5

It had been a week since they operated on my little Adrien. Since that night, I started sleeping poorly.

Every time Adri fell ill, I would relive that terrible episode of my life, the one I thought I had forgotten when I started dating Oscar, but I always realized it wasn't the case.

I couldn't sleep due to the nightmares I had. Joshua and Madeleine had found out about my sleep problems.

With this issue, I could hardly get any sleep, and Joshua advised me to stay home until it was over and I had managed to sleep well. However, I refused.

Even so, Joshua ordered me to do so.

...

One morning, I returned to Verlag Company to continue my work. I was tired, but I didn't mind.

As long as my son was okay, I didn't mind feeling exhausted.

I sat at my new desk and immediately started working. I had a lot of backlog since I had been taking care of my little one.

That morning, I had to accompany Mr. Schmidt to several meetings, and just thinking about it was draining me.

I pushed my chair back, placed my belongings on the backrest, and pulled out my phone. Even though my son had gone back to school, I couldn't help but worry about him.

I unlocked the phone and stared at the photo I had as a screensaver. I shook my head and got to work, organizing Mr. Schmidt's schedule and setting up the meeting room for the 9:30 AM meeting.

Now that I thought about it, when I was in Boston working, right when I became a secretary, another man claimed to be the owner of the company... and if I remembered correctly, he was also German.

I looked up from the papers as I heard the elevator doors open. Joshua entered with Madeleine.

I smiled at my friends, but that smile faded when I noticed Stefan appearing behind them.

I went back to my tasks to avoid looking at that man.

"Good morning, Miss West," a male voice greeted me. "It's good to see you back here."

I raised my head, pressing my lips together to prevent myself from blurting out something rude. I needed the job, so I stood up from my chair, gave a slight nod, and decided to say:

"Good morning, Mr. Schmidt."

"Is everything ready?" he asked, his hands in his pockets.

"Not yet, sir. I just got here, so to speak. Besides, it's not yet 9:30, sir."

We stared at each other as if challenging each other.

***

Stefan

In that instant, I gazed at her slender figure and noticed her slender build.

She had nice curves and a well-proportioned body, but she wasn't overly voluptuous. Her chestnut hair reached chest level, it was also straight and poorly cut.

It was clear that she had cut it herself.

Her eyes were an alluring shade of sky blue. She had an oval face with serene features. A slightly upturned nose and light pink thin lips, which I had never seen painted.

She had slender arms, which ended in delicate hands. There was a butterfly tattoo on her right wrist.

Her legs, much like her arms, were slender.

"Stop staring at me," she demanded abruptly.

"Why?"

"Because I hate being looked at the way you're doing," she replied curtly.

"And according to you... how am I looking at you?" I asked, showing a hint of flirtation.

"Don't tempt me, Mr. Schmidt. Stop staring at me and go get ready for the meeting. This time I won't cover for you like I always have since you arrived," I confronted him.

"I have to get used to the Spanish system. In Munich, secretaries are more amicable," he leaned his face closer to mine.

"Well, we're not pushovers here, and if you continue like this I won't hold back and I won't care that you're my boss," I warned, gruffly.

He let out a half-smile as he moved away from me and walked past without changing his stance.

Feeling utterly irritated, I sat down abruptly, and as he closed the door, I struck the table, exhaling through my mouth and nose.

Madeleine and Joshua looked at me with a smile and chuckled a bit at their friend's attitude. They exchanged a look and bid each other farewell with a kiss on the lips.

***

Joshua

Madeleine winked at me as she headed to her workstation. I gazed at the woman I loved and then glanced at the brunette girl.

"Oscar will return, Katia. You mustn't doubt that for a moment," I thought before entering my office.

I knew she needed to see him and understand the reason why he left, but I couldn't help him with that.

I reached for my phone in my pocket and dialed a phone number. After a few seconds, someone answered the call.

"Tell me, Joshua," came the voice on the other end of the line.

"You should come back, Oscar. I told you that..."

"I can't come back just yet. I don't want her to suffer because of me."

"She's already suffering," he closed the door behind him as he entered the office. "Or at the very least you should call her and tell her the truth. Because if you don't, I will."

"No! You promised me you wouldn't tell her, that you'd take care of Adrien and her. Katia has already suffered enough."

"But..." I began to say.

"Joshua, please. I asked you this three years ago, and the treatment still hasn't finished. I don't think the doctors will let me leave for at least three months. Until then, take care of them."

"That's what I'll do, but I'll tell you something. Katia is going through a tough time, and raising Adri isn't easy. He's constantly getting sick. She needs you to come back," I sensed the person on the other end sighed. "Can't you get treated here?"

"I wish I could, but there's no treatment there. That's why I have to wait until it's finished," there was silence for several minutes. "If I haven't returned in three months, tell her."

"Alright," I sat in my chair. "Goodbye, Oscar."

I sighed, leaning back. I wanted to keep the secret from my friend, but I couldn't bear to see her sad because of him.

I stood up from my seat and walked over to the glass window, observing the young brunette. I closed my eyes, shaking my head, and returned to my place.

I ran my hands through my hair, messing it up. I didn't like being in the middle of anything, and the fact that I was, didn't sit well with me.

She stayed in my office until the time of the meeting. Upon leaving, I encountered Katia, who had just finished preparing the room where the meeting would take place. She looked at me and offered a smile.

I felt sorry for her, but I couldn't disappoint my friend.

I approached, but she stopped when she saw her boss coming out of his office. All the department heads were heading towards the room, smiling and joking among themselves.

In the room, there was a large oval table with several chairs. Each seat had a folder and a glass of water. Everyone took their places, and Stefan took his seat at the head of the table.

Beside him, on the left side, Katia sat, despite her unease.

I sat down beside her and gave her a nod to reassure her. Without further ado, the meeting began.

Katia remained very attentive to what was being presented. As she had always done, she took notes on what was being discussed.

From time to time, she tapped her pen on the notepad and sighed. She hated being in those kinds of meetings where only numbers were discussed.

***

Katia's POV

Suddenly, my cellphone began to vibrate, causing the gazes of Stefan and Joshua to fixate on the phone.

I stood up and answered the call, stepping out of the room.

Unintentionally, I had left the door partially open, and the men and women in the room could hear snippets of the conversation I was having.

A few minutes later, I reentered the room, approached Joshua, and announced:

"I have to go."

"What happened?" the dark-skinned man asked me.

"Adri. He's vomiting, and the doctor told me to bring him if he vomits again."

"Alright, go. Don't worry," Joshua said with a smile.

I smiled back, thanking him for letting me leave, and stood up.

I apologized for interrupting the meeting and gathered my things. As I placed a hand on the handle of the glass door I heard a chair being pushed back. Then a voice said:

"If you walk out that door, you're fired."

"Sir, you can't..." Joshua began to say, stepping in to help me.

"I have every right to fire people who aren't serious about their work," Stefan spoke sternly. "If you walk out that door, don't even think about coming back, because you'll be fired."

Annoyed with that man, I clenched my hand on the glass door handle. I took a deep breath to avoid responding rudely, but that man was pushing my buttons.

With a serious expression, I turned around and told him in German:

"To be honest, I'm not concerned about my job. The only thing that matters to me right now is my son, and if you fire me, fine! Then I won't have to see your face again. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a son who needs me by his side."

And I walked out of the room with my chin held high.