Love- As Real As the Moon

11

Hayley

"So it isn't just me?" I already know the answer but I still ask Olive.

"Yes darling. It actually started with me." She sighs

"What?! Will you tell me what happened? Please?" I request her to tell me the whole story.

"Fine listen. So as you know this company started three years back with AA, Nick, his father and me."

"AA?"

"Asshole Andres."

I gasp."You call him that too?"

She nods slowly."We all do"

"Okay go on."

" So AA is the most incompetent CEO in the world. He can't get anything done. He's hardly qualified but has a PhD in assholery. This company was nothing 3 years ago until Nick joined. He worked his ass off and made the company what it is today with my help of course. I was the only woman working closely with them in those years and so I was the first one to be objectified. He used to pass on comments related to my face first, saying I was beautiful and such. Then he moved to my boobs, then to my hips, ass, legs. Everything. It was not much till the comments but then he tried to touch me that was my breaking point. I went to adi crying and shouting telling him that I wanted to kill Andres. Nick was my pillar. He still is. We made a plan to expose him to the board but he used his resources to save himself." She gave a humourless laugh.

"I'm so sorry, Ol. You're one of the strongest women I know. You're amazing." I hold her hand and squeeze it. She smiles at me, takes a deep breath and continues,
"I lost all hopes and decided to leave the company but Nick stopped me. He told me we were going to destroy him one day and we'll keep trying. He didn't leave my side since then. He always stood by me and never left me alone with Kennedy even for a moment. Few months later, we got complaints about the same from 3 more of our employees. We were all set to take this to court but again , that fucker won. He manipulated the girls into taking back their complaints and resigning." She took a sip of water.

"No! No way!" I shook my head.Now she squeezed my hand.

"I know darling. But the worst part hasn't even come yet. Agitated of our attempts, h-he-framed Nick's father, Lewis to stop us."

"What?" I stood up in surprise. She gave me little nod and asked me to sit down. I did.

"Yes. Lewis was a board member in the company and in a meeting, Andres framed him of harassing our female employees. That fucker framed Lewis of the actions that he himself did. He hired actors and recorded the act he had set up. Now, he uses the recording to threaten us to keep our mouth shut and to run his company." She let out a shaky exhale.

I got up and hugged her so tight that I almost choked her."I'm so so sorry you all had to go through THAT. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to give him a slow death. I'm going to destroy him." I shouted angrily not caring about everyone in the cafe staring at me.

"Sit down, Hay. I know what you're feeling. Hell, I know more than what you're feeling and trust me, we will destroy him. Me and Nick. Maybe even you. But we need to be patient and wait for the right time and opportunity. Till then try to stay away from him okay? Do you understand, H?"

"Yes."

"Hayley? Do you understand?"
I sigh and say "Yes I understand. I promise we'll figure something out."

"I hope we do. Now let's eat something? I'm exhausted."
I nod.

"Ol?"

"Yes Hay?" She looks at me with a little smile.

She's so fucking strong. After going through all that, she's smiling. She still spends more than half of everyday with that man. I hope I'm half as strong as she is. Also, Nick. I can't believe he- I don't know what to say. I think I understand why he's so grumpy all the time but even when he had all of this in his mind when he was smiling at the party when he was spreading joy there with those kids and dogs. No one should ever have to go through all that. I realise Olive is waiting for me to say something so I gather up the courage to ask her what I wanted to.
"You and Nick....are you two..... You know? " I raise my brow to ask her to understand what I mean.

"That's a whole another story darling. Some other day maybe."

"Uh. Okay sure." I smile. Disappointed.