Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
In other words, Ember’s mind virus of compassion or whatever this was may feel strange and new, but maybe it wasn’t an entirely bad thing. For the company, of course.
I realized Daniel had popped back in my door. He looked nervous. "Mr. Foster?"
"Yes?" I asked.
"I don't want to speak out of turn or overstep, but I did think you would want to know. You've asked me before to keep you posted on office chatter if it was relevant, and I—"
"Spit it out, Daniel." Alright. I was still working on compassion and being nice. That didn’t mean my patience was unlimited.
"Some people are talking about you and Ember Hartwell." His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "There have been some rumors spreading. It seems some people drew conclusions after seeing you and Ember at the charity gala."
"Conclusions?" I said coldly.
"About the nature of your relationship, Sir."
"That will be enough, Daniel. Get back to work." I paused, once again feeling haunted by Ember's influence. "Wait."
Daniel froze mid-escape attempt. "Sir?"
"Good work. Let me know if you hear any further rumors."
The young man brightened with a smile and an eager nod. "Yes, Sir. Of course. Thank you."
"Now go," I said, waving him off when it was clear he planned to stand there and bask in the praise.
He practically sprinted from my office. Through the glass walls, I saw him exchange meaningful looks with two other employees who had clearly been watching our interaction.
So my employees were gossiping about me and Ember. I could shut down the rumors with a clear and concise memo. Something to the effect of, "your rumors are unfounded, and your assumptions are grounds for disciplinary action. Cease any and all speculation instantly" would likely do the trick. Even if they still wanted to imagine they understood what was going on, they would at least be too frightened to voice it aloud.
But it also wasn't as if I had ever tried too hard to stamp out inter-office relationships. I knew some saw it was a massive issue, but I had never seen the need to care. People would secretly date if they knew they weren’t allowed to date openly. That only led to wasted time at the office, distractions, and gossiping, just like what Daniel was telling me about.
I grinned to myself and ran a hand down my face. I let my employees openly date if they chose to avoid exactly what I was causing with my own secret pseudo-relationship.
Wonderful.
But the power imbalance between myself and Ember was something to consider. If my… interest in her was out in the open, people would likely question her merits within the company. Promotions or opportunities would be seen as favoritism.
I pinched the bridge of my nose as a sudden headache threatened to come on.
This was all the exact flavor of nonsense I had always strived to avoid. Running a company successfully was more than enough work on a good day, even without external factors. Now I found myself wasting minutes every hour with my unhealthy fascination. My infatuation. My obsession.
That's precisely what Ember had become, wasn't it? I thought about her at all hours of the day. I let memories and fantasies of her interrupt my work hours and throw off my routines. Instead of avoiding screens before bed, I was sending perverse emails to her with full knowledge that she would respond by touching herself at my command.
And I loved it.
The headache seemed to pound even harder. I was rifling through my drawer for a bottle of pain relievers when my intercom buzzed.
"Mr. Foster?" Daniel said through the speaker. "Mr. Davenport is here early."
Damn it. I wasn't prepared. I'd been hoping to talk strategy with Ember first. It annoyed me to admit it, but Ember had her finger on the old man’s pulse. I only seemed to alienate him when I spoke.
"Send him up," I said, straightening my tie and standing to wait outside my office for his arrival.
The elevator dinged moments later, and I heard Ember's laugh before I saw her. She was walking with Davenport, showing him something on her phone.
Eyes lifted all around the office as the pair approached. Some looked at Davenport with open curiosity—likely hearing about how hard we were all trying to win this contract and wondering what was special. Others looked at Ember with a wide range of emotions ranging from what seemed like jealousy, amusement, or even happiness.
"And this one," Ember was saying, "is wearing a little rain hat!"
"Delightful!" Davenport chuckled. "Eleanor's quite the collector. Though I prefer my rubber ducks. More appropriate given my background, wouldn't you say?"
Something in his tone caught my notice. From the look on Ember’s face, she hadn’t missed it either. Davenport had said Eleanor’s name with a kind of warmth I hadn’t heard from the man. There was also an odd familiarity in how he spoke about her collection.