Sleeping With The CEO
Chapter 274: Thunderstorm

Chapter 274: Thunderstorm

Emily was late. That was the first clue Derek had that something was wrong. Emily was rarely ever late. For her to not show up on Thursday night, and then to follow it up by being late for work.

Something was definitely very wrong. But she was still not answering her phone, so Derek had no idea what it could be.

Had she fallen ill? Had something happened to her mother? Or maybe she had been robbed and that was why she was not replying to anything. Did that mean that he had to call the police?

Or maybe phone in to different hospitals to see if she had been admitted.

Derek was just seriously beginning to consider calling the authorities when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," He said, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper so that he at least looked like he had been doing something that had to do with work. Had Emily been there, she would have given him an admonishing look for trying to fake being busy. But since she was not, Derek got away with it. When the door did open, it was to reveal the head of human resources, Padma. Now that was not out of the ordinary in the least. As the head of HR, Padma was often in and out of Derek’s office, the two of them discussing various things when it came to the employees.

Seeing her, should not have made Derek feel on edge. But there was something about the way that she was looking at him that made Derek grip the pen that he was holding tighter.

"Is our meeting not scheduled for Monday morning or did I mix up the dates?" Derek asked, keeping his tone light despite how uneasy he suddenly felt. "Emily is not in right now and she’s usually the one who schedules such things. Apologies if I have forgotten," Derek said. Either way it did not matter.

He had already prepared in advance for the meeting. Whatever it was that needed to be talked about. He could handle it with ease. But as it turned out, Padma was not there for a meeting.

"Derek, this is not about a meeting. This is about your personal assistant,"

Padma said those words and Derek’s world instantly shifted. For a moment everything seemed to freeze, and then it restarted again, but time was moving slowly.

The head of HR’s words, and her actions, taking a while to register with Derek.

"She handed in her resignation letter this morning. I wanted you to be the first to know since she let me know that she had not informed you of her decision," The words reached Derek with the speed of hardening caramel, and it took him far too long to understand them. It was simple English. But somehow it did not make sense.

Emily, had quit.

That was what Padma was telling him, except that was impossible. Emily could not have quit. Derek had seen her the day before, and she had been absolutely fine. Plus the last time that she had attempted to leave, she had said goodbye to Derek first. Making sure he knew of her intent to leave, before everyone else.

And that had been before they had become a couple. They were an item now. Emily would not just abandon him without giving him a reason. Were they still a couple though? Still staring at Padma, his face made of stone, Derek felt a sound making its way up his throat, and he clenched his teeth tight.

Killing it before it could make it past his lips. Where the sound to escape, he was certain that it would be the keening of a dying animal.

So Derek sat there in silence and suffocated it. Feeling it claw and thrash in his throat. Trying to get out, but his teeth remained clenched. His whole body frozen until the sound just gave up, dying before it could ever be voiced.

"Are you alright?" Padma’s voice had him focusing on her again. She was looking at him with wide eyes. Her worry written plainly across her face.

"Apologies. I got lost in thought for a few seconds. Where were we? Ah, yes..." He leaned back in his seat, pretending to think.

"My personal assistant’s resignation. I assume that you are here to discuss a way forward," The words fell from his lips, as cold as ice cubes. It made his teeth hurt to even utter them. But Derek breathed each one with the nonchalance of someone who did not care. Padma startled at the cold tone, but then she shook her head and began listing out options. "For now we will resume as we were the last time when she was on leave. The other personal assistants will share her workload. But this time, we will not be looking for a temporary replacement for her, but rather a permanent one." His head feeling as though it may fall off his shoulders, Derek nodded at her.

"Will that be all?" There was a long drawn out silence.

"Then you are excused," Derek said when Padma did not reply.

The woman stood, and made her way to the door. She paused once, turning back to give him a worried look. But Derek merely stared back at her, his face impassive. She left without a word, leaving Derek alone in his office.

After she was gone, Derek got up, and walked across the room with slow, steady steps. He locked the door, closed the blinds, and switched off the lights. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, he moved to his desk and rather than sitting on his chair. Derek got on his knees and crawled under the table.

It felt as though a bomb had dropped and he was looking for shelter. Emily had not come to the penthouse on Thursday night. Emily was not answering his calls. Emily had quit her job without telling him. All of that pointed to one thing, and one thing only.

Their relationship was over.

Emily was dumping him. Arms around his knees, Derek squeezed hard. His breathing no longer the mechanical in and out, rhythm that he had maintained throughout his meeting with Padma.

Instead, it devolved into ragged gasps that then became full-blown sobs. His stone-cold mask cracking and falling away, leaving behind nothing but a scared, terrified and heartbroken man. Crying under his desk like a five-year-old hiding from a thunderstorm. And once the tears came, they did not stop.

Unbeknownst to him, out in the world there was a newspaper circulating, both online and offline. Haven Heir Engaged, it read. Three words, and they had ruined his life.