Chapter 6

"So is this part of some little plan you've got going on? Are you trying to-to usurp my position because lately you've been doing a great job at questioning my authority."

We made our descent down to the 13th floor, one that was much longer than expected. Sebastian's gaze pierced through me like daggers every second that passed.

"I didn'-I don't want to usurp anything, Mr. Harrison, I just-Sarah gave me the document and deci-"

"You decided it would be alright to sign it without notifying me at all?" His voice grew louder from his previous statement.

"It said it needed a representative-"

"Again, you aren't the Board nor are you an Executive Officer!" He yelled.

An unfamiliar light poured in from our right side. The doors were wide open, leading to the Contracts department, where the Board was at today.

And frankly a huge meeting was just out of session.

Around ten people stared at us in awe as they received the last bit of Sebastian's rant.

He turned towards them and frowned "Take the next one." He spat, as the doors closed.

"So far, you've done a good job at pissing me off." He mumbled, rubbing his temples.

I scoffed "What-what have I done? All I have done is stood up for what I deemed was right, and you're having a fit over it. What do you want from me?"

"What I want," he yelled "is for you to do your job and to stop playing hero!"

Sales department. The doors opened, revealing Darcy and Sales Manager Donovan Howard standing right in front of us. Darcy glanced at both of us and blinked rapidly.

"Um, how about we talk in your office instead, Mr. Howard." Darcy said, as the elevator doors, again, met to a close.

Sebastian looked at me "This is a business, not some...hang out spot where you have a say so in everything. Thanks to you, we're behind in scheduling since I needed an extra pair of hands that were helping out Mr. Dravis instead."

The words came out of my mouth, it seemed, without my control "Who are you, Sebastian?" I said faintly.

Sebastian stayed silent.

"Who, who have you become? Why are you like this? I-I know why you're angry, and frankly I'm angry with myself too considering I...I was an idiot. But what do you want from me?"

"Can't you see? I'm what you've all made me." He replied, coldly. I stiffened at his tone.

He chuckled to himself "The funny thing is, I was judged and ridiculed for who I was, and I was pressured to change myself to fit your standards. I was hated and laughed at for doing what I wanted to do, and now that I'm a mirror image of him I'm hated even more. I-I think the question is what you want from me. Didn't you hate who I was before all this? Isn't this what you wanted?"

I shook my head "No, no! I never wanted this! I never hated who you we-"

He raised his hands in anger "Then why did you do this!? Why did you want to change me?"

I was silent.

"You took one for the team, right? You didn't want Harrison inc. to fall?"

"That's not the fucking point anymore!" I shouted. He looked at me, astonished.

"That isn't the point anymore, I don't care about that I care about you. You, you've changed into this completely different person!"

"Because that's what this was about!"

"No it wasn't!" I yelled, my voice trembling "It was not we were only supposed to make the public think you did so don't believe that I was the one who did this."

Before he could say anything else, I brought into topic something we both had been trying to ignore this entire time.

"I tried apologizing, Sebastian."

"Leslie, don't-"

"No, I did and all you did was push me away. I tried telling you I was sorry for being stupid and you didn't even want to hear it." My voice trembled more and more as I tried to keep my emotions buried to my best ability.

"You know it hurts to see you like this, it really does. I hate looking at you now because I know you aren't happy, I know for a fact you aren't. Did Garret tell you something that night after the address? What did he say?"

"Leslie, it doesn't even matter anymore-"

"Yes it does! It doesn't matter because I want you back, I don't want this version of you because it isn't you."

"Even if we tried, it wouldn't work out Leslie!" He hissed.

"There! That's it! Did Garret tell you that? He told you something I know he did. I pieced it all together and I know he brainwashed you into this." I was crying now. Damn, I hated crying, especially in front of people, and with it being Sebastian it didn't help.

"Leslie, you and I can't...besides you said yourself that you don't so it doesn't matter anymore because you and I just wouldn't work out!"

