The Billionaire's Dilemma

Chapter 16: Morgan

Chapter 16: Morgan

I was currently leaning on the wall outside the empty office of my boss, waiting for her to come back after the board meeting. Stella had left with Elijah and Amara to discuss something and had asked me to go on ahead. Since this was my first day, I had no work, so I was just playing Flappy Bird in the corner. It was a game as ancient as time itself, but my late sister loved playing that.

As my bird collided with one of the pillars and thus ending the game, I switched the applications to open social media where my phone had dinged with another message from that group chat, I was added to a while back. I still don't know how Dennis was able to get my contact details so fast.

I frowned as I saw multiple laugh reaction emojis from many people in there, prompting me to check what happened. I scrolled up, only to see a morphed image of Stella in prisoner uniform which took me by surprise.

I zoomed in the black and white image, as curiosity began to seep inside me. The editing was really amateur, where only the face was copy pasted on an image, but it really did get a point across. I laughed, as I stared at how messy her hair looked, how out of focus her eyes seemed...and how...fitting it was.

I was about to send a laughing emoji myself after saving the image in my gallery, when rapid clicking sounds of someone coming reached my ears. I looked up just as Stella rounded the corner of the corridor, her head down. She was almost running in the heels she was wearing, but not seeing where she was going.

Was she really busy staring at her feet? Is she really admiring her footwear?

I watched her approaching figure, waiting for her to stop and assess if she wanted to continue at her current pace which would definitely make her collide with the glass door beside me.

But it didn't happen.

She came closer, and closer.

I debated internally about what I should do next. I am sure, even if she did collide, she could hardly blame me.

It would be funny, though. Should I record this?

And then, going against every instinct in my body, I stretched my arm out, my palm outstretched like Iron Man shooting some energy from his hand glove, saving Stella's face from colliding from the glass door just as she was a foot away.

She looked up in shock as she took a step back, and our eyes connected.

I frowned, as I noticed how her eyes looked a bit pink on the sides and watery...as if she had been crying. I gulped, not able to understand why that expression on her face made me uneasy.

I didn't like it.

I didn't like it at all.

Our staring contest broke as another voice came through the passage. "Stella?" Elijah came near us as he spotted the two of us in that awkward position. I hurriedly put my hand down, when I realized it was still on Stella's forehead, ignoring Elijah's confused look and focusing on the brilliant paint job on the wall in front of me.

Elijah didn't waste any time in understanding that something must have happened as we saw how Stella backed away, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to discreetly wipe a tear from the corner of her eyes. His expression changed from basic concern to uncontrolled fury as they rested on me, no doubt thinking I must have hurt Stella in some way.

"What happened?" He asked.

I opened my mouth to answer that I had no clue, but Stella beat me to it. "Nothing. I am sorry, please excuse me, Elijah, Morgan." Stella whispered as she went inside her office. My heart panged for a millisecond as I heard a note of sadness in her tone.

"What the hell happened, Morgan? Was she hurt? Did you hurt her?" Elijah took a threatening step towards me as I just raised my palms up in surrender.

"Nothing! No, I don't know! She just came—"

"Wait, what's that?"

"What—"

Elijah grabbed my phone from my hands and I mentally cursed myself. My phone was still open with the edited mugshot picture of Stella on the screen. When I had raised my hands, I had basically shoved the picture in his face.

The expression on his face scared me. He looked calm, too calm. But his eyes...

I am going to lose this job...

"Did you edit this picture?"

"No! Not at all. I received it—"

"Who sent that picture?"

"I-uh, I don't—"

"I am giving you thirty seconds to find out."

"Oh, uh, I guess," I stammered, as I desperately tried to find out who the source was, panic running through my blood. This side of Elijah was so out of anything I could ever imagine that my mind couldn't process anything. "It's someone named Yara Gibson." I checked out the contact and sent him a contact card for the person.

He checked his phone and nodded before walking away.

*

An hour later, Amara and I stood side by side as we watched two big security guys clear this Yara person's personal items from her desk. She was being made as an example in the company, as a warning to others.

Yara herself was a pitiful sight, her snotty, crying face pleading with her friends and colleagues to help her, but no one dared say anything. Not even Dennis, who was pretty happy sending all those gifs and emoji's on Yara's post on the chat earlier.

It was pretty obvious why Yara was being fired, with the mail blast we had all received regarding slandering and deriding our CEO's name and image not thirty minutes back.

I turned my face to look at the person who had decided to come out to where Yara's cubicle was and was watching the commotion from a distance.

Elijah nodded at me, and I returned the gesture as my train of thought ran rampant.

It was obvious this was Elijah's doing. Not only did he know whom to target, thanks to me, but he also had the power as HR Head to remove a person effective immediately.

Only two questions remained now.

Did Elijah like Stella more than a friend?

And how much of a problem he would be in the future if I kill her.

----
Guys, what kind of readers are you :D 
No one reminded that it was thursday! :D

How I got to know it was almost the weekend:

//Me after meeting: God, it has been such a long week, how come it's only Wednesday. 

//My colleagues, after a slight pause: It's Friday. 

//Me: Friday? Hah. Good Joke. (spots the day on the side of the laptop) Holy sh--

I am so swamped with work and Diwali preparations and it is insaaaane :D

I am enjoying it though. 
To all those who asked, my eye is a bit better, the vision is still as hazy as India's air. 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's kinda fun writing a grey character. 

-A