Chapter 5 : Stalked

"What the f*ck!?"

I jumped out of my office chair and ran into the hallway.

The woman stopped walking and smirked at me. Obviously, she knew exactly who I was.

"What are you doing here!?" I snapped.

"This is a free country, last I checked," the blonde said, tossing her hair back.

"Is Aaron having you follow me? Well, you can tell him that I'm not playing his stupid games anymore!" I put my hands on my hips, glaring at her.

She shrugged indifferently. "I don't even know who you are."

"Right, and you didn't f*ck my fiance?" I snarled.

Nearby office doors started opening and people poked their heads out.

As if my outfit hadn't made enough of a first impression…

The woman laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, that was you? I should have suspected, given your cheap taste." She nodded to my yellow sweater.

My blood boiled under my skin, and I wanted to grab her and ring her neck.

Not only had she been in my house with my fiance, but now she was walking around my work place like she owned the d*mn building.

"Tell Aaron that we are done. I don't need his little wh*re stalking me and getting into my business!" I cried, my voice rising.

More office doors opened. People came down the hall to see what the big deal was.

The woman sighed exaggeratedly. "You poor, poor thing. You can hate me all you want. But I think you're really mad at Aaron–and yourself."

"Maybe I was until you showed up here." I deepened my glare and crossed my arms. It was even more infuriating that she was unaffected by her actions. No guilt, no remorse. She hadn't apologized, asked if I was okay, told me she hadn't known Aaron was engaged. She didn't say anything that a woman caught in that situation should.

"How self-centered do you have to be to think that I give a sh*t about you?" she asked, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow at me.

"I don't know. You're the one that is here at my workplace, walking toward my office," I hissed, pointing to the glass door behind me.

The blonde woman laughed wickedly. She gave me a smirk, the kind that said she was the queen b*tch and everyone knew it.

"Unless I'm mistaken, you're not the only person who has an office here," she said.

She looked over her shoulder at the gathered employees. Most of them were men.

I caught the way she winked and waved at them.

Most of them smiled goofily back at her.

Rolling my eyes, I tilted my head back to the ceiling. As if my life needed any more complications.

"What other reason could you possibly have for being here? I haven't responded to Aaron's calls or texts. This must be his way of checking up on me."

I threw my arms out to the sides. Whatever games Aaron was playing, I wasn't amused. He had brought this harlot into our home.

Now, he'd sent her to my work place!

Was he trying to infect every inch of my life with his toxicity?

"You know, I'm starting to see why Aaron wasn't satisfied with you. Were you this much of a b*tch to him?" the woman asked, sneering at me.

My jaw dropped, and I stared at her. "You're calling me a b*tch? You slept with my fiance, and now you're creeping around my work. And I'm the b*tch?"

"Like I said. I don't even know who you are. I'm Fiona Carter, and I'm here to see my brother." She nodded towar Luke's office.

Heat crept up my neck and into my cheeks. My hands shook, and I clenched them into fists. I wasn't sure if I was embarrassed or furious.

"Maybe you know him? I believe he is your boss," Fiona added with a cruel laugh.

I backed away from her, curling my arms around my stomach. My vision blurred.

This couldn't be happening. How was this my life?

The job was the one thing I had left. It was the only thing I had going for me in this city. If I was going to walk away, ti was going to be on my terms and no one elses.

Yet, somehow, Aaron had ruined that, too.

Sure, I'd been considering leaving because of Luke, but there was a chance I would have been able to get past that.

I couldn't get past this!

Part of me wondered if Aaron knew the connection between Fiona and my job. Maybe that was how they met.

Fiona laughed, pulling me from my thoughts. She stepped around me and headed to Luke's office.

I kept staring at the floor.

From the moment I'd set foot in that house, nothing had been what I'd expected. One thing after another had gone wrong. I was trapped in an endless nightmare.

"Catherine?" Hannah's voice called to me.

I looked up.

Hannah was rushing down the hallway toward me. She had a large portfolio under her arm.

I noticed that the people that had been watching me argue with Fiona were slowly going back to their offices.

"Catherine, is something wrong?" Hannah asked.

"Yes. Something is very, very wrong," I hissed.

"What is it?" Hannah's eyes softened. She set the portfolio down, leaning it against my office wall. She put her hands on my shoulders.