"Sebastian, he's lying! Can't you see he doesn't want you to be happy, all he cares about is the money."

He looked down at his shoes "I wouldn't be happy with you anyway." He mumbled.

I was frozen.

"I made a mistake. I thought I felt what I felt but in reality it wasn't it. You were right, I was going through a lot of emotions. When I thought about it...I-I couldn't understand why I would want someone like you."

"Sebastian..." I whispered.

"Two emotionally and mentally unstable people? It's ridiculous."

I clenched my fists in anger "I know what you're doing. You-you're trying to do everything you can to push me away, to break me. To make me hate you. It isn't going to work. I've gone through shit but you aren't going to make me leave this alone. I know you, not him. I refuse to let it die out like this. Garret messed with your head, Sebastian. He doesn't care!"

The elevator doors opened for the lobby. I looked at him with pain in my eyes "Here's your schedule. I spent...all weekend on it...for you." I pulled out the schedule from my bag and handed it to him. Once he took it, I exited the elevator and went into the garage; I was, for the third time ever at Harrison inc., taking a day off.

**

I laid in my bed the remainder of the day. The times I wasn't asleep I was watching Netflix, which didn't satisfy me; I still felt like I had been hit with a truck.

Every fiber of my being wanted to believe that Sebastian didn't mean any of those things. I wanted to believe that Garret talked him into believing that I didn't care, and that we wouldn't be right, because the thought of Sebastian thinking this himself pained me.

My phone was vibrating again, interrupting my thoughts. I had received an abundance of text messages but I didn't read them. I knew a portion of them were about what happened today, or something work related, and as it went now work was not my most favorable thing right now. Still, I picked up the phone reluctantly and looked a the screen.

Lucinda.

I answered "This is Leslie."

"Hey, Leslie. Um...how are you?"

I looked at the clock, 4:32 pm. I groaned.

"Did Mr. Harrison put you up to this? Considering the time it's your briefing period for the next portion of the day."

It was quiet for a moment "Well, not necessarily....actually yes, he did. But not for the reason you may think although I know it's on his mind considering he has been preoccupied."

A feeling of embarrassment washed over me "God, did he tell you what happened?"

Lucinda laughed "God, no. He never tells me anything. Though I know something did occur since he's been caught in a train of thought all day. Anyway, he wanted me to tell you on Wednesday, Anderson Corp. is meeting with Sebastian and his representatives to renew their contract terms, since Sebastian has different views than Garret did. He wants you there to record the new agreements so you could make a statement about the renewal."

I sighed "Sure, seems like I have no choice. Who will be there?"

"Um, Mr. Harrison and Mr. Anderson of course, Sarah Gonzales and I, too."

I smiled, knowing I would have Sarah there with me.

"As well as Mr. Harrison's and Mr. Anderson's lawyers, Mr. Epps and Mrs. Keeling to make sure nothing is forfeited or cheated on in the contract."

I wrote the information on a sticky note to put into my phone later "And this meeting will be..."

"They agreed on twenty minutes a day, every Wednesday for four weeks since they both have a tight schedule."

I nodded to myself "Alright. I'll be there."

**

The next day, Sebastian was luckily in Yorba Linda for some promotional lunch that I thankfully didn't have to go to. I told Sarah, while we both made copies in the copy room, what happened in the elevator.

"Holy shit." She said, not paying attention to the papers spilling passed the basket onto the floor. She cursed when I pointed it out.

"Yeah, know I cringe at the thought of being in the same room as him for twenty minutes, every Wednesday, for three weeks..."

"Don't worry," Sarah started, picking the papers up from off the floor, "Just sit next to me or Darcy and you'll be fine."

"I hope so, because right now I just feel so confused." I picked the copies up from the stand and exited the room, waiting for Sarah to follow.

"Just relax. All you got to do it take notes, avoid all eye contact, and you should be alright."

