Office Affair

Dominic, I need you.

Dominic

Dominic's office room was the last one in the long hallway, with Clarissa's and Anya's rooms on either side. He didn't think it would be a problem until Kayla had revealed their long-standing friendship, and he worried that she could use that to sabotage Anya in some way. There was nothing specific going inside in Clarissa's room that needed his immediate attention, so he usually ignored it. She was, sadly, a good worker, but her interested in the office affairs was spectacular and it annoyed Dominic to no end. Today he walked by her door on his way to the kitchen and stopped to eavesdrop. Even though he trusted his employees to do a good job without constant monitoring, he couldn't miss the opportunity to decipher the whispers that he heard, because someone else was in there.

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong."

"You're doing nothing wrong, don't worry."

"I must be, because he's not happy with the way I work. I have made him three versions already, and he's impossible to please."

"He needs time."

He pricked up his ears and took a step closer, now that he knew that the conversation was about him. One of them was crying, and he rolled his eyes. Ignoring the irritation, he continued to listen.

"But..."

"Look, you'll have to come to terms that Anya is his favorite."

"Who is she?"

"She works as a graphic designer here," Clarissa said, her tone downright bored.

"I've haven't seen her."

"That's because she's called in sick after barely two weeks since she started working. In that short time that she worked here, she had managed to steall all my projects, but that is to be expected."

"How so?"

Yeah, how so, Dominic thought while he clenched his jaw.

"Because she's a redhead and he is besotted with her, so she easily manipulates him."

"Is she really that good?"

"She's mediocre. I've seen her work on the Jackson's project, and even though both he and Dominic were almost ecstatic, I could have done it ten times better than her."

"So I clearly don't stand the chance, but I really want him to be happy with me."

"He will. Just do what he asks and be at his service whenever he needs you, and very soon we'll both replace her. You'll see."

Dominic seriously deliberated barging in and teaching them a lesson, but he decided not to, at least for now. Instead he took another refill of his coffee cup and looked at Anya's closed door as he passed it. He missed her. He missed the moments that they spent together in his office, eating lunch and talking in depth about everything. On the other hand, the thought of her being home and waiting for him was even more appealing. He knew he needed to find a resolution, because his whole body began reacting in a weird way when she told him that she wants them to be a real couple. He was so delighted that telling her that he loved her was the next logical step, even though they still had to get to know each other properly. One of the main problems was their drastic differences in living spaces. He felt that she stiffened every time he mentioned his apartment. She obviously wasn't used to living in luxury, and if he only suggested to her to move in with him, she would have a complete emotional meltdown. He needed to come up with a way to gradually help her get used to his lifestyle. He just thought about arranging to meet with Mike to hear if he had any concrete ideas, when his office phone beeped.