"I've got to get out of here. This… this isn't going to work."I shook my head and broke away from Hannah, rushing back into my office to grab my purse off of my desk. "I'm sorry."

"Catherine, what's going on? I can help. I'm HR, that's what I do," Hannah said, smiling warmly. "Do you need a bigger office? Maybe something with a western view?"

"No!" I held a hand up to her. "No, I've just got to go."

I turned and hurried away from Hannah. She'd just keep trying to convince me to stay. I couldn't. Not after all of this.

Picking up my pace, I ran toward the elevator. Tears filled my eyes.

I should have left when I had the chance! Before I'd learned just how messed up this all was.

Sniffling, I kept my tears back as much as possible. I didn't want these people to see me cry. They already throught I was some kind of loser.

Holding my head high, I met the eyes of everyone that stared at me as I passed. As crazy as everything had been, I could be professional.

I had to be. Otherwise, I'd never get another job again.

My calves burned as I hurried to the elevator. The doors slid open as I approached.

A stroke of luck!

When the doors opened, my heart sank.

Luke strolled off the elevator, whistling.

"Hey-"

"Ack!" I bumped into his shoulder, moving too fast to stop.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked.

I ignored him, rushing into the safety of the elevator.

"Hey, Cat…"

Ignoring Luke, I slammed the "door close" button. I hit it again and again until the elevator doors started closing with a ding.

As the doors were closing, I glanced up. I met Luke's beautiful, deep eyes, and they were the last thing I saw before the doors touched, making the entire office disappear.

I sighed. My body sagged, and I leaned against the mirrored wall. I closed my eyes so I didn't have to see my own reflection.

Tears wet my cheeks.

The elevator let me off in the lobby, and I ran all the way through it. I almost collided with a well-dressed couple that were gushing over some art museum exhibit.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" the man shouted.

"Ugh! What a hooligan," the woman said.

"It seems they let anyone stay here."

"Perhaps we should find another hotel. One that doesn't let street people in."

I ignored their remarks. It was just another sign that I didn't belong here. This wasn't my world.

As much as I was at odds with my mom, life with her was safe. I knew where I belonged, and I could rebuild far away from all of this craziness.

When I got to my hotel room, I threw my suitcases on the bed and started stuffing my clothes in them. There was no time to pack neatly.

I couldn't stand to stay in this place any longer. For one night, it had seemed like I could forget my troubles. I'd taken comfort in Luke's arms, and that had just made everything worse.

Tears kept leaking from the corners of my eyes as I packed. "This place is horrible… my life is horrible… everyone betrayed me… I can't stay here…"

Words tumbled from my mouth, but I was even sure I understood them or that they made sense.

My furious packing stopped abruptly when there was a knock on my hotel room door.

"Wh-who's th-there?" I asked. My voice cracked. I groaned and swallowed, trying to clear my throat. "Who's there?" I tried again.

"It's Luke."

I froze, my hands gripping the soft, cotton fabric of the shirt I was holding.

My stomach fluttered and my heart thudded heavily in my chest.

Slowly, I dropped the shirt and went over to the door. Blood rushed in my ears as I lifted myself on tip toes and looked through the peephole.

I was half expecting to see Luke with a team of hotel security behind him. I'd caused enough of a scene. It wouldn't surprise me that they were going to throw me out.

He was alone. His face was serious, eyes diverted so I couldn't get a read on his mood.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice trembling. Quickly, I grabbed the door chain and slid it into place.

Luke owned the hotel. He could probably ask the front desk for a key to any room, and they'd give it to him.

"I just want to talk, Cat. Can I come in?" he asked.

I pressed my forehead to the door and closed my eyes, one hand on the chain and the other on the doorknob. There was a part of me that wanted to let him in. I wanted to be comforted by him again.

Seeing as I'd just yelled at his sister and disrupted his office, he probably wasn't here for my benefit.

"Cat, please. We should… we should discuss what happened," he said, his voice was professional and smooth. He didn't sound upset or anything, but he didn't sound particularly friendly.

His open-ended offer of "discussing what happened" could refer to me freaking out or the night we spent together. Neither was at the top of my list to talk about.

Even though I was leaving, he was probably just there to fire me. I didn't think my heart could take any more…

I chewed my lower lip and gently thudded my forehead against the door. If I let him in, my day could get a whole lot worse.

Brothers could be very protective of their sisters, regardless of what they'd done.

My fingers trembled on the chain.