snapped.
"Emma... that oceanfront apartment key I gave you? Sophie has a reunion coming up. I want her to use it..."
This time, it was dripping with sarcasm:
[Got dragged into office gossip yesterday. Ugh. So over it. Ethan and I have a completely professional relationship, but apparently some people's imaginations are running wild. Whatever.]
[My incredible boss treated me to a shopping spree! No one's ever spoiled me like this. Beyond happy! I'm never letting this man go, no matter what anyone says!]
I closed the app without engaging. As I was arranging more time off, Jane's message popped up:
[Emma, thanks for always having my back. I'm out.]
My stomach dropped. Then the work chat exploded with the official notice about Jane's termination.
I called Ethan immediately.
Chaos echoed in the background as he barked into the phone, "My company has zero tolerance for toxic gossipers. I even gave her a severance package! What else could she possibly want?"
Click. He hung up.
Jane had been with us since the beginning, helping build this company from scratch. And just like that, she was gone - outranked by the secretary's whispers.
The disappointment settled in, though by now, I was numb to his betrayals.
I reached out to a contact and got Jane an interview. After a quick text exchange with her, I returned to packing.
The designer clothes went up for resale. The unsellable items got tossed. Sophie's pajamas? Straight in the trash.
When I finished, only one suitcase remained.
Ethan walked in just as I was rolling it out. "You're leaving?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Business trip in a few days," I lied smoothly.
He nodded, completely unsuspecting. "Perfect timing actually. Sophie's lease is up. I was thinking she could crash here for a bit."
"Since she's stayed before, I assume you're fine with that?"
The audacity. He'd already made up his mind but still pretended to consult me. If I objected, he'd just throw that word in my face again.
"Sure, let her stay," I said flatly. "But the guest room gets no light. She should take the master. I'll clean it for her."
My easy agreement caught him off guard. "Okay... I'll take the guest room then. When's your flight? I can drive you."
"No need. My ride's arranged. It'd be rude to cancel now."
Ethan's expression shifted from confusion to irritation. "Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment over Jane?"
"A company needs unity, Emma. I didn't fire her just because of Sophie—"
I blinked at him. "Why are you explaining yourself? It's your company. Your decisions. You gave her severance."
As I stifled a yawn and headed for the door, he grabbed my arm.
"What now?" I snapped.
"Emma... that oceanfront apartment key I gave you? Sophie has a reunion coming up. I want her to use it..."
End of Drowning While He Fed Her Strawberries Chapter 3. Continue reading Chapter 4 or return to Drowning While He Fed Her Strawberries book page.