Sleeping With The CEO
Chapter 276: General

Chapter 276: General

Derek had spent Thursday night wandering the streets alone. Looking like a ghost who had been wronged in life, and had come back to haunt those who had hurt him. He remembered very little about Friday, and it mostly had to do with the darkness of his office, and that hiding under his desk had felt like the best idea ever. Like with that bit of wood between him and the rest of the world, the fire that was burning away at his life would not reach him. He had avoided human contact, that entire day. Be it directly, or through his phone.

But now it was Saturday morning and Derek was wide awake.

Which was not a difficult thing to achieve, especially for him, since he’d never gone to sleep in the first place.

Normally, during his sleepless nights, Derek would try to do something active, which was mostly him swimming laps in the pool.

But he had actually spent Friday night in bed, staring at the embroidery piece that Emily had told him represented the two of them, her coat in his arms. He had even been on what had become her side of the bed.

Derek had been surrounded by Emily’s scent and holding her things, but it had not been enough. He had wanted the real thing...he had wanted Emily by his side. That had not happened.

Instead, the hours had dragged on, and he had been as alone as he had been in the previous nights. No Emily to take away the loneliness. Her gentle presence not there to help him sleep.

If he’d wanted, Derek could have stayed in bed all of Saturday morning. But the moment that the first rays of sun had reached him. He had forced himself to get up, to shower, and get dressed. For you see, Derek was a different man now. The last time that Emily had left. He had been just her boss, and Emily had been just his personal assistant.

They’d had a good professional relationship, but that was all that it had been. Just a professional relationship, no romantic feelings involved. But now things were different. Emily was not just a PA who had quit her job. She was his girlfriend who had left without a word

He could not just let things go like that. Derek the boss, would have cut his losses. Enduring the pain but still moving on with his life. But this was Derek the boyfriend. Emily was the love of his life. He could not just let her go without at least knowing, exactly what it was that had caused her to leave.

Had he come on too strong? Or had he been too cold. Too unclear with his intentions towards her? Was that why she had left? He had to know. And so after getting ready, Derek picked a car, and drove to Emily’s apartment building.

Once there it was easy enough to figure out not only the floor but also the apartment number. All that he’d had to do was mention that he was Emily’s boss to a passing old lady, and he had been given very detailed directions.

Unable to bear just standing still in the elevator, Derek took the stairs two at a time until he finally made it to Emily’s place.

Once at the door, there was no stalling, no hesitation in him. He simply raised his hand and knocked. At first there was no reply, so he decided to call out, "Emily! Emily!" The sound of his voice combined with the force of his knocks, finally got him results. There was movement behind the door, and Derek stopped knocking. Sure enough, a few seconds later, it opened and a face peered out.

Derek had never met nor seen Emily’s mother before, but just one look at her, and he knew exactly who she was. As he and Emily’s relationship had progressed. Derek had sometimes let his mind wander, allowing himself to imagine what things would look like for them in the future. And in those wanderings, he had often imagined his first meeting with Emily’s mother.

In all of his imaginings, he had never once thought that he would be at her apartment trying to figure out why Mrs Molson’s daughter had ghosted him.

For a few awkward seconds, Derek stared at her and she stared back.

Then he cleared his throat, remembering that as the visitor it was his job to state why he was there.

"Hello Mrs Molson. My name is Derek Haven and I am..." He paused at that. What should he even say? I am your daughter’s boss? Your daughter’s ex-boss? Or your daughter’s boyfriend?...

Did he still count as that? In the time it took for him to try and decide, Emily’s mother seemed to get over her own surprise and she stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"I know who you are, Derek Haven," She said, her tone was not at all welcoming.

The woman’s eyes narrowed, the open hostility making Derek want to shrink in on himself. "You, up until recently, were my daughter’s boss and also her boyfriend," The use of the past tense, when it came to the roles that Derek held in Emily’s life had something deep in his heart cracking.

He wanted to fall to his knees then and there, but he remained standing.

Looking Emily’s mother in the eyes, Derek tried to convey how sincere he was being. "Mrs Molson, I just need to talk to Emily for a few minutes to find out what is going on. I am so confused. I..."

Emily’s mother held up her hand and Derek instantly quieted.

He had never done that before for anyone. He was Derek Haven. He ordered people around. No one did the same to him except for maybe his mother. "Mr Haven, I’m going to say this once and you are going to listen," The old woman’s voice was low, but it held all the fury of a thunderstorm.

If an angry Emily was staff sergeant Emily. Then her mother’s rage was more akin to that of a general at war. This was definitely where Emily had gotten her temper from.

"I do not care what you and my daughter had, but it is over," Mrs Molson, stepped into his personal space, and Derek actually took a step back.

"She does not want to see you. Stay away from her, Mr Haven. By profession, I am a caregiver. Nothing at all like your fancy job up in the skyscrapers. But if you keep coming around here when my daughter does not want to see you, I can make sure that you live the rest of your life needing a caregiver. Do you understand me?" She barely made it up to Derek’s chest, but the threat landed.

"Leave and never come back. My daughter wants nothing to do with you," He could have stayed and argued, fought some more.

But those words just took the wind right out of his sails. Emily wanted nothing to do with him. Eyes on the floor, his head suddenly heavy, Derek walked out of the apartment building, feeling more defeated than when he had walked in.