**

Wednesday morning, I met with Darcy in the usual spot. We entered the elevator and ascended to the Contracts department where the meeting was being held at, in meeting room 7-B.

"What should we expect in there? Do we just-"

"Take notes, easy stuff. It isn't some interview where we have to intercept when the wrong question is asked. In truth, we don't really have to do much since it isn't our responsibility. It's the lawyers responsibility to make sure that nothing is made void."

Darcy nodded "Ah, I understand."

When we reached the meeting room, we noticed the chairs all filled, except for two seats, ours.

"What time does the meeting start?" I asked, panicked.

Darcy checked her watch "Shit, it was supposed to start five minutes ago."

"Fuck." I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and opened the door cautiously. Everyone's heads turned in our direction, making me a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry we're-"

Suddenly, I felt my heart stop abruptly. It had felt like the feeling in my face had escaped, like my head was about to explode. Air was something my lungs couldn't seem to control properly as my breathing quickened at an abnormal pace.

Hudson stood up, his eyes wide in shock. Sebastian stood up with him.

"Ah, Leslie. I'm glad you finally made it. Leslie, this is my lawyer, Hudson Ashby."

"I-I...Leslie I-" Hudson stuttered.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

"He's Sebastian's representation." Lucinda said, with a feared expression on her face.

"You...you said it would be Mr. Epps-"

"-Mr. Epps had to fly to Miami for a trial he couldn't miss. I figured, Hudson having represented my father in court and won, would be the best candidate. Actually, I do believe you two do actually know each other...or am I mistaken?"

"Mr. Harrison, if you don't mind I would like to get this meeting started." Mr. Anderson, a fair man who looked to be in his late sixties, said.

"Of course. Leslie, Darcy." Sebastian pointed to the two empty seats, right across from Hudson. Darcy grabbed my arm and guided me to the seat, as I was unable to move by myself.

Seated, I noticed a familiar woman sitting next to Hudson. I gritted my teeth.

"Alejandra. Nice to see you at Mr. Ashby's side. Pity, you were such a great assistant." I said. She blushed viciously, most likely remembering me catching her and my ex together having sex in the bed I paid for.

"Alright, well I think I should start this meeting with the negotiation of changing 10 percent of the stock shares to 15 percent, as Mr. Anderson proposes." Mrs. Keeling said, sliding a document towards Sebastian. Hudson intercepted it with shaking hands, his dark brown hair tousled from running his fingers nervously through it.

I pulled out my notepad and slammed it on the table, bringing Sebastian's attention to me. He glared at me, but I ignored him; I was too enraged to look at him at the moment.

Sarah grabbed my wrist as I almost put my pen on the table. She took it from my fingers and gently placed it on the table herself.

"I don't, well with the past years the stocks...um, the five percent unaccounted for-"

"Get it together, man." Sarah said, staring Hudson down. He cleared his throat before resuming.

"With the decline in the stock between 2012 and 2013, the five percent unaccounted for would not make it equivalent to an equal amount. Therefore, Mr. Harrison proposes...he proposes..."

Hudson couldn't finish his sentence, as he was too fixated on my venomous glare.

"You know what, it's early, so why don't we take a coffee break and get back to this in ten minutes?" Mr. Anderson said. I didn't even wait for Sebastian's approval to leave. I picked up my things and stormed out of the conference room, speed walking down the hallway.

I was furious. So furious I couldn't get my thoughts to form together correctly. Sebastian knew exactly what he was doing, and I did too. He knew who Hudson was, knew what he did to me. He knew how evil and disgusting that man was and is. I felt like throwing up, punching a wall, something. Sebastian's smirk when I first saw Hudson, and when I saw Alejandra later on popped back into my head. He wanted to break me. He wanted me to hate him, to become more weak than I am. But no, I have had it. I have had it not only with him but with everyone else who thinks low of me. I refuse to be stepped on by this man and him immature antics. If he wanted to play this game, fine.

Two can play that game.