the next half hour. See you in an hour xx
Alexa: See you then xx
We’re having lunch together today. Well, I won’t be if I don’t get these files done for my boss, so I block out all distractions and spend the next twenty-five minutes finishing work on them. I drop them on his desk with one minute to spare.
“Thanks, Chelsea,” he says. “I appreciate this and I’m sorry if I was snappy earlier.”
I wave him off. “All good. Let me know if you need anything else.”
He nods and gets back to work.
I head to the bathroom and run into Brielle in there.
She’s applying lipstick as I enter and shoots me a filthy look in the mirror.
I tell myself to keep walking, and I do for a second, but then I stop. My nerves are shot today thanks to being on high alert this morning with Joe, and then dealing with all the things I’ve had to today while also trying to figure out how to keep my husband away from me tonight. At this point, I’m not above poisoning myself so I end up in hospital, far, far away from him.
I’m also done with Brielle’s bullshit.
“Are you a bitch to everyone or is it just me?” I ask.
She glares at me as she takes her time finishing applying her lipstick. With a smack of her lips, she turns to face me. “I don’t like you, Chelsea, and I don’t like the fact your surname opens doors for you. You’re no better than any of us, so you shouldn’t be treated better.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? I’m not treated any better than you or anyone else.”
“Yeah, you are. And that was before you married into the Hearst family. I mean, I’m surprised you even bothered coming back to work after your wedding. You have a gorgeous husband with millions in the bank. Why don’t you just do us all a favour and sit at home and let him take care of you?”
“Ah, because I’m not the kind of woman to rely on a man like that. And because I have goals and dreams in life that don’t revolve around a man.”
“Yeah, well you being here takes up a spot at the firm that someone else could have. Someone who really needs the job.”
I jab my chest, my anger rising. “I really need this job.”
“Until you start having babies, and then all this time you were here will have been a waste of time for someone else who had to wait for you to leave.” She leans closer. “Just fucking quit and spend your days shopping and sucking your husband’s dick. We’ll all be a hell of a lot happier.”
I slap her without thinking.
Her eyes widen as her hand moves to her cheek. “You did not just do that.”
My breathing has sped right up. I can’t think straight I’m so mad. “Yeah, I did just do that, and you deserved it. Don’t ever say anything like that to me again.”
“Or what? You’ll run to the higher-ups and let them kiss your ass for fear of upsetting your daddy or your husband?”
My chest rises and falls harshly as I stare at her. I’m stunned by everything she’s said. She’s even more poisonous than I thought. “I don’t know where you’re getting these ideas from, Brielle, but no one kisses my ass here because of who I’m related to.”
“You really have no idea, do you?” She shakes her head and looks at me like she pities me. “The Novak’s and Hearst’s of this world run it, which means women like you get a free pass all the way through. Anything you’ve achieved is because of the men in your life, honey, not because you’re any good at what you do. The sooner you understand that the better off we’ll all be.”
With that, she breezes out of the bathroom, leaving me feeling like I’ve just taken a beating. I’ve worked hard getting my degree and then this job, and I know the work I do at the firm is good, so I don’t believe her that my success is because of my connections. But it’s hard when someone like Brielle, a bully, gets in your ear. You start to question things you shouldn’t, and I know that as much as I’ll try not to, I’ll stew over every single word she’s said to me today. I’ll do my best not to buy into any of it, but the things bullies say always leave their mark