Mr. Elitist [ A Novel ]

31

| Isabella |

After my encounter with Nathan, I spent the rest of the day a mess. Unable to concentrate and therefore unable to get any work done. The number of times I caught myself staring off into space, completely absorbed in my own world, was getting to be too high. And what was worse, seeing him today made me realized I had missed him. I didn't want to miss him, definitely not when I knew nothing was ever going to happen between us. And, it had only been a week since we ended things, so seeing him so soon was bound to be painful, I just wished it wasn't.

So finally, when 5 o'clock rolled around, I nearly sprinted out of there. I felt like the office itself was toxic, restricting my mind and my breathing but I knew it wasn't, no it was the man who consumed my thoughts that's was truly toxic.

I just wanted to go home and relax, I wanted to get into a hot bath and then sleep for days. I could feel how tired I was in my eyes.

But as soon as I walked in the front door, the sight in front of me was almost too much to bear.

A glass vase, filled with brilliant red roses, so big I wasn't sure I could lift it without struggling, sat on my kitchen counter. The lights were on, allowing the roses to gleam as brightly as they could, and I instantly knew who they were from.

I stepped forward, my voice gone and my mind asking how he could do this to me.

"Izzy?" I hear Rachael call. I want to answer her but I can't, I just stare, slowly stepping towards the daunting flowers. I pluck the white card from its stand between the roses and open it.

I'm sorry Isabella, I never intended to hurt you, and knowing that I did kills me. Please forgive me.
-Nathan

I frowned, reading the card three times over before I set it down, still trying to process. It was over, anything I had had with Nathan was over and he still sends me these? With this fucking note? Who the hell did he think he was?

"Hey, are you okay?" Asks Rachael and I look over my shoulder. She's in her pajamas, curlers in her hair and a worried expression on her face.

"What the fuck is this?" I mutter, more to myself than to her. She frowns deeply.

"Are they from Nathan?"

"Yes." I say slowly. "And you know what, its strange because I don't understand why."

"Well, get rid of them then." She says and I glance back to her, confusion etched in my face. "He can't just send you flowers like that and expect it to be all better."

I shake my head.

"You know what, no, I'm done." I feel something spark inside me. Anger. I was angry. Rachael opens her mouth to speak but in one swift motion I have grabbed the card off the counter, along with my purse and I have stormed out the door.

_

Martha stands as soon as she sees me come storming into the lobby outside Nathan's office from the elevator. Her face alarmed.

"He's not available right now Ms. Smith." She says strongly.

"Shut up." I snap, pushing right past her as she rushes to block me. I shove hard against the giant wooden doors and they swing open with a bang.

Inside, Nathan is sitting with his brother Jackson at the conference table, looking over some charts. Jackson nearly falls out of his chair when the crash echoes around the room, even Nathan looked startled, even more so when he saw me.

"Isabella what-" but I'm not listening to him, I storm right in.

"Who the hell do you think you are you fucking asshole?" I snap, cutting him off and his eyes widen. I march right up to where he's sitting and slam the card down on the table in front of him. "What the fuck is this?"