Sleeping With The CEO
Chapter 99: Ending Near

Chapter 99: Ending Near

The week that began the end of the fake vacation time that Derek had set for Emily began like any other. The sun rise ( which he always got to see thanks to his sleeping problems) had come from the east that morning, just like it did every other morning. Proof that the rest of the world was carrying on, unbothered by what he saw as impending doom.

After getting ready for work and heading downstairs, he had found breakfast already made, and spread out. The table filled with more food than two people could ever hope to finish. But looking at the freshly baked bread, the fruit salads, the cereals and other assortments of food, Derek had not felt the need to sit down and eat, despite the fact that he had not eaten since the day before. He had wanted to just skip it altogether, his stomach twisted up in knots, but his mother had insisted that they eat together. And seeing that he had already stressed one important lady in his life to the point that she left him, he did not want to see what stressing his mother would do.

"We rarely get to see each other any more, just an hour will not hurt. You are the CEO, you can afford to be a few minutes late," So he had pulled up a chair and sat down. If someone had asked him what he exactly he had picked to eat from all of the food, Derek would not be able to say. He had just chosen something at random and taken tiny bites of it. All the while pretending to be interested as his mother talked. The moment his plate was empty, Derek had bid her farewell and been off.

He had gone to work, expecting to just get stuck in, but the day’d had something else in store for him.

A naked woman standing in the middle of his office.

Derek had not even bothered to come in or to yell, he had simply closed the door, and gone down to HR.

Then he had stayed there, scaring all of them into working extra hard while their boss got rid of the pest in his office.

"Emily is almost back, can you at least try to find people who are not trying to jump me first thing in the morning," He had asked Padma, too tired yell, or show any outward clues of how angry he was.

That had been his Monday in a nutshell. Topped off by a sleepless night where he stared up at the ceiling and tried to cheer himself up by thinking happy thoughts.

It had not worked.

He had woken up on Tuesday feeling more down than before. Knowing that at the end of the day, he would have just until Friday to hold on to hope that Emily would change her mind. That she would forgive his deception and come back.

But Tuesday had given way to Wednesday, and Emily had not been at her desk. Just another nameless PA sitting there like they belonged.

That day, Derek had not censored his mouth at all. Going off at his latest PA over littlest things. For most of the day, he had not even known what he was berating her for, but she had been an easy target.

"When other people use their ears for hearing yours are just there for what is left of your brain to leak out of,"

"Every time you say, ’yes, sir, I understand ’ I feel like you are just saying you understand how dumb you are,"

"When they were choosing the letters to spell stupid, I feel like they left your name out by mistake. Or maybe stupid is your middle name?"

"Did you ever tell your parents what an idiot you are? Are do they know and have just never told you, hoping that the stupidity would correct itself?’ His comments had been so acerbic that he was not even shocked when he had to dodge a vase thrown at his head. The young woman in question had promised to claw his eyes out as she was being carried out by security. Derek had kind of wished that she would, maybe without them his head would not hurt so bad, plus he would not have to walk into his office every morning and see that Emily was still not there.

But security had carried the raging redhead away, and Derek’s eye balls had remained firmly rooted in his skull. So when Thursday had come, he had walked in and once again been greeted by an Emily free building.

Now it was Friday, and Derek was watching the final minutes of the day go by. Thirty minutes, twenty minutes, ten minutes...and then he was down to the seconds, until finally it was time up, and in more than just one way.

Outside, people were no doubt packing up to go home, that was what the end of the day meant for them. But for Derek, it meant that come Monday, he would have to fess up and tell the truth.

Not only to human resources, but to himself as well.

Emily Molson was gone, and she was never coming back.

Derek stayed in his office until it was well past midnight. When he finally did leave, it was not to go to the manor. It was to go to the penthouse.

Emily’s coat was waiting for him there. Amongst all of the expensive clothes in his walk-in closet, the cheaper material of the coat stood out. But for Derek, it might as well have been a rare gem.

He handled it carefully, bringing it close and hugging it.

After he’d had it for a few days. He had meant to tell one of the staff to wash it and have it delivered to her, he had never gotten around to that. It smelled liked her, safe and warm, like spring.

He felt guilty, drawing comfort from her clothing after keeping her from getting other jobs. But in that moment he did not care how shameless that made him, he had a piece of Emily close, and that was enough.