The Business of Revenge

Time is Money

"That was uncalled for," I half yelled the culmination of frustration and exhaustion rippling off of each word, "You could have warned me,"

He regarded me carefully before he finally responded, in that ever-cool, elusive tone, "And why ever would I do that?"

I glared at him, "Because my douche of an ex-fiancé just walked in and tried to tell me what I can and can't do with my life. And if I hadn't slapped him, he would have kissed me. Where is HR when you need them?"

"He's neither an employee nor a client, HR can do nothing for you, Miss Laurence."

"That's not the point!" I threw my hands up exasperated and quite ready to throw my chair at his perfect window. Smashing the glass to pieces because I had a taste for destruction after that encounter. I could still feel the sting on the palm of my hand, which I didn't care about if my hand was hurting, his face sure was. And I still had a drop of blood on my pinkie nail, spoils of war I would call it.

"And what a mighty fine display of feminism that was. Is that the point you are getting at?" I could feel my eyelid twitch like I was a character in a cartoon, seconds away from snapping, the only difference between me and a cartoon was that the damage I would do would not just be reset in the next episode it would carry forward real consequences, but consequences be damned, I needed to know what the hell I had gotten myself into.

"No. I need you to explain why the hell Niklaus Artymov just stormed through that door, and you knew he would. And not only did you know," I spoke through gritted teeth, "You failed to clue me in."

"The plan worked perfectly fine. Don't you understand Miss Laurence, it was pertinent to the plan for you not to know."

"What plan?" I all but screamed, stalling one of the managing partners, who was just about to enter the office, but decided better of it when he saw my fuming face. It really was a huge nuisance to be yelling at someone in a completely clear office.

"The plan in which Niklaus Artymov thinks that you have no idea why you are here."

"What?"

"Is that the only word you know Miss Laurence?" he deadpanned, and I no longer wanted to throw my chair out of the window. No, I wanted to throw him out of the window.

"No. I know very many more, they're just not appropriate for a professional setting."

"You used quite a few expletives when speaking to Artymov," he pointed out, like that one annoying kid that reminded the teacher of the homework, the type of person you wanted to strangle with your bare hands. The number of ways of murder I was considering should be concerning and very much would be concerning if you didn't know me.

"As you said, he's neither a client nor an employee so that doesn't count."

"If you say so, Miss Laurence," and back again was that infuriatingly patronising tone.

"What do you mean, he has no idea why I am here? You told him I was your new assistant."

"I did. And that is all he thinks you are to me. Not that you have been hired for the sole reason of bringing about his downfall. He is far too prideful to think of you as anything more than a cheap shot at him."

"Wow thanks, you do wonders for my self-esteem."

I was unsurprised that he ignored my snarky comment, "He doesn't think that you are part of a bigger ploy. He thinks I hired you for the mere purpose to spite him and though there is some truth in that, that is hardly the main reason I hired you. Now that he believes that you are not the centre of my revenge plot, it gives you the perfect opportunity to remain unnoticed. In all the plans I have, now that I have, so to speak, shown him my hand. I have shown him deliberately that you are working for me, instead of hiding it. You will be the dagger in plain sight. One that looks like a jewel but is deadly. You Miss Laurence will be perfect for this plan, as I am not hiding our professional relationship, he will not suspect you. Though I'm sure you will be displeased to hear this," Oh boy here we go again. I prepared myself for another scalding analysis of my psyche, "He thinks the level of revenge you would be able to pull off stops at you working for me. He thinks that is your revenge, and his underestimation of you will be my greatest weapon."