Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 38

My world had changed. My entire life had been turned upside down for what felt like the hundredth time. Everything that I thought I knew had been shaken and tossed about, unsettling me so deeply. I knew that I could never go back to being the same person again. But, for the most part the world had ignored my change. Despite the fact that I felt like everything was out of place everyone else progressed like nothing had happened. My life had been altered, but theirs hadn't and the only people who my disaster had affected were highly trained to handle the stress. So, for the most part, I was trying to handle a crisis while everything else continued on with extreme normalcy.

But not here.

After Hope announced my arrival so boldly more of my employees came forth to gawk at me. No one said anything for a long time; I just watched them watch me. I saw some of them whisper soft words to each other as their lurking eyes trailed over my rumpled form. Though most of them were silent I could sense that Emma's warning had not been a lie. My employees had heard the rumors and undoubtedly started their own. God only knows what they thought of me now.

"I wasn't aware that you would be in today." Hope said, moving towards me. And for the second time since I had hired her I saw that she was frazzled. "I didn't schedule any appointments or meetings. I'm sorry if you sent me a message, I've been away from my desk for-"

"I didn't send you anything. You're right, I'm sorry. I should've told you that I was coming. Unfortunately, it was more of a spur of the moment decision than a premeditated one. With the situation at hand it's hard to plan much of anything."

Hope seemed even more startled by that which I understood. Never in my life had I been spontaneous. Everything was carefully planned and documented; it had to be if I wanted to continue down the path of success. If I truly had ill parents in Alberta I would've been emailing her daily, updating her frequently and having her fill me in as well. There might've been days where I couldn't make time to speak with her, but it certainly wouldn't span into months on end. It would've been impossible for me to leave my company in such a way for anything less dire than what had actually occurred.

"I'm not here to work today. I just wanted to touch base after my abrupt departure. I don't think I will be formally back in office for at least another few days, but I will be milling around." I stated, speaking to Hope but knowing that everyone else was dying for bits and pieces of more information.

"Of course." Hope muttered.

With that I progressed away from the hoard of people who had formed a semi-circle around me, hoping they would go back to their offices and crucibles. I no longer wanted to be a spectacle, I wanted to respect I deserved but I knew it would take time to rebuild.

I walked slowly, surveying the office around me as I went. Though everything seemed fine physically I knew that the smallest differences could have a huge impact. With no obvious leader I worried that some of my employees had gone astray. After being gone for so long I had plenty of catching up to do and I supposed it was a good start to reintroduce my presence into the office again.

When I walked past the creativity rooms I heard soft footfalls behind me. I knew it was Hope by the length and heaviness of her steps, but I didn't acknowledge her right away. I had too much on my mind. For now, I was just thankful that my creativity rooms hadn't been dismantled in my absence. Though I thought the freedom of the mind aided in formulating savvy business plans and revolutionary new products many people thought it was strange and childish. I was certain that if someone else had taken over the creativity rooms would've been abolished and shamed. Knowing that the fundamentals were still in place made me relax ever so slightly.

I moved on, walking down my hallways. My workers were all buzzing away until one of them would catch a glimpse of me. And once one pair of eye locked on to me another would follow, and another, until the whole room was ogling at me. It was blatant and rude. After years of treating all of them with the utmost respect and receiving it in return this was quite a shock. I tried to tell myself that it was my frumpy clothing that made them stare but I knew that was not the case. If anything Alistair's sweatshirt gave me a sense of comfort while I wondered about the kinds of rumors that could've started while I was gone and how many people believed the truth that had started with my neighbor witnessing my arrest.

Finally, I made it away from the prying eyes and ended up at my office.

It almost felt wrong to enter my space. I felt like I had been gone for so long that I didn't deserve to reclaim the chair behind the expensive desk and bask in the beautiful views. While I had been frolicking around in Paris and Slovakia everyone else had continued to work tirelessly. I had abandoned my work selfishly and now my office was filled with people who no longer trusted me or thought less of me all-round.

But I was being watched. I had to at least pretend that I was holding my own, that I didn't feel like a fraud. With Hope still standing awkwardly in the doorway I moved to my desk and lowered myself into the plush chair.

"Is everything alright, Hope?" I asked as I started up my computer.

Her hesitation was clear. The efficient ice queen that I had employed all those months ago opened and closed her mouth repeatedly before finally whispering, "How are your parents?"

"You know that I didn't go see my parents." I stated bravely.

I wasn't a fool and neither was she. Still, her cheeks flamed red and her head ducked down as she took an anxious step back.

"I can't tell you what happened and I won't be able to for a long time." I confessed, "But I won't leave you or my team like that ever again. It wasn't a choice; it was an act of survival."

The words made me feel raw, but surprisingly in control for once.

"I understand." Hope breathed.

I deeply doubted it, but I let her leave without another word.

I thought I would have piles of work to come back to. Instead, I had a small stack of papers that merely required my signature or validation before they were sent out. I wasn't sure if it was Sophie who had kept all the work at bay or Hope who had done the guarding of my desk, but I was grateful either way. When this was all over I would thank both of them profusely. I flipped through the documents easily, finding the flow of my work rather quickly. In fact, I felt like I had missed it. I missed the routine and the expectedness. I enjoyed looking at my documents and knowing who they needed to go to, who would best handle my questions. This was what I knew. This is what I had built.

Before I even realized it three hours had passed and I was starting to feel exhausted. The somewhat emotional ride that today had been had taken a lot out of me. I wanted to go home, wanted to lay my head down and rest for a while, regroup. I needed to construct a plan that would allow me to get the trust of my co-workers back. And I needed to do a healthy load of laundry. Today had been an exception but I was still the face of this company which meant no sporty clothing in office.

I reached for the phone, ready to call Stanley. But then I paused. Stanley may have moved on. He had been my driver for a long time, but his employer had suddenly left, abandoning him and leaving him without any pay. It would only make sense that he had progressed. And what right did I have demanding his service after seemingly ignoring him for so long?

But my hesitation was cut short when the phone rang beneath my hand.

"Celeste Davidson." I blurted automatically, bringing the receiver to my ear.

"Old habits die hard, don't they?" a masculine voice murmured.

It was a voice I knew so well. Too well.

Sickly sweet and so smooth.

It made my heart stop.

This wasn't possible.

"Josh?" I whimpered.

"You haven't been good, pet. Now you have to face your consequences."