Chapter 41

Renee’s POV

With the passing of time work weeks to be back to normal. Yesterday, Dan accidentally sent out a company-wide email bashing another colleague when he meant to only send it to one person so that seems to have taken the spotlight of conversation. At least for a little bit.

People still eye me suspiciously, but at least no one is snickering anymore. I still haven’t heard from Eric since our last conversation in his office. I’m not sure there’s much else to say- though that hasn’t stopped him from unnecessarily meddling in my life anyway.

I guess he wants to appease Mia. Besides the distance from him over these few days have given me some time to process all that I’ve learned about him.

He and Jasper are half-brothers, and Eric believes his father killed his mother. Eric is also only with Mia because Mia’s mother saved his life and reputation.

I’m starting to wonder if I knew the man I married at all.

I wonder how much Mia knows, my guess is not very much. She’s another person I haven’t seen much of lately, but Debbie came home crying the other day because Niko didn’t want to play with her anymore so the effects of Mia are still present even if she’s not.

My phone lights up. It’s a text from Jasper. It reads:

‘Still thinking about how you said “Next time,” how’s tomorrow night?”

My heart flutters and my thumbs are quick to swipe over my phone.

‘I don’t think amusement parks run in the winter,” I hit send. Jasper replies instantly.

“A movie then?” I cover my smile with my hand. He’s persistent I’ll give him that.

I like Jasper. I mean what’s not to like? He’s sweet, honest, handsome. Yet I just have this pulling feeling in my heart everything I think about is being together.

Emily says I’m punishing myself for no reason and I should just make it official with Jasper. It’s just that when I think about kissing him it’s Eric’s face that I see. And I hate that.

“Okay,” A voice cuts into the room as the door shuts. I put my phone in my pocket and focus on today's meeting. Design proposals for the winter line. “Let’s get started,”

At some point during my texting with Jasper, the board room filled up with my co-workers, MIA being one of them. She sits across from me, disdain apparent on her face beneath her red lipstick and thick eyelashes.

The leader of this upcoming winter line is Elisa, she walks around the room peering over everyone’s shoulders and down at their design.

Though we are co-workers and she has no firing or hiring power, I find myself sweating as she nears my seat. She’s an intimidating woman.

High cheekbones, broad shoulders, icy blue eyes.

“Good,” she says to one designer and then tries over to the next, her arms crossed behind her lower back. “This is garbage,” she says just as coolly as the last design. She moves on. “Horrible color choice, but the concept is there,”

Mia is next. She sits back in her chair, but she isn’t looking at Elisa, she’s looking right at me with a sly smile.

Mia and I haven’t spoken since she called me a whore, I took that as an understanding that whatever little truce we had is over. I didn’t think much about it until now. Mia is definitely up to something.

“This is genius,” Elisa says standing over Mia’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” Mia says keeping her eyes trained on me. I try to stretch my neck to see her design but Mia closes her folder.

Elisa crosses to my side of the table, she looks down at my folder and doesn’t say anything for a minute. I look up at her and her face is twisted into a look of confusion and annoyance. I shudder. Oh no. She hates it.

“Is this some kind of joke?” She asks, but I think it’s supposed to be rhetorical. Besides, my design is definitely not a joke. I’ve spent twelve hours creating it. I wouldn’t do that for a joke. Elisa keeps looking over me. Apparently waiting for a response.

“No,” I tell her quietly. The room becomes hot.

“Why do you and Mia have the same design?” Elisa asks and it’s not what I’m expecting. I whip my head at Mia. I swear I see her smile widen just before falling and she gasps.

“What do you mean the same?” Mia asks frantically rising in her seat.

I suddenly feel small so I try to stand also but my legs are shaking.

Elisa snatches my folder off the table and Mia hands hers over. Elisa holds the two designs together side by side for the room to see and sure enough, they’re nearly identical. Before I can say anything Mia beats me to it.

“You stole my design idea,” she says sounding so certain, but I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“That’s not true!” I quickly say back. I stammer trying to think of how I can prove these are my ideas and Mia is the one who stole them. I scramble back to my seat and take my laptop out of my bag.

“I can prove it,” I say. I type my password into my laptop and go to my files for this winter line. I have the original documents with the date of when I started working on them.

I look up and Mia stands back looking hurt. Anger courses through my veins. So this is how it’s going to be. I click on the file labeled for this winter line and wait for the document to populate.

“See!” I say when the file loads and my designs materialize on screen. I spin my laptop around to show everyone in the room the orginal design with the time and date stamped on it.

I don’t know how Mia got into my laptop to take my designs but at least she wasn’t smart enough to delete the orginal file.

I start to relax as Elisa bends at the waist to scroll and zoom in on the document. I notice that everyone in the board room continues to look at me with condemning judgement.

“Thanks for proving my point,” Mia says with a satisfied laugh.

Elisa straightens back up and scowls at me.

“What?” I say as I spin the computer back around. Then I see it. The file has Mia’s signature encrypted at the bottom of the page with a date from two months ago. “That’s impossible,” I say. Then more sternly, “They’re my designs,”

“I know you want to be a good designer Renee, but stealing isn’t how you get there,” Mia says and wipes away a fake tear. A few in the room comfort her and put their arms around her.

I can’t believe this.

“I could sue you for copyright laws,” Mia says angrily. I storm out of the room.

“Guess I better get a lawyer then!” I shout as I the door behind me.